On a night of high drama in the Midlands, Bolton Wanderers scored twice in the space of 50 seconds to complete a stirring comeback. This 2-1 victory has given their survival hopes a shot in the arm and leaves Aston Villa in serious relegation trouble, prompting calls for Alex McLeish to be dismissed. "Sack McLeish" reverberated around Villa Park in the closing minutes as home supporters vented their anger towards the manager in front of the chairman, Randy Lerner.

The boos at the final whistle were deafening as vitriol rained down on the Scot as he made his way towards the tunnel. Villa have not been relegated from the top flight since 1987 but slipping out of the Premier League is now a distinct possibility for a team so desperately short of confidence.

They will make the short trip to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday only three points clear of the relegation zone and on the back of a desperate run of form that has seen them win only one of their past 13 league matches. After that fixture McLeish's beleaguered side face Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park, where they have won only four league games this season and are guaranteed to finish the campaign with the poorest home record in their history, before travelling to Norwich City on the final day.

McLeish spoke with Paul Faulkner, the Villa chief executive, and Lerner after the game. "They are supportive," he said. "They said you've got to keep your head up. Everybody has to stay together and battle together and see it through."

Asked whether he had experienced a similar reaction from his own fans before, McLeish replied: "No, it's a first. But it was understandable because we had the three points within our grasp and we lose the game.

"We're in a relegation fight but I'm not somebody that shirks a challenge. I'll keep fighting for this team to get the points that can make us safe.

"I can understand the fans' reaction. They were frustrated just as I was with the second half, especially after going into the lead which was well deserved. To see it turning like that was horrible and a kick in the guts.

"But we've got to rally the troops. I believe in the players and I believe they will still be in the division next year."

Bolton remain in the drop zone but are only one point behind Wigan Athletic and Queens Park Rangers with a game in hand. Villa, three points above them having played a game more, are also in their sights. "It's a massive three points, there's no doubt about it," Owen Coyle, the Bolton manager, said.

"There's still a lot of work to be done but we have four games left and we believe there are points in every one but we've got to perform like we did in the second half."

Coyle admitted that he was "livid" with his players at half-time, after Villa had dominated the opening 45 minutes, creating a number of decent chances and hitting the crossbar through Stephen Warnock, but the Bolton manager's decision to introduce Kevin Davies at the start of the second half transformed the visitors.

Although Villa took the lead when Warnock swept home Charles N'Zogbia's centre, Petrov equalised two minutes later, after Carlos Cuéllar brought down Mark Davies. Villa were still coming to terms with that setback when Chris Eagles picked out David Ngog, who slipped a low shot past Shay Given to the delight of the travelling supporters.