Ian Evatt’s week has improved dramatically thanks to Randell Williams’ dramatic late leveller, which sends Wanderers back into the automatic promotion spots.

If the Bolton boss had been feeling a bit sore about his team’s misfortune or the criticism that emerged after defeats at Blackpool and Wigan, his mood was improved tenfold by an incredible comeback at Oakwell.

Wiliams slammed home a 98th minute equaliser after Josh Sheehan’s penalty had been saved, capping off a comeback to end all comebacks.

Victor Adeboyejo had started things off, halving the deficit on the hour. To that point Barnsley had been the better team by miles.

But Bolton threw everything they had at their hosts to get back into the game and thoroughly deserved to take something away from the game.

The emotion on the night did claim one casualty, though, and that was Evatt's trousers, which ended up torn after his pitch-side celebrations!

Wanderers made just one change to their starting line-up after the 2-0 win against Cambridge United, Kyle Dempsey coming in for Paris Maghoma in the centre of midfield.

McAtee and Nicky Cadden were back for the home side, who dropped Sam Cosgrove and Corey O’Keefe to the bench.

Back in May there had been little to split the two teams in a tense play-off semi-final, the Tykes a little more canny and creative over two legs. Just a handful of players from either side started both games but it was hard to escape the feeling that little had changed in the first half.

Wanderers did control possession and – to a large extent – the pace of the game, but it was Barnsley who looked the more threatening, thriving in the moments of transition and breaking quickly when they seized the ball.

But for Dempsey, Bolton looked struggled to match them for speed in the middle of the park. George Thomason picked up an early yellow card for diving into a challenge on Herbie Kane on the edge of the box and from the resulting free kick ex-Bolton academy star Luca Connell drilled a shot through the wall, handled well by Joel Coleman.

Donovan Pines had a couple of shaky clearances when the Whites went more direct at times but Barnsley were getting their punches off more effectively and 20 minutes in a long punt from keeper Liam Roberts was helped on by Devante Cole to McAtee, the Salford-born striker just failing to get a meaningful touch on the ball to send it past Roberts.

He made no mistake with his second chance, though. Wanderers had not looked comfortable under Barnsley’s press and Thomason ran out of space as he tried to help on a straight ball from Coleman, Mael De Gevigney’s block fell perfectly for McAtee, who rolled the ball under Coleman for the opener.

Bolton had missed a big chance between McAtee’s two big moments, Jones driving an angled shot which looped up and nearly dropped for Aaron Collins.  

Barnsley’s goal seemed to rock the Whites and for a while it looked like the home side would take advantage to score a second. Adam Phillips flashed a few dangerous crosses in from the right, one ball nearly dropping for Cole at the far post.

Wanderers had struggled to make sense of a scrappy game but finally put a good move together just before half time as Santos nicked the ball in midfield, slipped a ball behind Josh Earl, releasing Dacres-Cogley. The wing-back couldn’t pick anyone out with his cross, however, and Barnsley were let off the hook.

There needed to be a reaction but within a couple of minutes of the restart the task of taking anything at all from the game became even tougher.

First, a poor ball from Nat Ogbeta allowed Jordan Williams to slide a pass through for McAtee, who had rolled his marker Santos. His shot was blocked at the near post by Coleman.

From the corner, Jones made a partial clearance, Cole tried to turn a shot towards goal but American centre-half Pines seized on the loose ball to power his shot into the top corner.

Within a couple of minutes, Dacres-Cogley was forced off with an injury, prompting a complete defensive reshuffle and Jack Iredale slotting in at centre half.

Thomason had a chance for redemption, played in on the left edge of the box by Sheehan his shot was saved well by Roberts, with Nicky Cadden making an equally brave block to deny Jones with the follow up.

Bolton’s chances did not look great at that stage but one moment of genuine incision sparked a furious finish.

Thomason played in Collins on the right and the Welshman rolled a delightful cross in for his strike partner Adeboyejo to crash in his 10th of the season.

The noise levels behind the Barnsley goal suddenly went up an octave, and so did the belief that Bolton could take something back to Lancashire.

Collins went close, wrestling Hines to chase on to Thomason’s through ball, he got there ahead of keeper Roberts and very nearly squeezed a shot in from a tight angle. Replays showed that the Barnsley centre-half also had a fair handful of Collins’ shirt but referee James Bell saw no infringement.

Evatt threw on Randell Williams and Paris Maghoma to try and keep the momentum up and Collins nearly conjured up a moment of magic with 10 minutes to go, dancing through several challenges on the edge of the box but failing to seriously test Roberts with his shot.

It proved his last action, as Cameron Jerome and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson were subbed on as a fresh front two for the final throes.

The pair came agonisingly close to combining for an equaliser – Bodvarsson hooking the ball on to the far post where Jerome seemed to have timed his jump perfectly, but Roberts and De Gevigney had managed to close out the space and stop the ball from going over the line.

The agony didn’t end there for Bolton. Bodvarsson crashed a shot against the post, Maghoma seeing two follow-up efforts blocked on the line, sparking scenes of joyous celebration between the goalkeeper and defenders.

Maghoma then had another gilt-edged opportunity in stoppage time, driving straight down the middle, he could not find a way past Roberts.

It all looked lost... And then the moment of magic as Williams drilled home the equaliser to spark scenes of utter joy in the away end.