Benni McCarthy spared Sam Allardyce his first defeat as Blackburn boss as the manager's former club Bolton threw away a two-goal half-time cushion.

Rovers were totally inept for the opening 65 minutes at Ewood Park, with Matt Taylor and Kevin Davies on the scoresheet before the half-time interval.

But after Stephen Warnock gave Blackburn a lifeline, McCarthy made amends for missing a penalty by poaching an 87th-minute equaliser to leave 'Big Sam' unbeaten after seven matches in charge.

Given that run Allardyce would rightly have expected more than the woeful performance he received from his players prior to Warnock offering Rovers a glimmer of light.

To say Rovers were not at the races would be an understatement and they were made to pay by a Bolton side who had lost their previous four league games - all without scoring - ahead of this encounter.

Wanderers were far from enterprising themselves, but what they did, they did adequately, and that was enough to give them their two-goal lead going into the break.

When forced to defend, Bolton manager Gary Megson ensured there were nearly always 10 men behind the ball, and from the two attacks that culminated in the goals, they took advantage of shocking defending.

After a tame shot from a fit-again Jason Roberts inside the opening minute that was comfortably gathered by Jussi Jaaskelainen, Bolton grabbed the lead in the 15th minute via route-one football.

From a booming punt upfield from Jaaskelainen, Gretar Steinsson latched onto it down the right wing, before feeding the ball onto Ariza Makukula.

On loan from Benfica, the Portuguese forward proceeded to thread a cross along the edge of the six-yard box for Taylor to slide the ball home at the far post as covering defender Warnock failed to intercept.

It naturally prompted a chorus from the Bolton fans of 'Big Sam, Big Sam, what's the score?' as they taunted a man who had been in charge of their club for seven and a half years.

Blackburn should have recoiled from the shock of falling behind, but instead they proceeded to play even worse than before, and 10 minutes from the break their near neighbours added a second.

The frustration within the Blackburn players and in the stands had been building to that point as Allardyce's current team lacked the wherewithal to break down his past side.

When the goal came, Steinsson again played a part, driving in a low cross from the right that was initially missed at the near post by Kevin Nolan, returning as skipper after serving a two-match ban.

Davies, though, was in close attendance behind, and although Paul Robinson superbly blocked the striker's initial effort, he was helpless for the second as the 31-year-old tucked home the rebound.

As the Wanderers players celebrated, Robinson rightly delivered a broadside at the statuesque defenders in front of him.

In attack, Rovers continued to offer nothing, other than a Keith Andrews drive in injury-time that flashed two yards wide, swiftly followed by the half-time whistle and an understandable chorus of boos from the home fans.

For the opening 20 minutes of the second half the Rovers supporters continued to have little to cheer as their team showed no sign of emerging from their lethargy.

Bolton looked comfortable and on course for an easy three points until Allardyce's side conjured something from nothing.

McCarthy, an innocuous figure up until that point, was the instigator as he slipped a ball into the path of the overlapping Warnock.

The left-back then measured his shot as he proceeded to place the ball into the roof of the net for his second goal of the season.

Five minutes later and Rovers should have drawn level when Roque Santa Cruz, thrown on in the 58th minute as Allardyce switched to a three-man attack, had his legs taken in the area by a yellow-carded Jaaskelainen.

But one minute a villain, the next a hero as the Finn comfortably saved McCarthy's poor penalty low to his right before bravely blocking the rebound at the feet of Andrews.

McCarthy, though, had the final say as four minutes from time he made amends for his miss by tapping into an empty net from two yards after the ball had run kindly following another courageous stop from Jaaskelainen to deny Roberts.

Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen, though, almost overshadowed McCarthy, only to head a Steinsson right-wing free-kick against the base of the right-hand post in injury-time.

Teams

Blackburn Robinson, Ooijer (Roque Santa Cruz 58), Samba,Nelsen, Warnock, Emerton, Andrews, Grella (Mokoena 90),Pedersen (Kerimoglu 57), Roberts, McCarthy.

Subs Not Used: Bunn, Villanueva, Givet, Simpson.

Booked: Emerton, Grella, Roberts.

Goals: Warnock 66, McCarthy 87.

Bolton Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Puygrenier, Samuel,Kevin Davies, Muamba, Nolan, Basham, Taylor,Makukula (Mark Davies 74).

Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Smolarek, Gardner, Riga, Shittu,

Andrew O'Brien.

Booked: Steinsson, Jaaskelainen, Mark Davies, Puygrenier.

Goals: Taylor 15, Kevin Davies 35.

Att: 25,205

Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).