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Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Birmingham City
Match Reports, 15:44, August 29, 2010 ,
Ten man Bolton came from two-down against Birmingham to earn a point thanks to second half goals from Kevin Davies and Robbie Blake.
The Trotters looked doomed after Roger Johnson had put City ahead early on before they lost goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen for violent conduct late in the first half. Craig Gardner fired the Blues two-up early in the second half, before Owen Coyle's side stormed back in the final 20 minutes to earn a point as both sides remain unbeaten after three matches.
Birmingham made a dream start when they took the lead after just four minutes of the game. A good move by Lee Bowyer down the left resulted in his cross from the by-line falling to Cameron Jerome, who then touched it on and Johnson was on hand to toe-poke his shot beyond Jaaskelainen.
Birmingham were boosted by the goal and stayed in control of the early stages of the game.
However Bolton eventually enjoyed a spell of pressure and it almost brought a goal on 22 minutes when Stuart Holden's stinging free-kick from the left side of the area was tipped over his own crossbar by Blues keeper Ben Foster.
The main talking point of the half came on 37 minutes when Johnson jumped in on Jaaskelainen and sent the keeper tumbling to the ground. However the Finnish custodian got up and stupidly slapped the apologetic Blues man in the face and was given a straight red card by the referee.
The Blues looked to have wrapped up the game on 51 minutes when Jerome timed his run into the box perfectly as he headed down a James McFadden cross to Gardner who managed to force the ball into the net under pressure from Gary Cahill.
However Bolton responded well to the adversity and got a way back into the game on 69 minutes when Johnson was harshly adjudged to have fouled Kevin Davies in an aerial battle inside the Blues area. And, following a near two-minute wait, Davies stepped up to fire the penalty high into Foster's net.
The game was all square on 81 minutes when Cahill was fouled just outside the area and Blake curled a wonderful free kick into the top corner of the net to secure his first goal in Bolton colours against his former club.
Substitute keeper Adam Bogdan was the hero in stoppage time as he raced out to block Jerome's effort in the Bolton area to ensure his side took an unlikely point from an entertaining clash.