Makeshift midfielder Stuart Parnaby stole the headlines as Middlesbrough edged a seven-goal thriller to dent Bolton's hopes of European qualification.

The specialist full-back got on the end of an Aiyegbeni Yakubu cross two minutes into injury time just as it looked as though Wanderers had snatched a point from nowhere.

Bolton led after only three minutes through Stelios Giannakopoulos' strike, but a Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink double - his 14th and 15th of the season - either side of a Mark Viduka strike looked to have handed Boro all three points.

Jay-Jay Okocha gave the visitors hope on 57 minutes and when Radhi Jaidi headed home Ricardo Gardner's 81st-minute cross, there seemed likely to be only one winner.

But Parnaby's effort ended Boro's run of two successive league defeats and any fears of relegation as Bolton were left to reflect upon a missed opportunity to climb into sixth place.

Boro boss Steve McClaren has spent much of the season attempting to balance the rigours of Premiership football with his side's cup exploits, and has done so only partially successfully.

The fact that his side went into the game lying in 16th place in the league table but still fighting in both the FA and UEFA Cups served as a frustrating illustration of that. While he will not admit it, his focus appears to have changed significantly in recent weeks.

The be all and end all for Boro this season is to qualify for Europe for a third successive campaign; they will not do that through the Premiership, so the cups represent their best opportunity.

There was no skipper Gareth Southgate, no leading scorer Yakubu and no mercurial Gaizka Mendieta for the visit of a Bolton side which has extended deeper squads than McClaren's.

And with three minutes gone, the Yorkshireman might have feared the worst after seeing his three-man defence of Ugo Ehiogu, Andrew Davies and Franck Queudrue hand the visitors the lead.

Ehiogu could only help on Jussi Jaaskelainen's long clearance and when Davies failed to clear it under pressure from Stelios, the Greece midfielder gleefully stabbed the ball past Mark Schwarzer with Queudrue trailing in his wake.

But with another gloomy afternoon in prospect on Teesside, McClaren's troops rallied and forced their way back on to level terms with a helping hand from defender Joey O'Brien.

Quite why the youngster saw fit to block Fabio Rochemback's free-kick with his hand will no doubt have been a topic for some debate in the away dressing room.

It was of little interest to Hasselbaink, however, as he drove the resulting penalty, if only just, under Jaaskelainen to restore parity.

From that point, an unexpectedly entertaining game unfolded with Schwarzer having to save from Gary Speed and Okocha in quick succession, while Viduka failed to beat Jaaskelainen from close range.

But Australian Viduka did the trick on the half-hour when, after Hasselbaink had chested down Rochemback's ball over the top, he tucked the ball past the goalkeeper to make it 2-1.

Ehiogu deflected an Okocha drive just over his own crossbar and Speed powered a header marginally off target, but Viduka, Hasselbaink and James Morrison all went close for Boro in an eventful finish to the half.

There was little let-up after the break as the hunt for the game's fourth goal continued apace, and it arrived within two minutes of the restart.

Viduka made his presence felt as Queudrue's deep free-kick arrived, but made no contact, and Hasselbaink reacted first to race on to the loose ball and lift it over the advancing Jaaskelainen and in off the post.

It was the last thing the visitors needed, and when defender Tal Ben Haim wasted the chance to get on the end of Speed's 49th-minute free-kick, their frustration grew.

However, they were back in it within eight minutes when substitute Jared Borgetti had the desired effect soon after his arrival.

Ehiogu's untidy challenge sent the Mexican sprawling to the turf and referee Howard Webb had little hesitation in awarding the game's second penalty.

Okocha's weak spot-kick was easily saved by Schwarzer, but the Nigerian followed up to smash the rebound into the roof of the net and set up an intriguing conclusion.

The visitors went for broke in the search for an equaliser and Boro might have capitalised when they broke swiftly on 71 minutes, although Rochemback's shot was well saved by Jaaskelainen.

They got their reward with nine minutes remaining when Jaidi met a Gardner cross with a bullet header to level, but they had not bargained on Parnaby's late, late intervention.

Teams:

Middlesbrough Schwarzer, Ehiogu, Davies, Pogatetz, Parnaby,Morrison (Cattermole 62), Boateng, Rochemback (Downing 83),Queudrue, Viduka, Hasselbaink (Yakubu 73).

Subs Not Used: Jones, Mendieta.

Booked: Hasselbaink, Pogatetz.

Goals: Hasselbaink 8 pen, Viduka 30, Hasselbaink 47, Parnaby 90.

Bolton Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Ben Haim, Jaidi, Gardner,Giannakopoulos, Speed (Faye 85), Okocha, Nolan (Nakata 72),Pedersen (Borgetti 53), Davies.

Subs Not Used: Walker, Diouf.

Booked: Giannakopoulos, Jaaskelainen.

Goals: Giannakopoulos 3, Okocha 58, Jaidi 81.

Att: 25,971

Ref: H Webb (S Yorkshire).