All the pre-match hype had centred around Keegan's return to Tyneside eleven years after his original departure from the Magpies hot seat and many had predicted a comfortable Newcastle win.

They didn't read the script though as Bolton defended well and worked well as a unit on the whole, much to the frustration of the 52,000 plus crowd who had come to witness the third coming of "King Kev".

Wanderers boss Gary Megson handed full debuts to recent signings Gretar Steinsson and Matt Taylor and both did their bit in trying to nulify the Newcastle threat.

Bolton won two corners within the opening two minutes which came to nothing and in the fifth minute ex-Newcastle centre half Andy O'Brien fired in an effort which Shay Given saved with ease.

It may not have been classic forward play but it certainly helped to take the sting out of a Newcastle team who where on a high having found a successor to former Trotters manager Sam Allardyce.

New United captain Michael Owen got in front of the Wanderers defence on 25 minutes but the England striker's pass to Damien Duff only lead to the midfielder hitting a cross which was cleared out for a corner.

One person who Bolton had a close eye on was French winger Charles N'Zogbia, with his deliveries from set pieces being something which they found out to their cost on the opening day of the season.

However, N'Zogbia wasn't quite so clinical with his free kicks in this game and Bolton's lone striker Kevin Davies did well in helping out the defence to clear such a set piece away from danger.

James Milner and Shola Ameobi tried to force the issue for the home side as the half wore on but their efforts where either cleared by the Bolton defence or wayward as was a hopeful long distance header from Wanderers debutant Taylor.

Newcastle came out in the second half wanting to up the tempo and both full backs Stephen Carr and Luis Enrique got forward well only for Carr to blaze well over when in a shooting position on 51 minutes.

Referee Alan Wiley refused to bow down to pressure from the home crowd but he did understandably have to get his book out on a couple of occasions - the first being to caution Bolton skipper Kevin Nolan for a late foul on Milner.

United's Duff was also yellow carded by Wiley soonafter for a foul on Kevin Davies and a battle between Newcastle's Shola Ameobi and Wanderers defender Lubomir Michalik was developing with Ameobi twice appearing to catch the Slovakian international in the face.

Milner's cross come shot on the hour was dipping in at the far post but for some last minute intervention from Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal saved the visitors from going behind.

There was also a penalty appeal turned down by the officials when Bolton's Ricardo Gardner put in a tackle on Ameobi in the area but the Jamaican quite rightly won the ball.

Wiley also turned down an appeal from the home crowd for handball after they alleged Kevin Davies had stuck out an arm in the area but referee Wiley was having none of it.

Bolton introduced all their subs towards the closure of the half in an attempt to curb the tiredness, with Kevin Nolan, Gavin McCann and Matt Taylor all going off within the final 20 minutes to be replaced by Ivan Campo, Tamir Cohen and Jlloyd Samuel.

In the case of McCann he incured the wrath of the home support for the time it took him to come off the pitch whilst in the case of Samuel he could have won the game for Bolton in the final minute only to fire a shot from a few yards right at Newcastle goalkeeper Given when it seemed easier to hit the back of the net.

Not a classic by any means but Bolton did the job they set out to do and all things considered it was a good point at a place where the Wanderers have seldom got anything over the years.

Next up for Bolton is a home game against Fulham in ten days time and this will be followed by a trip to Steve Coppell's Reading side at the start of February.

BOLTON WANDERERS: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Gretar Steinsson, Andy O'Brien, Lubomir Michalik, Ricardo Gardner, Danny Guthrie, Kevin Nolan (Ivan Campo), Joey O'Brien, Gavin McCann (Tamir Cohen), Matthew Taylor (Jlloyd Samuel), Kevin Davies

SUBS NOT USED: Stelios Giannakopoulos, Ali Al-Habsi (GK)

NEWCASTLE UNITED: Shay Given, Stephen Carr, Steven Taylor, Claudio Cacapa, Luis Enrique, James Milner, David Rozehnal, Damien Duff (Kazenga Lua-Lua), Charles N'Zogbia, Shola Ameobi, Michael Owen

SUBS NOT USED: David Edgar, James Troisi, Andrew Carroll, Steve Harper (GK)

ATTENDANCE:

52,250

REFEREE:

Alan Wiley

BOOKED:

Nolan (Bolton)

Duff (Newcastle)

Taylor (Bolton)

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