It was a grey and chilly day at the Reebok Stadium, and the pitch showed some signs of the recent bad weather with a lot of bare patches, especially in the penalty area at the Woodford Stand end.
City made four changes to the side that drew at Hillsborough. Steve Jordan dropped out with a stomach bug, so Distin shifted over to left wing back. Micah Richards went into the back three with Joey Barton returning from suspension in midfield. Trevor Sinclair started for the first time since Newcastle, replacing the injured Hatem Trabelsi on the right. Stephen Ireland was also back, for DaMarcus Beasley, and Bernardo Corradi was up front instead of Georgios Samaras.
The Match
Nicky Hunt was the first try make an attempt on goal with less than a minute gone, his shot from 20 yards going just wide of the post although Weaver looked to have it covered.
The opening quarter of the game saw both defences on top, with Anelka well marshalled by City’s backline as he roamed across the pitch. The Blues tried to utilise Trevor Sinclair in his wing-back position as they probed down the right hand side.
The first major scare for Weaver came after 28 minutes, when as a free kick came towards him the keeper slipped over in the badly rutted six yard box. Thankfully for City, he regained his footing and Idan Tal could not reach the ball as it swung across the area.
Corradi spurned City’s best chance of the half so far on 34 minutes, the Italian striker’s shot going high and wide after he was put in by Stephen Ireland. A minute later, Darius Vassell dummied to no-one in the box when he might have tried a shot while in some space.
City were only inches away with seven minutes to go to the break, Corradi’s half-volley on the slide from a Sinclair cross flying just over the bar, and from the striker’s agonised reaction he knew he had missed a golden opportunity.
Ricky Gardner was booked on 40 minutes for a foul on Barton on the touchline, although the City man could be seen telling referee Marriner not to show a card! From his free kick, Sinclair glanced a header wide of the right post.
Kevin Davies was just off target with a back header from a free kick less than a minute later.
Sinclair swung in a cross from right on the byline seconds into the second half, but Corradi was just shy of the ball although there looked to have been a nudge on him from Nicky Hunt.
Hunt turned provider on 50 minutes, crossing towards Davies in the box but Nedum Onuoha dived bravely to head the bouncing effort away. The Bolton was striker was pulled up for a foul on Onuoha, to the anger of the home fans.
Barton was booked on 58, even though like with Gardner’s card the recipient of the foul, Kevin Davies, did not seem to think that the challenge was that bad.
The home fans were growing more and more frustrated, especially when a Campo pass towards Diouf, free just outside the box, went nowhere near it’s intended target and out of play.
Stelios replaced Davies on 63, and seconds later Richard Dunne was called upon twice in quick succession to head away for corners inside City’s box.
Weaver was forced into action on 67 as the game seemed to open up. Anelka made room for himself to shoot, but his well-hit effort went straight at the keeper, who parried it away.
But seconds later City really should have taken the lead. Vassell’s jinking run to the byline ended with a cross traversing the six yard area, Corradi was just short of connecting but then Joey Barton could only find the side netting with a first time effort with the empty goal beckoning. The midfielder sank to his knees and held his head in disbelief.
With eight minutes left, substitute Vaz Te was in acres of space going into City’s box but his pass towards his support went astray, again to the home crowd’s audible disgust. Bolton were having most of the possession but City were rebuffing every attack with few alarms.
City happy to slow the game down when in possession, but Bolton seemed reluctant to get on with it at their own set pieces. Four minutes were to be added on.
Joey Barton smacked the ball home as time ran out, but at least four retreating City players were flagged for offside as the cross towards him had been swung over.
Referee Marriner blew for time just afterwards, and City had earned a valuable point, but they could rue a couple of missed chances that prevented them from leaving Bolton with a win.
