Beaten in six of the last eight games, it seems an age since we were whispering in anticipation that the upturn in form under Steven Schumacher could see them challenge Wrexham and Wycombe for second spot, let alone the top six.

The team had briefly been transformed when the Liverpudlian was appointed, a new voice and a more flexible tactical outlook seemingly just what an under-performing group had needed to unlock their potential.

But old habits started to reappear, and from the chaotic, messy second half at Bristol Rovers onwards, it has become increasingly obvious that there is something more fundamental missing, which will prevent them from getting out of this division.

They do say you learn more in defeat than you do in victory, and with the summer in sight, Schumacher has noted issues in the last couple of games against Barnsley and Wycombe that he does not appreciate.

Questioning Wanderers’ mentality became a trope under Ian Evatt’s reign, and though there were obvious occasions where they wilted under the pressure, it had only been this season that their consistency was seriously questioned. Ironically, that came at a time when the playing budget had been increased, and judgements on recruitment became more severe.

In the past few years, the loan market had been used successfully to bring in quality beyond Bolton’s budget. James Trafford, Conor Bradley, Paris Maghoma were the stand outs, but even going back to Marlon Fossey, Peter Kioso, Declan John or Dapo Afolayan, the club’s ability to attract the right type of players from further up the pyramid has been admirable.

This season the shift in budget put heavy emphasis on permanent signings, none of which can entirely be described as successful. Their loan additions – Alex Murphy, Jay Matete, Kion Etete – have struggled to make an impact.

And yet as those players travel to Lincoln this afternoon there is still a slim chance that they could rescue a sliver of hope with the right result, and a bit of luck elsewhere. To shut down all optimism at this stage would be foolish.

Perhaps for the final time this season the players have a collective opportunity to prove they are not as unreliable as they are being made out to be.

Injuries have stacked up in catastrophic fashion of late, and ordinarily that would offer some mitigation to a team in poor form. Unfortunately for Wanderers, there is little sympathy being offered from a fanbase frustrated at the thought of another season spent at this uncomfortable and ill-fitting level of football.

Given the current league standings, it is possible that by next season only Lincoln will have operated in League One longer than Bolton, who would be entering into their fifth campaign in the third tier. The Imps are destined for a seventh.

More than 15,000 people have already committed to season tickets for 2025/26, so the heavy expectation to climb into the Championship is going nowhere. Those same people will want explanations as to why the last eight months has failed to hit the mark, and what is being done to ensure things will improve in the future.

And yet the narrative could be flipped on its head with the right results at Lincoln, Peterborough and at home to Stevenage. However unlikely, the inquest into Wanderers’ failures may yet be postponed.

Easter Monday’s opponents just missed out on the play-offs last season and had spent the first half of this one bouncing around the top half of the table with designs on breaking into the top six. Their fortunes tailed off at the start of the year but they have picked up a little in recent weeks and have taken two more points from their last 12 games than Bolton.

Their highly rated coach Michael Skubala has already turned his attentions to the summer and what he needs to bring to the LNER Stadium to help his side go a step further.

Steven Schumacher will be thinking the same thing – and his post-match assessment of the Wycombe defeat hinted once again at major changes in the summer. But with all that in mind, how does he motivate a team drinking in the Last Chance Saloon for one final push?