BLACKBURN Rovers showed perseverance and staying power to pinch a point off Bolton in a real marathon of a Lancashire derby at the Reebok.

Wanderers, without a win on home soil in three months, looked to be heading for the victory they so desperately craved in their battle for survival after Jay-Jay Okocha's early strike had separated these two old rivals for the best part of 86 minutes.

But then with impeccable timing, Craig Short shattered the home side's resistance with a stooping header five minutes into injury time to pen the most dramatic ending possible to a melodrama which had grown in intensity as the afternoon wore on.

Sam Allardyce's hang-dog expression said it all afterwards. For the second successive home game, he watched in horror as two precious Premiership points slipped through his fingers like grains of sand.

But even the most hardened Bolton supporter could deny Rovers were worthy of a point on the day after a rousing second half fight-back helped to preserve Graeme Souness's proud unbeaten record in these derbies.

It was all reminiscent of Andy Cole's last-gasp heroics at Southampton a month ago, only this time Short was the one cast as the unlikely hero as he grabbed his first Premiership goal in six years.

"It was just one of those things. I've been thrown up front on numerous occasions by the manager when we're desperate for something but I don't know where to run, he usually just tells me to stand in the middle and make a nuisance of myself," said Short, with typical modesty.

"I wasn't even told to go up front today. I think it was Thommo or Dwight who suggested I should go up there.

"We'd given up all hope thinking it was over considering all the chances that had come and gone.

"But Thommo headed it out to Yorkie, it was a great ball in, and I couldn't really miss it. It could have hit my chest or anything and gone in."

While it was hardly a vintage performance, you can't help but admire Rovers' fighting spirit.

For the second time in three away games, they pulled a point from the fire after refusing to accept that they were beaten.

As a result, the momentum of last week's victories over Fulham and Rotherham wasn't lost and it also keeps a vital 10-point cushion between Rovers and the bottom three at a time when the team is not performing to its full potential.

Once again, Rovers dominated possession as they stroked the ball about with genuine authority at times.

But for all their pretty patterns, there needs to be more end product to go with it.

Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, who looked so efficient when on Worthington Cup duty in midweek, were guilty of trying to be too intricate at times.

Bolton, on the other hand, were more direct in their approach and had Youri Djorkaeff brought his shooting boots then they would have killed the game off long before Short's late intervention.

The one major plus was the performance of Academy starlet Jay McEveley.

Handed his full Premiership debut at the tender age of 17, the young defender equipped himself well after overcoming his early nerves.

His willingness to get forward on the left underlined the confidence he clearly has in his own ability and if he continues to develop at his present rate then there's every chance he could have a future in the game at this level.

Garry Flitcroft and Martin Taylor also made a welcome return to the side after injury but despite their presence, Rovers started sluggishly and tpaid a heavy price.

Mercurial Frenchman Youri Djorkaeff had already spurned a golden opportunity before Wanderers struck a decisive blow in the eighth minute.

Per Frandsen, who was desperate to impress against his former employers, floated a lazy ball into the box which Henrik Pederson headed down for Okocha and the tricky Nigerian's searing volley flew past Friedel into the far corner from 20 yards.

With the visitors at sixes and sevens, worse could have followed six minutes later when Pederson wriggled free again only for Friedel to save the day with a trade-mark block to keep his team in the hunt.

From then on, Rovers gained the ascendency but for all their possession, they had little to show for it other than a couple of cross-shots from Thompson which caused brief moments of panic in the opposition penalty box.

It was only after Souness tinkered with his team-shape following the introduction of Nissa Johansson that the fightback gathered momentum.

Thompson fired wide when he should have hit the target after Cole and Duff had combined to engineer an opening as the two sides traded misses at the start of the start of the second half.

Yorke then volleyed wide from a Thompson corner before Thompson was denied by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

When Yorke then thumped a shot against the bar with 18 minutes left, Bolton must have thought it was going to be their day.

They had chances to settle it once and for all as Rovers paid the price for committing men forward in a frantic finale.

A neat one-two with Michael Ricketts manufactured a super opening for Djorkaeff in the final minute but Friedel was equal to his effort.

That proved to be crucial as Allardyce's anxiety when the fourth official indicated four minutes of injury time turned out to be well-founded.

Thompson's header out to Yorke opened up the Wanderers defence and the former Manchester United man composed himself before delivering a pin-point centre which Short simply couldn't miss.

Allardyce and his players were distraught.

BOLTON 1

Okocha 8

BLACKBURN 1

Short 90