A quite amazing turnaround in stoppage time at the Accu Stadium ended Wanderers’ wait for an away win – and could well prove a turning point in the season.
The game had followed a painfully familiar path up to the 92nd minute when Leo Castledine’s early header put Huddersfield ahead.
Wanderers pounded on the door and were destined to rue more missed chances until Sam Dalby came up with a header to level the game.
And if that were not enough blessed relief for Schumacher, who had seemingly spent the entire game with head in frustrated hands, Amario Cozier-Duberry came up with another moment of magic to win the game with virtually its final kick.
Wanderers reacted to Saturday’s defeat at Burton Albion with five changes to their side. Chris Forino dropped out because of illness, with Eoin Toal replacing him at centre-back.
Jordi Osei-Tutu came in for his first start since the 1-1 draw with Reading in August and there were starts for Josh Sheehan, Marcus Forss and Josh Dacres Cogley. Cyrus Christie, Aaron Morley, Ibrahim Cissoko and Sam Dalby dropped to the bench.
Given the widespread disappointment at the weekend, the onus was on Bolton to make a fast and decisive start. Sadly, it couldn’t have been further from the case.
Alfie May blasted a goal-bound volley at goal inside the first five minutes which thankfully bounced off his team-mate Josh Feeney in front of Teddy Sharman-Lowe’s goal.
From the very next set piece Lyndon Gooch swung the ball in and Castledine got ahead of Josh Dacres-Cogley to head home unchallenged from eight yards out.
For the seventh successive game away from home, Wanderers had conceded the first goal. And it was only once they had fallen behind did things start to fall into line.
Max Conway blasted a shot from the left corner of the penalty box which Lee Nicholls had to push around the post and Osei-Tutu cleared the bar with a far-post header from Sheehan’s cross.
Amario Cozier-Duberry and Dacres-Cogley looked like Bolton’s best bet, combining effectively on the right with the little space the Terriers were offering. But when Wanderers needed a moment of calm quality in the box, it too often felt rushed.
Forss brought a save out of Nicholls with a snap-shot and Mason Burstow had another deflected just wide – and those brief moments would have given Schumacher some hope as the teams came back in at half time.
Huddersfield had got their noses in front and had produced a couple of moments where a second goal looked possible.
Joe Taylor briefly got the wrong side of George Johnston, forcing the defender to chase and challenge before he hit the penalty box, and Alfie May had a bouncing shot pushed away by Sharman-Lowe.
There had been enough from Bolton, however, to suggest that the game was still there for them, especially if they could make a positive start to the second half.
The travelling fans certainly played their part, providing as loud a backing from behind the Huddersfield goal as we have heard in some time.
“We are the one and only Wanderers!” came the rhythmic chant in perfect unison, the masses demanding their side force their way back into the game.
Huddersfield seemed unmoved. Lee Grant’s side have kept more clean sheets than anyone else in League One this season, and you could see why.
Just after the hour Bolton got their first glimpse of an equaliser, Forss looping a cross in from the left and Burstow heading goalwards, but into the waiting arms of Nicholls.
Having dried up as an attacking force, the home side made a couple of attacking changes, including the introduction of ex-Wanderers favourite Charles, who was instantly given the hostile treatment. But it was another striker, John McAtee, who nearly changed the course of the game moments after his arrival.
Max Conway drove past two challenges in midfield to slip a pass through to the fresh substitute, who got around keeper Nicholls but saw his angled shot cleared off the line.
McAtee looked up at referee Ollie Yates claiming there was some contact from the keeper as he faced through but to no avail.
The momentum continued in Bolton’s favour. Another big penalty shout went up from the away end as Sheehan was sent tumbling, and seconds later McAtee steered a header straight into the keeper’s arms from close range.
Osei-Tutu sent a cross skidding across goal with Burstow hurtling in to try and make contact, each attack by this point aided by an away end trying to inhale the ball into the back of the net.
It had been a valiant response but as each chance passed by, Schumacher left head in hands, the likelihood that the one early mistake was once again going to prove costly.
Indeed, by the time six minutes flashed up on the fourth official’s board, the vociferous support from the away fans had started to quieten to a resigned hush.
And then the most magical two minutes of the entire season.
The Terriers’ stubborn defences were finally crowbarred open three minutes into stoppage time as Cozier-Duberry delivered a superb cross into the box, powered home by sub Dalby from close range.
It was the sort of delivery he has been dreaming about since joining the club from Wrexham in the summer, and doubly so since the weekend when his missed chances at Burton had ended up being such a talking point.
The party hadn’t even got started, though, as just a couple of minutes later Burstow prodded a pass through for Cozier-Duberry, who kept his nerve to beat Nicholls and spark scenes of celebration that will surely last the whole weekend.