The one that got away... THERE have been just four scoreless draws in the history of the Reebok Stadium and Steve Lodge has refereed two of them!

The statistic in itself is no reflection on the Barnsley official's ability but the fact that, on each occasion, Wanderers were convinced they were short-changed is hardly going to win him any popularity polls in these parts.

His refusal to award a penalty in the 71st minute last night, when Forest defender Keith Foy wrestled Michael Ricketts to the ground, was not as obvious a mistake as his failure to spot Gerry Taggart's header crossing the line on the stadium's first night back in September 1997. Hopefully it will not prove as destructive to the Bolton cause!

For the two points Wanderers were denied in that first home game three seasons ago ultimately cost them their place in the Premiership; how strange if this latest lost pair were to eventually cost them a return ticket!

Sam Allardyce has no concerns on that score. With 25 points from 12 games Wanderers are already exceeding even his own expectations but he's convinced they should have two more.

"From our point of view it was a penalty!" he confirmed. "Michael said he got in, the lad pulled his shirt and down he went.

"Perhaps Mr Lodge was too far away or there were too many bodies in front of him but ... well, some you get and some you don't. Actually you usually get them at home!"

Not with this referee you don't!

Quite rightly, the Wanderers boss was more concerned with the various spurned chances rather than the one denied claim on a night when both teams proved that goalless draws needn't be dull, uninspiring affairs.

That the names of Jussi Jaaskelainen and Dave Beasant should dominate the after-match analysis tells the story in a nutshell. Both keepers made a string of crucial saves - not all spectacular but impressive nonetheless - while the strikers were left scratching their heads wondering how the game ended as it did.

"I should have scored two or three," Bo Hansen candidly admitted, "and Gareth (Farrelly) was alone with the keeper a couple of times.

"I know Jussi had to make some good saves at vital points but we had plenty of chances and we're really disappointed we didn't get the three points because we deserved them."

David Platt, not surprisingly, didn't agree. He wasn't upset that Mr Lodge hadn't awarded a goal when Jaaskelainen smothered Alan Rogers' first half cross-shot on the line, and he didn't feel particularly lucky that the penalty claim was turned down. "From where I was standing, it didn't look like the ball crossed the line. Our players would have appealed stronger if it had," he said of the first incident. "And similarly it didn't look like a penalty.

"We could count two or three good chances we missed that could have nicked the three points but that wouldn't have been fair on Bolton because Dave Beasant pulled off two or three excellent saves so a draw was probably a fair result in the end."

Had Robbie Blake been more composed at close range in the first half, Wanderers could have found themselves chasing the game against a team that had won four out of six away games. But that would have been harsh for what they put into it.

The irony being that, having reverted to a 4-4-2 formation because of injuries, they probably created more chances in this game than in any other this season - certainly at home! But they weren't ruthless or clinical enough to convert them.

They'll curse the 41-year-old Beasant but they'll curse themselves too! Farrelly featured prominently in what looked a more balanced and fluent midfield but was twice on the end of well-constructed attacks and twice failed to beat the Forest veteran. And Hansen was left wondering how he missed the target so wildly in the second half when the keeper was stranded!

With Gudni Bergsson failing a morning fitness test on a hamstring injury, Allardyce gave Ian Marshall another start and the captaincy! And he wasn't disappointed on either count. A clean sheet is every manager's first requirement. At home that is usually the basis for three points.

But on this occasion, an in-form goalkeeper, some off-key finishing and that man - Mr Lodge - conspired to deliver a result that, rather cruelly considering their performance, cost Wanderers a place in the top three!