Bolton Wanderers were given a massive boost in the battle for survival as they cut the gap between themselves and 21st place Rotherham United to five points after an emphatic 3-1 win over MK Dons. 

Karl Robinson's MK Dons lost 3-1 at Bolton yesterday
Karl Robinson's MK Dons lost 3-1 at Bolton yesterday

The first goal came from an unlikely source, with Bolton's 20-year-old defender Rob Holding scoring his first ever goal in professional football to give Neil Lennon's side the lead.

After Gary Madine's header was blocked on the line by the Dons, Darren Pratley doubled Bolton's lead, firing past the keeper after he had ghosted to the far post amongst a host of bodies.

The next goal didn't come until the 89th minute, when Josh Murphy fired an excellent strike into the bottom corner to give Karl Robinson's men some hope.

But their hopes were short lived as in injury time, Shola Ameobi scored a farewell goal, with the striker's contract coming to an end after this game, and with the current financial situation, it will most likely not be renewed.

This was an absolutely huge win for Lennon's side, and FootballLeagueWorld writer Harry Smith identifies three things that we learned from the game...

1) Bolton CAN stay up

There may still be a lot to do, with the side sitting five points off safety, and bottom of the Championship.

But they showed real unity and fighting spirit, and the fans were right behind their side for the full 90 minutes.

Continue to keep this up and eventually luck will go their way, and so will results. They could well stay up yet.

2) The Dons have a lot to do

If any MK Dons fans felt that their side was safe from the drop, then this performance will have stopped them in their tracks.

This defeat emphasised their lack of real defensive quality, and that is always a large problem to contend with when you have a tricky run of fixtures ahead of you.

3) Darren Pratley is key for Bolton

The Bolton skipper was absolutely pivotal to Bolton's success in this game, bossing the midfield, creating chances going forward, and also helping his side going back.

Keeping hold of their in-demand captain could be the best bit of business Lennon could do in this January transfer window.

Bolton and MK Dons fans... what did you make of the game? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!