But they were stung by a Peterborough comeback in the second half, started and finished by Malik Mothersille either side of Joel Randall’s goal.
Posh, who finish fourth, saw their hard work undone when Cameron Jerome pulled Bolton level but both sides are still dreaming of following Portsmouth and Derby up into the Championship.
Bolton now face Barnsley in a repeat of last season’s semi-final loss, while Posh take on an Oxford side who thumped them 5-0 recently.
Bolton boss Evatt said: “We got ourselves two up, but could and should have scored more. The scoreline at Derby then filtered back and probably knocked a bit of stuffing out of the lads.
“I still think there are lots of positives to take this season even though we missed out on automatic promotion.
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