It's been a long time coming but Bolton Wanderers finally got back to winning ways on Saturday.
Bolton hadn't picked up three points since November 23 but didn't look like a team in such dire form when they came up against Ipswich Town, who themselves have been rejuvenated recently by new manager Kieran McKenna.
The visitors appeared likely to make it a third victory in succession as they started the game strongly but the Whites grew into the first half and should have gone in at the break ahead, with Dion Charles having two great chances.
Ipswich again started brightly in the second 45 but Bolton, in a new 3-4-1-2 formation, held firm and once again started to fashion opportunities before taking the lead in the 74th minute.
A lovely passing move resulted in Aaron Morley shooting on goal and when the powerful effort was saved, Kieran Lee was on hand to bury the rebound.
Shortly after Dapo Afolayan sealed the win after capitalising on a horrendous mistake from a defender before hiring into the far corner.
Here are the ups and downs from the game.
Ups
New dawn?
Last season it wasn't until the cavalry arrived in January in the shape of Afolayan, Declan John and MJ Williams that Bolton turned a horrid run of form around and went on the charge for promotion.
With four new arrivals in January already making an impact, and hopefully more to come, could a repeat of sorts be on the cards?
Promotion, or even making the play-offs, would be a massive task at this stage and is very unlikely, but if Bolton can end the season strongly, climb up the table and put any fears of a return to League Two to bed the atmosphere around the club would be much more positive going into next season.
It was a great performance against the Tractor Boys and it could be the catalyst for a change of fortunes.
Terrific debuts
Dion Charles and Marlon Fossey have already made an impact since arriving and two more debuts did the same on Saturday.
Aaron Morley came in straight away and has already laid claim to all free-kicks and corners, which speaks a lot of his confidence and quality. While the midfielder did give the ball away a couple of times, he was full of energy in the middle of the park and was always looking to pass forward.
His wicked shot from distance has already led to one goal and it wouldn't be surprising if more followed.
Perhaps even more important was the display of Jamie Trafford in goal. Eyebrows were raised when Evatt opted to bring another young keeper in one loan following last year's failures but the Manchester City loanee made a good start in proving doubters wrong.
While he didn't have many saves to make, Trafford smartly saved two goal-bound efforts and was always in control of his box as he was bombarded by 10 corners. He was even more impressive with the ball at his feet.
After settling some early nerves that resulted in a couple of wayward passes, the teenager began spreading the ball about the pitch in a similar fashion to Ederson: composed, patient and accurate.
It's certainly a good start for Bolton's new, young signings.
Jones returns
As well as new signings, Bolton were further buoyed by the return of Gethin Jones to the starting XI.
As Ian Evatt said himself, the Trotters have missed his leadership, composure, experience, athleticism, energy and pace in the back-line and he made a big difference to the team.
Jones was deployed on the right of a back-three and helped make the formation work thanks to his intuitive positioning and pace making the back-line more mobile and solid. He also got forward plenty of time as well and linked up really well with Fossey, in what looks like a dangerous partnership down the right.
It's great to have him back.
New system suits
The back-three failed drastically in Evatt's first season in charge but now it looks like it suits the team perfectly.
The key to making any back-three formation work is good, attacking wing-backs who can run the lines tirelessly all game long and be effective at both ends of the pitch.
Evatt didn't have that last year but he does now, with Fossey on the right particularly making Bolton look much more dangerous. With the shackles of playing right-back taken off, the Fulham loanee played really well against Ipswich and was a constant source of excitement.
Kieran Lee was given the role of the playmaker behind the strikers and he has never looked more at home in a Wanderers side. With two players in front and behind him to do all the running that he can no longer do, Lee was free to ghost between the lines and create with some excellent touches and passes. He played an integral role in the opener by not only scoring it but being involved in the move that led to Morley's shot.
A front-two also seems to play to new signing Dion Charles' attributes. The Northern Ireland international made a good partnership with Amadou Bakayoko, with the pair working well together in pressing and link-up play. That relationship will grow even better the more they play and if they both start taking their chances Bolton could be on to a winner with them both.
Downs
Is Afolayan's place in the side at risk?
While the new system works wonders for a lot of players, it does leave Afolayan in a curious position.
There's little doubt that the forward has been Bolton's best player this season, a bright spark in another wise dreary few months, and he responded well to being dropped for the match by coming on and getting the crucial second - his 10th of the campaign, the third-best tally for a Bolton player in the last decade and it's only January.
Yet his best position is coming in off the left flank and that position doesn't exist in this set-up so that only leaves either upfront or the playmaker position available.
Afolayan hasn't fared well in a central role in the past and there are players ahead of him in those positions currently, with potentially more on the way.
It's a good problem to have but it will be interesting to see where Afolayan fits in the team going forward.
John slump
The one player who looked a little out of sorts on Saturday, and has done for a while, is John.
Though he was still able to create a couple of chances and was involved in the goal, he has become a bit of a weak link at the back at the moment and looked bereft of confidence at times.
Hopefully, he can arrest this little slump as soon as possible because he is so important to the side.
