Manager Steven Schumacher hailed Sam Dalby’s form after the Bolton striker’s two-goal showing inspired a win over Barnsley.
The former Wrexham striker took his season’s tally to nine and also laid on Wanderers’ third for Barnsley old boy John McAtee as the home side ran riot in the opening period.
But four substitutions at half-time transformed a gripping contest as ex-Trotter Luca Connell and Adam Phillips threatened to undo Dalby’s earlier good work with second-half goals.
“Sam looks like he is playing with confidence,” said Schumacher as Bolton made it four successive wins and five from six to stay third behind Cardiff and Lincoln.
“Things are coming off for him. But you get the bounce of the ball when you work hard and do the right things.
“He gets on with his work without fuss. He is a real threat and looks like a good player.
“We want him to stay in this form for as long as he can.”
On his side’s latest win – completed by Jack Bonham’s 77th-minute save from one-time Wanderers loanee Nat Ogbeta – Schumacher added: “It looked like we have our swagger back.
“The way we played in the first half was excellent. We looked a threat every time we went forward.
“We deservedly went in 3-0 up and it could have been more and game over.
“In the second, we had a couple of chances to kill the game off. They get one back and made it interesting.”
Tykes boss Conor Hourihane called Barnsley’s first-half showing “awful.”
But after his team’s second-half revival he said: “I’m disappointed not to have got something out of the game.
“So I have a contrast of emotions. We could have been four or five down easily in that first half had it not been for (keeper) Owen Goodman.
“We were lucky to be only 3-0 down and I was thankful for that to be honest.
“We could not live with their intensity. We looked tired and leggy.
“They had a week off, we didn’t. Was that something to do with it? Potentially.
“But they are on a decent run, fighting for promotion and a top-two spot. They came out of the traps a lot quicker than us.”
Hourihane’s response to the debacle was to ring the changes.
“I didn’t shout; I didn’t scream,” he said.
“I could have taken any of them off other than Owen Goodman.
“We looked a completely different team and gave ourselves a fighting chance.
“The important thing was the reaction. Would we go under? Or would we have an attacking output and give ourselves a chance to at least put a gloss on the scoreline?
“We did that and more and could have got something out of the game.”
