WELL, that’s pretty much a quarter of the season done and sitting on this fence is uncomfortable so here goes – Cherries are genuine promotion contenders.

Pundits, bookmakers and supporters of the bigger names in the Championship will sneer at the idea of a pretty little team from the south coast making a splash but discount Cherries at your peril.

This leap of faith isn’t just based on a resolute and clinical showing to see off struggling Bolton despite being a man light – far from it.

The league table would suggest that 11th-placed Cherries have dazzled and disappointed in equal measure at the start of their second season back at this level.

Indeed, Eddie Howe’s men are a point and three places worse off than at the same stage last term, but a closer look at the evidence points to more meaningful progress.

Ropey referees, incredible about-turns on home soil and rare individual aberrations have conspired to deny Cherries a greater yield from their at-times mesmeric performances.

While few would doubt the potential of star-in-the-making Callum Wilson, concerns over his ability to fill Lewis Grabban’s boots in the immediate term had started to surface after five matches without notching.

But if you’re going to judge the 22-year-old Championship rookie purely on cold, hard facts, one look at the scoring charts proves the point more eloquently than any prose.

Wilson’s perfectly-executed second-half brace took to six his league tally for the season – equal with a certain striker over at table-topping Norwich City.

On an after-noon when presentable open-ings came and went for Cherries during the first half, Wilson won the game by taking his only two chances of note.

Pressure? What pressure.

Cherries were forced to weather an early storm as Bolton’s Craig Davies drilled a couple of angled drives at returning loan keeper Artur Boruc – the first after 12 seconds.

But the visitors soon grabbed a foothold in the game with usual suspects Simon Francis and Matt Ritchie again rapier down the right.

Yann Kermorgant and Ritchie found home keeper Andy Lonergan in fine form while the bristling Wilson belied his youthful years by pestering the Trotters’ backline at every turn.

Wilson tied Wanderers full-back Tim Ream in knots to tee up the chance of the half for the visitors but Marc Pugh thumped just over the angle of post and bar.

Switching his attention to the left channel, Wilson then burst between two defenders and wriggled away from Matt Mills whose blatant push appeared to be in the penalty area.

Not for the first time this season, Cherries felt they had been mugged. Replays were inconclusive but it was another borderline decision that had got away, with the frustration doubled when Kermorgant’s swirling free-kick was headed off the line.

A shame, then, that referee Andre Marriner didn’t choose to err on the side of caution moments later, sending off the Frenchman for clattering into Mark Davies.

Granted, the challenge was high and clumsy but having just given Bolton the benefit of the doubt, Marriner could have considered the lack of intent on Kermorgant’s part. Dangerous or not, it was hardly worthy of a three-match ban.

The hosts went close to landing a killer blow with Cherries briefly on the ropes but the lively Davies saw his low effort skid past the far post with Boruc beaten.

It looked like it might turn into one of those days but Cherries had other ideas and when Ritchie set away Francis down the right, the determined Wilson collected his full-back’s low centre and placed a calm finish through Lonergan’s outstretched body.

Ritchie spurned a golden chance for number two - doing all the hard work with a driving run inside which left Mills on his backside – but somehow skewed wide of the near post.

Cherries were made to pay as a Bolton break ended with Jay Spearing’s speculative drive from distance sailing over Boruc, seemingly with the aid of a deflection.

The tide suddenly turned and for all Cherries’ good work going forward down the right, it was proving their Achilles heel at the other end as Wanderers created their best openings from that side.

Ream rolled in Davies to drift a sumptuous chip across goal which brushed Boruc’s bar with the Cherries stopper a mere spectator.

Further centres flew in from the left, crying out to be hit while Lee Chung-Yong brought the best out of the ever-alert Boruc.

But the pendulum was to swing on more time and decisively it did so in Cherries’ favour.

Harry Arter’s delicate dink forward was brought down by Wilson who turned into space and coolly slotted past the advancing Lonergan to well-and-truly burst Bolton’s bubble.

From there, it was remarkably comfortable due to the visitors’ ability to stifle the game with impressive spells of possession while deflated Wanderers simply didn’t know where to turn.

The display showed a calm defiance in the face of adversity with not only the know-how over when to spring the trap but the ability to do so with precision and poise.

Howe’s only slight conundrum is similar to the one he faced in the first half of last season – finding those extra goals to supplement Wilson’s contribution.

With such crisp play and recently-discovered resolve to call upon, the answer could well provide the final ingredient in Cherries’ winning formula.

MATCH FACTS

Bolton: Lonergan, Herd, Mills, Dervite, Ream, Lee, Spearing, M Davies (Pratley, h-t), Danns (Clayton, 76), C Davies (Mason, 70), Beckford.

Unused subs: McNaughton, Feeney, Kamara, Kenny (g/k).

Booked: Mills, Herd, Ream.

Cherries: Boruc 8.5, Francis 8, Elphick 8, Cook 8.5, Daniels 7.5, Ritchie 7.5 (Smith, 88), Arter 7.5, Surman 7, Pugh 6.5, Kermorgant 5, Wilson 9 (Pitman, 90+2).

Unused subs: Harte, Gosling, Rantie, Fraser, Flahavan (g/k).

Booked: Boruc.

Sent off: Kermorgant.

Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands).

Attendance: 13,033. 390 visiting supporters.

STAR MAN: CALLUM WILSON

LIKE in the bulk of his recent performances, Wilson’s failure to find the net in September was never evident at Bolton. Playing without fear or regard for the opposition, the striker set about his business in customary fashion.

Belligerent and direct with no shortage of skill, Wilson gave full-backs Tim Ream and Chris Herd a torrid time by peeling into the channels while ex-Cherries loanee Matt Mills must have wondered what had hit him.

His calm finishes will provide the lasting memories of this game but Wilson’s ability to fashion first-half chances for his team-mates and the way he turned his service into clear-cut openings should not be overlooked.