James McClean reacts to Ian Evatt flashpoint after Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers' automatic promotion hopes took a hit on Tuesday night when they lost 1-0 away at local rivals Wigan Athletic.

Ian Evatt's side once again dominated the game but struggled to find a way through the rigid defence that Wigan put up.

They controlled large parts of the game, but they were opened up when it mattered most in the few chances that the Latics had to score.

Some intricate play from a counter-attack led to substitute Stephen Humphrys being slipped in behind the Bolton defence, and he was able to squeeze the ball past goalkeeper Joel Coleman.

Wanderers had their chances - they took 10 shots, three of which were on target, had nine corners, and racked up just under 70% of possession.

But, in the end it meant nothing as they left the DW Stadium with no points, with the only boost being that fellow promotion hopefuls Derby County also lost at home to Charlton Athletic.

Not only was Evatt not happy with the result, but he also wasn't impressed with the conduct of Shaun Maloney's players after the game had finished, and that is something that former Wigan player James McClean - who has history with Evatt - found quite funny.

Footage emerges of brawl between Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers players

Wigan winger Martial Godo - who had a role to play in the build up that led to the goal - went over and celebrated in front of the travelling Bolton fans at the end of the game, which drew the ire of Bolton's players and staff.

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson came over to have a go at the winger for his actions, only for Latics captain Jason Kerr to stand in his way.

Bodvarsson and Kerr then exchanged some angry words, and then Tom Pearce and Cameron Jerome started a big scuffle between the two teams, which Evatt came over to get involved in.

He had some choice words for a few of the Wigan players, including Godo, before he and his side headed back down the tunnel.

Wrexham's James McClean reacts to Bolton manager Ian Evatt's outburst

Former Wigan winger McClean, who is now plying his trade for Wrexham in League Two, got quite the laugh out of Evatt's post-match antics.

He took to his Instagram account to further add fuel to the fire, accusing Evatt of 'pretending' he wanted to fight Shaun Maloney's squad before backing off.

This isn't the first time that Evatt and McClean's paths have crossed, with Bolton's boss in 2021 claiming that the Irishman was never on the club's radar after he said Wanderers were an option for him to sign for - in 2022 McClean trolled Evatt over Wigan's promotion whilst the Trotters remained in League One after finishing ninth that season.

Evatt needs to keep a cool head with Bolton's season hanging in the balance

Despite defeat in such a hotly-contested game, Bolton didn't lose any ground on Derby who are directly above them, with both sides remaining on 66 points - seven points behind John Mousinho's table-topping Portsmouth.

Bolton certainly aren't out of it and any points in their game in hand would see them leapfrog the Rams into second place - but they do need to start getting their act together before the chance slips away from them, again.

They've taken nine points out of a possible 21 in their seven games, and that sort of form at this stage in the season is going to make it very hard for any team to secure one of the top two spots in League Two.

Evatt now has to recompose himself after his actions post-match at the DW Stadium on Tuesday night and get everyone onside for the remaining 12 matches of their League One season, because storming onto the pitch to get involved in chaotic scenes isn't what he needs to be in the headlines for.