WANDERERS need a miracle in the final fortnight of the season if they are to hit their target of automatic promotion after dropping two more points against struggling Shrewsbury.

Ian Evatt had said in the build-up to the game that “anything can happen” but few would have expected Bolton to melt in the way they did during the first half, surrendering a 2-1 lead at the break.

Cameron Jerome had brought the Whites level after Daniel Udoh had opened the scoring – but Jordan Shipley’s powerful strike gave the Shrews an advantage their travelling supporters could hardly believe.

Paris Maghoma got Bolton level with nearly 20 minutes left, setting up a grandstand finish that, quite simply, never arrived.

Evatt ended up with three strikers up front but his team struggling to produce any meaningful opportunities, and when a speculative Jack Iredale strike struck the frame of the goal in the final moments, you knew the game was up.

Portsmouth claimed the championship with a win against Barnsley and Bolton now have three points to make up on Derby over the course of their final two games, with an inferior goal difference.

Wanderers were forced into changes, with Gethin Jones and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson reporting injuries after the Portsmouth game, Ricardo Santos not risked because of his ongoing calf issue, and Josh Sheehan rested on the bench.

Kyle Dempsey, Jack Iredale and Will Forrester were brought in, but the inclusion of veteran Jerome for only his second league start of the season was the one which raised most eyebrows among an expectant home crowd.

Few would have expected the striker – at 37 years, eight months and two days – to be one of the only players who could say they had done themselves justice as Wanderers jogged back down the tunnel at half time 2-1 down and with the sound of disgruntled supporters ringing in their ears.

For the opening 20 minutes Bolton played with the same sort of energy they had showed against Pompey – Aaron Collins skipping around and looking to be thoroughly enjoying himself hitting shots from every conceivable distance and angle.

The Welshman was denied by one sprawling save from Marko Marosi. Jerome also saw a header bounce off the post and a second corner was cleared a yard from goal as the pressure was increased.

Collins timed a brilliant run moments later and looked to stand a cross up for Jerome in the middle, forcing Joe Anderson into an emergency intervention.

It all looked to be going Bolton’s way until a poor pass from Jack Iredale set them on the back foot. Josh Dacres-Cogley made one well-timed clearance but moments later the Shrews were back on the attack after Nat Ogbeta was caught on the ball, Tom Bloxham sprinting a full 50 yards down the right before puling a cross back for Udoh to bury into the bottom corner.

Shrewsbury hadn’t scored in 22 league game to that point, so you can perhaps forgive how long they took celebrating the goal. Thereafter, the timewasting was truly astonishing.

Marosi made another solid save from Paris Maghoma, who was doing his level best to revive a flagging atmosphere, but Bolton looked bereft of ideas and Chey Dunkley could have made it two, heading straight at Nathan Baxter from a corner.

After a spell where you worried the pace would never return to the game, Collins turned well to nudge a ball through for Jerome, who hassled a mistake out of Morgan Feeney to win a corner.

The ball came in, bounced off two or three players, but lastly to Jerome, who prodded it into the net for his first league goal since October 2022 – or 549 days.

In doing so he became the sixth oldest goal-scorer in Bolton’s history, sandwiching himself between Les Ferdinand and Gudni Bergsson.

Surely that would be the catalyst for more? No such luck. Wanderers conceded a corner almost straight from the restart and in a move reminiscent of the old David Beckham and Paul Scholes set piece at Manchester United, Elliott Bennett found Jordan Shipley to lash past Baxter from the edge of the box.

A measly four minutes of added time was provided at the end of the half, half of which was ironically eaten up by the Shrews’ canny gamesmanship.

Wanderers attacked straight from the restart with Kyle Dempsey having a close-range effort deflected wide after connecting with Dacres-Cogley’s cross.

Collins weaved his way through again, only to be blocked by Marosi, and when the ball looped up, Ogbeta tried to chest it over the line rather than use his head, giving Morgan Feeney the chance to hook it away off the line.

Maghoma once again took up the mantle, trying to get some tempo into the match. He nearly got the Whites level after taking a short corner and dribbling along the line before being thwarted at the near post by Marosi.

Wanderers called for Charles on 66 minutes, replacing Jerome, and the desperation levels increased further. Dempsey thought he had scored when he flicked Ogbeta’s cross towards goal but was again denied by the stubborn Marosi.

Then, with just under 20 minutes left, the breakthrough finally arrived. Collins and Dempsey conspired on the right, a cross pulled back to the edge of the box where Maghoma – cool as you like – hit the ball with his instep to beat Marosi. Game on again.

George Thomason very nearly trumped his goal against Blackpool with a 25-yard thunderbolt which whistled just wide.

With eight minutes left, Evatt went for it, switching midfielder Dempsey with striker Dan Nlundulu, making his return after five months out injured.

The Whites toiled and teased but they could create nothing clear cut. A paltry five minutes of stoppage time seemed to drift away in an instant.

Iredale thought he had scored when Maghoma’s shot dropped to him at the far post and he rifled a left-footed shot at goal, only to see the ball bounce off the outside of the post. On those small margins lie the difference between success and failure.

“We are staying up!” chanted the Shrews fans, their team now safe barring a mathematical miracle. It will take something similarly magical if Bolton are to climb above Derby now. Time to face up to another play-off.