Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers played out a goalless draw in their Championship match at Ewood Park.
Jordan Rhodes headed over for Rovers twice in the first half, as neither team managed a shot on target.
After the break, Thomas Spurr saw his header cleared off the line and Bangaly-Fode Koita had an effort ruled out for offside.
In the closing stages Emile Heskey almost stole the points for Bolton, but his low strike was blocked on the line, and his team finished the night with 10 men after Dorian Dervite was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Find out how the action unfolded below.
Hello everyone! We've got a great weekend of football to look forward to and it all begins tonight with a tasty looking Lancashire derby, as Blackburn Rovers take on rivals Bolton Wanderers at Ewood Park.
Blackburn have not enjoyed the best start to the Championship season and they are in the bottom three after two draws and two defeats. They have also suffered an early exit from the League Cup, and a promotion challenge already looks a long way off.
It has also been a poor opening to the campaign for Bolton, who have the same record as Blackburn and are below their opponents in the table on goal difference. The club have also been dumped out of the cup, but last week's late draw against Nottingham Forest did end a three-game losing run.
BLACKBURN XI: Raya, Henley, Duffy, Hanley, Spurr, Marshall, Lowe, Evans, Conway, Delfouneso, Rhodes
BOLTON XI: Amos, Wilson, Dervite, Gouano, Moxey, Danns, Davies, Feeney, Clough, Wellington, Madine
BLACKBURN SUBS: Steele, Kilgallon, Koita, Olsson, Lawrence, Guthrie, Barrow
BOLTON SUBS: Fitzsimons, Vela, Spearing, Heskey, Dobbie, Casado, Finney
TEAM NEWS: Jordan Rhodes returns for Blackburn Rovers this evening after missing last week's draw with Brighton due to a knee injury. Adam Henley, Jason Lowe and Corry Evans are also back in the side. Meanwhile, there is just one change made by Bolton, as Liam Feeney replaces Tom Walker.
It has not been a great month to be a Blackburn fan and the club are still looking for their first win in the Championship. Following last weekend's defeat to Brighton there were also reports that manager Gary Bowyer had been sacked, although they proved to be unfounded.
If the club's poor form continues for much long then Bowyer will come under heavy pressure, and they will be desperate to pick up a victory before the intentional break. They also have some tricky looking games next month, with trips to Fulham, QPR and Hull City to come.
Bolton are also struggling and until last weekend they had gone their first three league games without scoring a goal. It seemed as if another poor result would be on the cards, as they headed into stoppage time trailing against Nottingham Forest.
However, they managed to salvage a point in the fourth minute of added time as Stephen Dobie fired in to level the scores. It has still left them 23rd in the table and with just two points on the board, while no team has a worse record in front of goal.
KICKOFF! We are underway at Ewood Park!
CHANCE! Blackburn come close in the opening minutes as they win a free kick deep in the Bolton half. Spurr whips the set piece into the middle and Duffy rises highest to meet the ball, but he can only plant his header over the bar.
As you would expect, the ball is spending a lot of time in the air and I think that will continue in this derby clash. There should be some great battles going on and I wouldn't be surprised to see some heavy tackles flying in.
YELLOW CARD! Here's the first crunching tackle of the match as Moxey goes in late on Rhodes. It was a poor attempt to win the ball and the Bolton defender picks up an early booking.
Blackburn have looked the more dangerous of the teams so far this evening, but they have not created too many chances. Most of their threat ha come in the air, and Duffy has their second effort on goal with a glancing header at the back post that fails to trouble Amos.
The hosts are causing a lot of problems from set pieces and there is a real moment of panic when a corner drops to Marshall inside the box. He takes the ball down well and gets his shot away quickly, but Prince is there to make an important block.
PENALTY APPEALS! Bolton feel that they should have a penalty when Clough goes down inside the box after appearing to be clipped by Conway, but he is quickly up and back on his feet. A few moments later Davies is caught in the area and Bolton shout for another penalty but the referee dismisses their appeals once again.
YELLOW CARD! Duffy is the first Blackburn player to be booked for a foul on Madine.
We haven't seen a lot from Bolton as an attacking threat, but they break at pace and find Feeney down the right. He then whips in a teasing ball towards the near post, but before Madine can apply the finish touch, Duffy gets a firm head to the ball and sends it behind for a corner.
CLOSE! Rhodes is inches away from marking his return from injury with a goal. The striker is picked out inside the middle from Conway's brilliant cross, but he is only able to plant his header inches wide of the near post.
It is quite clear to see just why Bolton have struggled to score goals this season, as they barely posed any threat and have not even had a shot on goal. Blackburn aren't doing too much better, but with Rhodes up front they are capable of finding a goal at any time.
CHANCE! It's Rhodes who comes close again as he is found by Marshall's teasing cross into the box. He gets above his marker and looks to place a header into the top corner, but once again the ball goes narrowly wide of the mark.
YELLOW CARD! It has threatened to boil over a few times this evening, but the referee has got a good grip on the match. This time Wellington kicks out at Henley after the ball was gone and he is given a long talking to, before being shown a yellow card.
SHOT! Blackburn threaten again with Delfouneso bursting down the right and tricking his way into the box. He has plenty of support in the middle, but after getting the ball onto his left foot he decides to go for goal and blazes a shot well wide. His teammates aren't best pleased and they quickly let him know that he should have passed.
Half a chance for Bolton, as Madine is found in space with a chipped pass over the defence. He is to the right-hand side of the box, so decides to try and play it back into the middle, but his low pass is behind Wellington and Blackburn are able to clear.
SHOT! It's taken Bolton until nearly half time to have a shot on goal, but it's a poor effort from Danns as he fires a long-range strike well wide of the far post. It doesn't look like we will see a goal before the break, and neither keeper has been worked so far.
