Wanderers were denied a winning start in the Central League Cup by a last-gasp equaliser against a strong Accrington Stanley side.

Joe Toole’s volley looked set to secure all three points until Lewis Rhodes’ slotted home from close range at the death.

Former Bolton goalkeeper Billy Crellin started for the hosts, with the likes of Alex Henderson, Dan Martin, Josh Woods and Ashely Hunter also involved.

Andy Taylor named a young side, with Mark Isong starting in attack following his move from League of Ireland side Shelbourne.

Stanley started brightly and Woods thought he had opened the scoring, but his low drive struck a post.

Wanderers’ first chance fell to Oliver Smith, who was denied by Crellin from a tight angle after breaking into the box.

The opener came inside the opening 15 minutes when a set-piece fell to Toole and he made no mistake with a thumping volley.

James Westwood threatened to double the lead but his free kick was tipped over at full stretch by Crellin, who is on loan at the Wham Stadium from Everton.

Dubem Eze went on a good run but could only drag an effort wide as the Whites continued to have joy in the final third.

However, Stanley seized control as the first half went on and Rhodes’ cross nearly crept in at the near post, but Jack Dallimore did well to tip it around the post.

Toole made an important clearance from Hunter’s low drive across the face of goal before Henderson, who was a regular in League Two during the second half of last season, cut in from the left and sent an effort over from distance.

The hosts picked up where they left off in the second half, with Dallimore making a smart stop to keep out Woods’ header.

Hunter’s effort then seemed to be heading for the bottom corner but the Bolton goalkeeper made another fine save low to his left.

Rhodes sent a sweet strike just over the bar and Hunter curled a free kick inches wide as the Reds cranked up the pressure.

But Wanderers stood firm and almost doubled their lead when Ben Andreucci’s headed was somehow kept out by Crellin from close range.

Seconds before the final whistle, Bolton were dealt a cruel blow when Rhodes bundled over the line after a goal-line scramble to rescue a point for the hosts.

“I said before the game that the performance is king, as it always is, but we wanted to win the game," Taylor told The Bolton News.

“It is a cup competition and I think we saw that mentality, particularly in the last 20 minutes, from all of them to dig in and cover each other.

“There was a real will to win, which is something that is difficult for us to recreate in the B Team. That is why the cup competitions are great and the more we can enter, the better.”

Dallimore, Toole, Hogan, Weston (Rice 85), Smith (Grayson 56), Halford, Sharples-Ahmed (Irwin 85), Westwood, Fleury (Leigh 56), Isong (Andreucci 68), Eze.