Town and Bolton Wanderers remain locked at 0-0 at the break at the Macron Stadium. Daryl Murphy went closest for the Blues, curling a shot just past the post.
Teddy Bishop returned to the side, replacing Stephen Hunt, who missed out with a virus, in an otherwise unchanged team.
Bishop started in the centre of midfield alongside Cole Skuse with Jay Tabb moving to the left and Paul Anderson continuing on the right. Luke Hyam remained sidelined with his achilles injury. For Bolton, former Blue Liam Trotter was on the bench.
Blues striker David McGoldrick struck the game’s first shot in the sixth minute after a clever turn five yards outside the area, but his low effort failed to test Andrew Lonergan in the Bolton goal.
Two minutes later, Bishop picked up a ball well inside the Town half on the right and brought it forward a long way before feeding Tabb in space on the left just outside the Trotters’ box. However, the midfielder’s strike was blocked by Dorian Dervite.
From the corner, the ball was deflected high into the air end and eventually found Murphy, who looped a shot goalwards, Lonergan doing well to tip over. Smith nodded Anderson’s right-sided flag-kick wide at the near post with the Blues starting strongly.
Bolton threatened for the first time in the 14th minute. Tim Ream played a ball down the left behind Blues skipper Luke Chambers towards Max Clayton. The former Crewe man cut in past Smith, however, Christophe Berra had got across to block his shot.
But Town were largely having the better of it and on 18 Skuse struck a powerful low drive from distance but straight at Lonergan.
A minute later, the home side created another decent opportunity. With Christophe Berra down having taken a blow to the head, Liam Feeney crossed from the right and Lee Chung-Yong moved the ball on to unmarked left-back Tim Ream on the edge of the box.
The USA international should have shot but instead played a low pass into the area which Tyrone Mings half-cleared back to him, Ream blazing the subsequent chance well over.
At the other end, Bishop cut in from the left and hit a shot which gave Lonergan no problem.
The Blues weren’t far away from opening the scoring in the 26th minute when Mings found Murphy in space on the right with an excellent cross-field pass. The Championship’s 13-goal top scorer cut in and hit a low shot just past Lonergan’s right post.
Moments later, with rain by now falling heavily, the Trotters were forced into a sub when Clayton went down and after treatment was stretchered off. Jay Spearing replaced him. The sub was quickly into the action, shooting just wide from 25 yards in the 33rd minute.
In the final minute of the half McGoldrick picked up the game’s first yellow card for a late tackle on Feeney on halfway.
In injury time, Murphy sent over a dangerous cross from the left but Ream did well to chest back to Lonergan.
Shortly before the whistle, Skuse smashed a poor Feeney clearance well wide on the volley.
The Blues had had the better of the early stages but overall it was an evenly balanced half.
Bolton, though, had had the better chances with Berra making an important block from Clayton and Ream failing to take a shot when presented with his opportunity by Lee. For the Blues, Murphy went closest with his shot which flew just past the post.
Bolton: Lonergan, Ream, Mills (c), Dervite, Wheater, Danns, Feeney, Pratley, Lee, Clayton (Spearing 29), Wilkinson. Subs: Bogdan, Moxey, Hall, Trotter, Gudjohnsen, Vela.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers, Berra, Smith, Mings, Skuse, Bishop, Tabb, Anderson, Murphy, McGoldrick. Subs: Gerken, Parr, Clarke, Ambrose, Bru, N Hunt, Sammon. Referee: Gary Sutton (Lincolnshire).