Bolton staged a stunning late fightback to beat promotion rivals Huddersfield 2-1 and secure their first away win since April.
Substitute Sam Dalby and Amario Cozier-Duberry scored deep into stoppage time to help Steven Schumacher’s side leapfrog Huddersfield into seventh position.
The visitors trailed at half-time after a seventh-minute goal from Leo Castledine. The attacking midfielder, on a season-long loan from Chelsea, ghosted in completely unchallenged to head in Ruben Roosken’s corner.
But Bolton rallied well after that early setback, with goalkeeper Lee Nicholls producing two crucial saves to thwart Max Conway and Marcus Forss.
Driven on by a sold-out away end, Bolton piled on the pressure after the break as Mason Burstow headed straight at Nicholls when well-placed and John McAtee had a shot cleared away from near the goal-line by Joe Low.
But Cozier-Duberry came up trumps for Bolton late on, seeing his inch-perfect cross nodded in by Dalby. The lively winger then capped a fine performance by drilling in a late winner after a quick counter-attack.
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Watch Huddersfield’s half-time antics, which have become a tradition over the past few years.
The managers…
Jubilant Bolton boss Steven Schumacher praised the impact of his bench.
“We worked incredibly hard for what we got but I do feel we got what we deserved,” he said. “They [Huddersfield] started the game really well and credit to them. They did something slightly different from how they build to what we prepared for and they got off to a good start and scored from a set-piece, which was disappointing for us.
“But the way we responded from that and regrouped together was great. We said to the players at half-time that they would get tired and their legs would go. I could feel and sense it.
“We passed the ball better in the second half and took over the game. We dominated it and got what we deserved. The players kept going and believing in what we were doing.
“We played with great energy and the subs who came off the bench made a huge impact and a large part of that was down to our fans. They were outstanding in the second half and I’m pleading with them to stick with us. We need the support because the lads really thrive off it. If we get that support and backing, we will give it 100 per cent every week, that’s guaranteed.”
It is now back-to-back league defeats for Huddersfield, who were booed off at full-time.
Manager Lee Grant said: “About as tough as you can get in terms of the finish to the game. It was about as brutal an end to a game as I think I’ve ever experienced if I’m really honest.
“Lots of anger, frustration and disappointment for a game that we really set about in the right fashion. We really went after it with the right level of intent, aggression and intensity in the first period.
“But in the second half we strayed way too far away from the things that gave us success in the first. Therein lies the lesson for us as a staff, group and individuals. We have to stay very close to the things that give us success and stick very tight to our principles. We strayed too far away from those in the second half which led to the finish that we got.”