There are going to be three added minutes before the break.
CHANCE It's another effort from Bolton and this has to go down as a missed chance. A deep cross from Feeney to the back post finds Madine, who gets above his marker, but can only head the ball wide of the far post.
HALF-TIME: Blackburn 0-0 Bolton
So, we've reached the halfway stage of this evening's match at Ewood Park and it's still goalless between Blackburn and Bolton. There has been little to get excited about for the supporters, with both teams failing to hit the target.
Here's a look at the statistics from the opening 45 minutes. Blackburn have been the more dominant team, but it's Bolton who have seen slightly more of the ball with 55% of the possession. However, Rovers had had eight attempts on goal, compared to just two for Bolton, with both of those efforts coming at the end of half.
I just wonder which manager will be the happiest at this point in the match. Bowyer's team have played the better football, but they have not created too many clear-cut chances. Bolton, meanwhile, don't look like scoring and Lennon may think about making some changes shortly after the break.
RESTART! Blackburn take the kick off and get the second half started.
SHOT! Blackburn have made a good start to the half and Marshall cuts in from the left before seeing his low strike blocked by Prince. They are on the attack again moments later and Conway sees his effort take a big deflection and loop over the bar.
CHANCE! From the resulting corner Blackburn come close again as Conway's delivery is met by Duffy inside the box, but he powers his header over the bar.
This is better from Bolton, as Wellington bursts past a couple of challenges and into the box. He then thinks about shooting, before laying it off to Moxey, but the defender sees his low effort take a deflection and head well wide of the post.
SHOT! The visitors are enjoying a decent spell and once again Wellington is involved. The Brazilian is found just outside the box in space and he looks to curl an effort into the top corner, but he gets the shot all wrong and it goes high over the bar.
At half time Bolton may have been happy to take a goalless draw from this match, but they are certainly looking the better team at the moment. They have got into some promising areas down the wings, and they have even delivered a couple of telling crosses into the box.
Rhodes almost has a chance when the ball takes a wicked deflection and loops up over the defence. He sprints forward and tries to latch onto the loose ball, but Amos is quickly off his line and manages to head the ball to safety.
SUB: Blackburn make their first change of the evening, with Koita replacing Marshall.
YELLOW CARD! Evans picks up a caution from the referee for a foul on Wellington.
YELLOW CARD! It's another booking, as Davies is shown a card for dragging down Koita by the touchline.
YELLOW CARD! The cards are starting to pile up now and Hanley picks up a deserved booking for hacking down Wellington from behind. I think he is lucky to just see yellow there, as the referee could easily have sent him off for such a poor and dangerous challenge.
SHOT! Are we going to see at least one shot on target this evening? Yet again we see another poor attempt on goal, as Moxey lashes his strike from range well wide.
SUB: It's a second change for Rovers, as Guthrie comes on for Evans.
CHANCE! It's taken nearly 70 minutes, but finally we have seen the first effort on target. Blackburn win a free kick towards the right of the box, that is whipped in with pace by Spurr, but Amos was in the right place to tip it over the bar under heavy pressure.
OFF THE LINE! Spurr comes close again for the hosts as he rises to meet a corner, before seeing his header cleared off the line by Davies. The ball then drops kindly to Koita, but he is only to turn the rebound wide of the post.
This game has really opened up over the past 10 minutes or so and it looks like we could be in for a frantic finish. Blackburn are sensing that they could grab a late winner and they are putting the visitors under a lot of pressure.
It looks like we will be seeing Heskey in a few moments, as the former England striker is getting ready on the touchline. He could add the physical presence that Bolton have desperately missed in the final third this evening.
YELLOW CARD! There has been some poor tackles this evening and the latest of those comes from Danns, who picks up a card his lunge on Conway.
SUB: Blackburn make their first change of the evening, with Barrow on to replace Delfouneso.
SUB: Here's that change I mentioned a few minutes ago, as Heskey comes on for Wellington.
The game looked like sparking into life 10 minutes ago, but it has just gone a bit flat now. Both teams will be wary of letting a point slip from their grasp, as a defeat could damage their already frail confidence.
Almost an opening for Bolton as they win a corner, which is whipped to the back post. Feeney then heads it back into the middle, where Prince tries to get a shot away, but he is quickly closed down and the effort is well blocked.
YELLOW CARD! We now have our eighth booking of the match, as Dervite is shown yellow for a foul on Conway.
GOAL DISALLOWED! The ball finally ends up in the back of the net, but it is quickly chalked off. Rhodes had seen his effort blocked inside the box and it ran through to Goita who slotted home, but he was standing in an offside position.
OFF THE LINE! Down the other end of the pitch Heskey almost wins it for Bolton! He reacted quickly to follow up after Raya had palmed a cross into his direction, but Duffy was back quickly to make a brilliant last-ditch block on the line from his low strike.
There are going to be at least five minutes of stoppage time added on, so we could yet see a late winner at Ewood Park this evening!
The game is really stretched at the moment and both teams feel as though they can win this. It's Blackburn who look the more likely to find the net, but Bolton are dealing well with everything that is coming into their box.
RED CARD TO BOLTON! The visitors are going to finish the match with 10 men, as Devrite is sent off for picking up his second booking. He brought down Koita with a poor challenge by the touchline and can have no complaints about the decision.
FULL-TIME: Blackburn 0-0 Bolton
The final whistle blows at Ewood Park and the Lancashire derby between Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers ends all square. It was a much improved second half and both teams almost snatched the points at the end, but it does mean that they are each still winless after their opening five games of the Championship season.
That's just about all we've got time for this evening. We'll be back with more live coverage across the weekend, with the best of the action from the Premier League and throughout Europe. Until then, goodbye!
Written by
Alex Meyers
Alex Meyers
