David McGoldrick netted his first away goal for Town to see his side to a 1-1 draw at Bolton Wanderers. After a first half in which Ryan Tunnicliffe should have put the Blues in front, Medo Kamara opened the scoring for the home side with a freekick in the 65th minute with McGoldrick equalising with a left-foot strike eight minutes later.

Town boss Mick McCarthy named an unchanged side for the sixth game running with Dean Gerken and Daryl Murphy both fine to start despite having suffered with a dead leg and a groin strain respectively.

The Blues boss also named the same bench as last week with Anthony Wordsworth, Frederic Veseli and Jordan Adekunle also travelling, while ex-Blue Arran Lee-Barrett was amongst the home side’s subs.

Tommy Smith cleared an early cross from the right by Neil Danns, albeit not overly convincingly with the home side presenting the greater threat in the opening stages.

On six Jermaine Beckford hooked the ball over Gerken from just inside the area but too high to drop under the bar, then Matt Mills claimed a penalty after he and Christophe Berra clashed as a corner came over from the left but referee David Webb waved away the protests.

Town’s first opportunity came in the 12th minute. After Daryl Murphy had chipped a cross into Bolton keeper Andy Lonergan’s arms, the keeper gifted possession to Cole Skuse midway inside the Trotters’ half and the former Bristol City man sent a chip only just over the bar.

The Blues threatened again on the quarter hour when Paul Anderson latched on to McGoldrick’s flick but the midfielder’s shot was straight at Lonergan, who was a Town target during Jim Magilton’s time in charge at Portman Road.

A minute later Danns crossed from very wide on the right to Chung-Yong Lee at the far post but the South Korean headed into Gerken’s arms.

The Blues should have been in front in the 19th minute when Murphy crossed from the right beyond Luke Hyam but perfectly for the Ryan Tunnicliffe as he broke into the box. The on-loan Manchester United man seemed certain to score but slammed the ball against Lonergan as the keeper spread himself.

Berra did well to get in ahead of Beckford on 25 with both sides, then three minutes later David Ngog crossed low from the left, Hyam failed to clear and Beckford hit a shot on the turn only just wide.

Tunnicliffe’s 32nd minute strike was blocked with the Blues beginning to get on top, keeping the ball on the left for a long spell.

The action quickly moved back to the other end, however, with Mills finding Alex Baptiste in a dangerous position on the left with a clever pass, but Berra cut out his low cross.

As the half moved into its final five minutes McGoldrick’s low ball was too far ahead of Anderson, but the midfielder turned and sent a low cross to the edge of the six-yard box, from where Lonergan and Mills got in one another’s way ahead of Murphy and just about prevented the Blues striker from reaching the ball.

With two minutes left on the clock, Berra stuck in a toe to dispossess Beckford with the striker having found himself space just outside the six-yard box. Soon after, Hyam shot wide from 25 yards at the other end.

Boss McCarthy will have been pleased with his team’s first half display and will probably have been a little disappointed that they hadn’t gone in ahead with Tunnicliffe, who really should have scored, and Anderson having had the half’s best chances.

The home side made the early second half running, Mills heading a Lee corner from the left across the face of goal and wide with the home fans expecting the net to ripple. Moments later, Ngog half-volleyed wide after running on to a ball over the top.

McGoldrick scraped a shot wide on 56 on what was a rare Blues second-half foray forward, then two minutes later Gerken tipped over Lee’s shot from the edge of the area after he had cut in following a corner.

Murphy got behind Mills as the game moved towards the hour mark and squeezed between the ex-Leicester man and his central defensive partner Tim Ream before hitting a shot which deflected off the American and wide. From the resulting corner, Kamara nodded Smith’s downward but goal-bound header over the bar.

Christophe Berra picked up the first booking of the match in the 64th minute for tripping Beckford as the striker burst past him on the edge of the box and from the resultant freekick Wanderers went in front. Kamara curled a low shot round the wall to Gerken’s left, the keeper got a hand to it but he could only palm the ball into the net.

Smith made an important challenge on Ngog after the former Liverpool man had been sent away on goal in the 71st minute, Gerken claiming the loose ball.

The Bolton lead only lasted until the 73rd minute when McGoldrick finally broke his away duck for the Blues. The striker first smashed a right-foot shot against a defender, then when the ball looped back to him hit a left-foot strike which beat Lonergan down to his left. Although his first away goal for Town, it was the Town top scorer’s sixth goal of the campaign.

Jay Tabb and Frank Nouble replaced Hyam and Murphy for the final 15 minutes, Tunnicliffe moving into the middle of midfield, while Chris Eagles took over from Ngog for the Trotters.

Bolton sub Eagles shot straight at Gerken having been found on the right soon after coming on and will feel he ought to have done better.

McGoldrick was unfortunate to see the lively Nouble's cross from the right too late and the ball hit his shin and bounced through to the keeper.

As the game moved into its final 10 minutes, the Town scorer tried his luck again but failed to test Lonergan, then at the other end Beckford headed Eagles’s chipped cross from the right wide.

Baptiste was booked for pulling back Anderson as the game moved into its final four minutes with the momentum briefly moving back towards the Blues.

Late on, one-time Colchester midfielder Danns shot over before the referee’s whistle signalled that both sides would have to settle for a point.

Mick McCarthy is likely to be the manager who is happier with the draw with Dougie Freedman’s side, who were booed by their fans at the end, still without a home win this season.

While the Blues probably should have been ahead at the break, Wanderers were on top when their goal came but Town reacted well to going behind and in the end a draw was probably a fair result.

McCarthy has said on a number of occasions that he’s more than satisfied with single points picked up on the road as long as his team are winning at home with strugglers Barnsley at Portman Road on Friday for a live Sky game.

Bolton: Lonergan, Baptiste, Mills, Ream, McNaughton, Medo, Spearing, Danns, Lee (Hall 80), Ngog (Eagles 75), Beckford. Subs: Lee-Barrett, Knight, Pratley, Moritz, C Davies.

Town: Gerken, Chambers, Berra, Smith, Cresswell, Skuse, Hyam (Tabb 75), Anderson (Edwards 89), Tunnicliffe, Murphy (Nouble 75), McGoldrick. Subs: Loach, Hewitt, Mings, Marriott. Referee: David Webb (Lancashire). Att: 15,222.

Photo: Action Images

ormey75 added 15:36 - Oct 27 Nearly a year since Mick took over and he is still staying in a hotel, im sure he said he would be looking for a house in the area when he took over, the reason he is still staying in a hotel is because if he is offered the republic job he can just drop his keys off at reception and wave goodbye to suffolk. Keane and Jewell both found houses in the area but not Mick, very strange. I maybe wrong but it seems to me that he is not that commited to ITFC

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brittaniaman added 21:43 - Oct 27 Well said ormey !!! I have often wondered if he is here on a temporary measure ???? I just cannot understand why he keeps playing players who are not performing well there are players here who are wondering what they have got to do to get a game ??? I think that this did happen at Wolves ??? But who am I to question his selection and tactics !!!!!! He is the manager and know what is what. COYBs

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TheProf added 10:13 - Oct 28 Was biiim there? Tabb and Nouble, especially Frank, greatly improved things. Frank won the ball in the air, beat the full back down the flanks a number of times and crossed with pin point accuracy. A revelation!
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dubblue added 15:31 - Oct 28 Seems to me that the progress made last season, from relegation candidates to play-off candidates has not been maintained and we very much a mid table team. Yes that is an improvement on the RK/PJ days but I think with a couple of more signings - that will enable us become a more creative force the play-offs may yet still be possible, we have got to pick up some away wins because as Burnley showed we wont win all our home games.

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