There is an undeniable swagger about the way Ian Evatt’s side are doing their business at present, which is thrilling to watch, and if the manager’s view is correct and there is still more to come, then the future looks very encouraging indeed.
For the most part, Cheltenham were extras on their own stage. Gone was the physical threat they once posed, and on a warm if changeable afternoon in Gloucestershire even the constrictive dimensions of Whaddon Road appeared roomier and less threatening.
All the work was done inside 20 first-half minutes, Dion Charles scoring two of the three goals, with a devilish glint in his eye. Last season’s top goal-scorer looks more comfortable playing alongside Victor Adeboyejo than he did earlier in the year and the duo paired up to make life a living hell for veteran defender Curtis Davies, for whom the days of England call-ups and Premier League glories must have felt a long, long time ago.
If there was any gripe, it was that Wanderers did not extend the lead in the second half. Their build-up play continued at an impressive pace and there were moments where Robins boss Wade Elliott could only shrug, arms folded, with a look of complete resignation to the outcome.
Right at this moment, Wanderers look to be enjoying their tag as promotion favourites. Weight of expectation has not always sat as comfortably on their shoulders, indeed, it has sometimes felt somewhat manufactured, not least when the Whites followed Cheltenham into League One a couple of years ago.
But Evatt has steadily evolved this squad and baked-in his playing style to the point that they now look capable of taking the next step, which even in the play-off semi-final last season looked a little too steep.
Pre-match talk had all been about a player who would not even step foot on to the pitch until the second half. George Thomason had been the subject of a bid worth £1million from Bristol City overnight, giving the young midfielder a very big decision to make.
There is no question on how highly the 22-year-old is rated by Ian Evatt, and in this writer’s opinion, he has both the attitude and skillset to both play regularly for Bolton and in the division above. But there are cold, hard choices in football which have to exclude emotions and opinions, and if the club and player feel the move is best for business then so be it.
Counting in his favour, Thomason is an extremely conscientious young man who is unlikely to be swayed by the big finances involved. He has the maturity and intellectual capacity to make his mind up for the right reasons.
And if Thomason is viewed as a seven-figure asset, then surely he is not alone in a squad which appears to have taken another tactical step forward over the summer.
Kyle Dempsey stood out in the first half, making himself favourite for every loose ball – in the air or on the ground – which happened to come his way. Room is at a premium at Cheltenham, so moving the ball at pace was vital, and fellow central midfielders Josh Sheehan and Aarom Morley also did their bit in keeping the tempo high.
Charles opened the scoring 15 minutes in, finishing off a move which perfectly demonstrated this new paired down and incisive approach. Sheehan picked the ball up on halfway and got his head up to see Adeboyejo’s run to the edge of the box, his pass to the right foot allowed the striker to turn the ball around the corner, where from eight yards there was no doubt about the outcome.
Adeboyejo’s movement was proving too much for the 38-year-old Davies, once of West Brom, Aston Villa and Birmingham. His rather agricultural challenge on the left edge of the penalty box led to the second goal, whipped in at pace by Morley and skimmed off the head of unknowing participant Liam Smith. Dempsey pondered for a nanosecond whether he could claim it, but wisely chose against it.
And five minutes later the Cheltenham fans were letting their displeasure be known. Another poor touch from Davies dropped nicely for Charles, who curled a perfect shot into the bottom corner past Luke Southwood.
Three could easily have been more. Randell Williams should have capped a bright display with a header from close range, Dempsey and Morley were willed on to shoot from distance at every opportunity. Evatt saw the chance to give the likes of Thomason, Paris Maghoma and Carlos Mendes Gomes some time in the second half and, to their credit, the tempo remained quick.
It would be a stretch to say Cheltenham improved, that is to say Elliott’s side couldn’t have played any worse than they did in the first 45 minutes. But they did at least have a few moments to snap Wanderers out of their complete domination.
Nathan Baxter pulled off a marvellous fingertip save to push Lewis Freestone’s header over the bar and Ricardo Santos came to the rescue as last man a couple of times as Wanderers’ high-risk, high-reward style continues to lean heavily on his excellent one-v-one defending.
Whilst true Wanderers should probably have extended the lead, the ability to rest legs ahead of Tuesday’s home game against Fleetwood was also important. Besides, with two league games down and 44 to go, nobody wants to peak too early, a lesson learned a dozen years ago when Owen Coyle’s team topped the early Premier League table at this stage.
Seeing Bolton at the summit is a pleasant sight and one to which we will hopefully grow accustomed in the coming months. For now, however, Evatt and his side need to keep doing exactly what they are doing, knowing that tougher tests are to come.