Gethin Jones was Bolton’s unlikely hero as they beat Port Vale 1-0 to continue their fine run.

Jones, who scored his first career goal in Wanderers’ 6-3 defeat at home to Vale in December, hit his second in the reverse fixture to extend his side’s unbeaten run to 11 games.

The in-form Wanderers came to Vale Park having taken 26 points from the previous 30 available.

But against a Valiants team woefully short of goals they struggled to create anything in attack themselves.

It took them more than an hour to finally make the breakthrough, when right-back Jones capitalised on good work from Oladapo Afolayan to find the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Theo Robinson had almost put Port Vale ahead on the stroke of half-time but his firm volley on the turn was narrowly wide of the near post.

In the second half, Vale’s goalscoring problems continued and, after Jones had netted, they were unable to find a meaningful response, with Luke Joyce firing their best chance of rescuing a draw at keeper Matt Gilks.