Wigan Athletic 0 - 0 Bolton Wanderers

Dour stalemate at JJB

Updated: May 2, 2009, 5:09 PM UK

Goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen earned Bolton a point in the goalless draw against Wigan at the JJB Stadium with three first-half saves.

• Bruce bemoans missed chances

The Finn twice denied Hugo Rodallega, once with the aid of a post, and also tipped over Mido's long-range effort.

However, the crossbar came to Wigan's rescue before the interval when Bolton defender Gary Cahill's deflected strike rebounded back of the woodwork.

That the match should end goalless was no great surprise, with Wigan having scored just seven times since the turn of the year.

However, manager Steve Bruce must be cursing his luck as his team came up against an in-form Jaaskelainen who kept Bolton in the game in the first half.

In only the second minute Jaaskelainen was almost embarrassed by Rodallega's left-footed strike.

The Colombian striker picked up Mido's backheel on the edge of the penalty area and quickly switched feet before firing in a low shot which the Bolton goalkeeper allowed to squirm from his grasp but luckily for him it rebounded off a post.

For a match which had no significance at either end of the table there was a lively atmosphere and Kevin Davies raised the temperature with a crunching but fair tackle on Mido.

The pair briefly went head to head near the touchline before referee Mike Jones stepped in to calm the situation.

Jaaskelainen was in action again in the 10th minute, tipping Charles N'Zogbia's left-footed drive around the post.

But Wigan almost went behind when goalkeeper Chris Kirkland's punch at Gavin McCann's inswinging free-kick only just cleared the penalty area and Cahill's volley clipped Maynor Figueroa and rebounded off the crossbar.

Rodallega, still awaiting his first goal after a £5million January transfer from Mexican club Necaxa, saw his second chance of the afternoon from Antonio Valencia's flick-on saved low by Jaaskelainen in the 14th minute.

Bolton changed from a 4-3-3 formation to 4-4-2 to match their opponents and that helped them gain more of a foothold in midfield, where a keenly-contested battle saw McCann was yellow-carded for going through the back of Michael Brown and Mido booked for nudging McCann.

Chances still continued to come in the latter stages of the half and three minutes before the interval Johan Elmander should have done better after dispossessing Figueroa on the edge of the penalty area but drove into the side-netting.

Jaaskelainen's one-handed save then denied Mido's 25-yard curling effort while, in first-half injury time, Matt Taylor's close-range strike was ruled out for offside.

Wigan's defensive unit was severely hampered by the loss of both Mario Melchiot and Paul Scharner within eight minutes of the restart, with Emmerson Boyce and Erik Edman sent on as replacements.

The first chance of the second half fell to Rodallega but the Colombian's header from Valencia's right-wing cross was weak and dropped into Jaaskelainen's arms.

Kirkland had to be alert to block McCann's close-range effort at the far post as the action swiftly changed ends, with Mido then bobbling a half-volley wide from Rodallega's knockdown.

Bolton still posed a threat and Elmander's shot deflected off Titus Bramble and dropped just wide of Kirkland's right-hand post, with Tamir Cohen heading over McCann's subsequent corner.

Taylor was booked for almost ripping the shirt off Valencia's back as the Ecuador winger broke away.

Mido was replaced by compatriot Amr Zaki with 16 minutes to go as Bruce looked to make the breakthrough, while Gary Megson made his first change by sending on Mustapha Riga for the ineffectual Cohen.

Wigan continued to be the ones making the most chances and Brown should have done better when he headed N'Zogbia's inswinging cross wide.

However, the hosts could not afford to switch off and with five minutes to go Kirkland tipped Davies' header on to the crossbar but the Bolton striker had already been penalised for a foul.

Lee Cattermole's effort - ballooned over from the edge of the penalty area in injury time - summed up Wigan's fortunes in front of goal.

Bruce bemoans missed chances

Wigan manager Steve Bruce bemoaned his side's familiar failings after creating numerous chances in the goalless draw at home to Bolton today.

Wigan have scored only seven goals since the turn of the year, and have found the net just 15 times in 17 matches at home this season.

"We should have been out of sight in the first half. The first 10 minutes or so we have had three or four opportunities and haven't taken them,'' he said. "If you look at our Achilles heel it is that statistic that is the alarming one.

"I think there is only Middlesbrough who have scored fewer goals than us and Middlesbrough are in the bottom three. We rely too much on our defensive organisation - which we have been off a little bit over the last couple of weeks but thankfully that was back today.

"We can't disguise the fact we need to score. You can't just keep saying the goalkeeper has played well, although Jaaskelainen was probably man of the match.''

Bolton manager Gary Megson accepted his side could have been behind by half-time, although he said Matt Taylor's goal disallowed for offside just before the interval should have been allowed to stand.

"I thought the first half Wigan were much better than us. They were on the front foot all the time,'' he said. "Jussi got a wake-up call with the first one (Rodallega's effort which squirmed through his hands but rebounded off a post) as he said his studs got caught in the ground a little bit.

"But after that he was terrific and made some really good saves. Second half the people in front of him started playing as I would expect them to play and I don't remember him having anything to do - which is how it should be.

"I felt the game could have got away from us in the first 45, although I've seen the chance Taylor put away and, although you'd have to have eyes like a hawk, he was onside. He was level but it was difficult without the technology we are always talking about.

"Second half I thought we were the strongest team but we didn't manage to finish.''

Megson refused to accept his side were safe from relegation, although they are eight points above the bottom three. "It is not enough because mathematically it is not enough,'' he added. "But it is a good point because it gets us further away from the bottom three at the moment.''