Bolton manager Ian Evatt praised his side’s persistence after they left it late to beat Peterborough 1-0 at the University of Bolton Stadium.

Dapo Afolayan, a 70th-minute replacement for Kyle Dempsey, scored with a deflected shot four minutes from time to seal a fourth successive win in all competitions for Wanderers.

Peterborough looked like they were on course for a draw after their Finnish goalkeeper Lucas Bergstrom made three excellent saves to deny a Bolton side who dominated possession, especially in the second half.

In a fractious game which saw four yellow cards for Bolton and three for Peterborough, a stalemate seemed the likely outcome until Afolayan pounced late on.

Evatt said: “I am delighted. The players thoroughly deserved that win today. It felt like a proper game – two good teams that will probably be battling it out at the top end of the table.

“Once we got to grips with Peterborough, I thought we were the team that would go on to win it. We saw glimpses of the football we can play and also we stood up to some physical tactics at times. Our concentration level was excellent.”

Asked if he thought the game was in danger of boiling over, especially in the first half when four yellow cards were produced by referee Carl Brook, Evatt said: “I thought we kept our discipline really well and I don’t think anyone can argue that we deserved to win.

“I think every game is really challenging when you look through the league. Every game throws a different challenge at you. We have had a decent start but we have lots of work to do.

Peterborough manager Grant McCann was disappointed his side had not held on for a point after defending so stoically for so long.

He said: “It was a frustrating afternoon for us to come away from here with a defeat.

“We didn’t set out to contain them – we came here trying to be positive and trying to attack. At moments we did that, at moments we didn’t. I thought it was a really tough game. I didn’t feel there was much in it and it was a good battle.

“Defensively I was quite pleased on the whole. The goal took a big deflection. There were moments we could have been better and that was frustrating and disappointing for us.

“When you come to a place like this against a team which is strong at home they are always going to get opportunities.

“We know we have to be better but we have shown in most of our games that we can create opportunities. We need to make sure we are better from an attacking point of view – and that’s the whole team.”

McCann felt that the referee was guilty of allowing the game to simmer at certain points but he did not have any complaints.

He said: “I think it was a feisty game and the referee lost it a little bit though there wasn’t really a dirty tackle in the game. ”

Despite a poor recent run, McCann insists he is not losing heart, adding: “It’s been a topsy-turvy start to the season for us. It’s about how we get out of this and how we turn it around.”