Julio Arca came within inches of handing Sunderland a first Barclays Premiership win since September only to see Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen tip away his injury-time effort as it curled towards the top corner.

In a game of few chances, the Argentinian might have won it at the death, although El-Hadji Diouf could have claimed all three points for the visitors when he fired over from 10 yards with 18 minutes remaining.

Bolton rested Kevin Nolan and Kevin Davies, who are both on four bookings, in a side which featured six changes from the one which started the Carling Cup quarter-final defeat at Wigan in midweek. They had the better of a scrappy game, but did not create enough to claim all three points.

The Wearsiders, who finally ended their 10-game losing run by picking up a first point since October 1, rarely troubled Jaaskelainen even with the impressive Arca at times justifying the faith invested in him by the club's supporters.

Some among a crowd of 32,232 had staged a brief pre-planned protest at 3.15pm in which they waved white handkerchiefs and demanded the departure of chairman Bob Murray, but there was warm applause as the players left the pitch.

The point takes Sunderland's total for the season to six from 18 games, and while that may not be enough in their predicament, manager Mick McCarthy will at least hope it is the start of better things to come

McCarthy's reign at the Stadium of Light began on March 15, 2003, with a 2-0 defeat by Bolton, and as his players ran out, they had won only one of the 25 top-flight games they had played under him since.

Just as they were that day, they were rooted to the foot of the table and if relegation was already a certainly almost four years ago, there were few inside the ground as the match kicked off who believe a similar fate will be avoided this time.

However, if Sunderland are to go down, McCarthy will not allow them to do so without a fight, and to their credit, they scrapped for everything in the opening 45 minutes.

In Arca, they had their talisman back in harness following his recovery from a fractured toe, and every time he set off on one of his high-octane runs expectation rose in the stands.

The home side should perhaps have been in front on nine minutes when defender Steve Caldwell met a Liam Lawrence corner unopposed, but he glanced his header wide of the target.

In truth, they created little else of any note - Dean Whitehead tested Jaaskelainen with a curling free-kick after Jon Stead, still to score for his new club, stabbed a first-time effort wide.

Goals have been in short supply for the Black Cats this season, but they have been more plentiful than clean sheets, and although Jaaskelainen's opposite number Kelvin Davis was little busier, he did have to make an important 25th-minute stop from midfielder Khalilou Fadiga's left-foot drive.

At the time, Wanderers had only nine men on the pitch following a clash of heads between central defenders Bruno N'Gotty and Tal Ben Haim, perhaps a measure of Sunderland's lack of confidence.

Fadiga was booked for a cynical 17th-minute tug on Arca's shirt and escaped a second yellow card for a trip on Lawrence, but the game remained in the balance as the second half got underway after the home side returned early for a warm-up with new fitness coach Alan Pearson.

The ploy seemed to work as Andy Gray and then Stead caused problems for the visitors inside the opening two minutes of the half, and Arca took up where he had left off to give his side a real presence down the left flank.

Gray scuffed a shot at Jaaskelainen under pressure from Ben Haim on 54 minutes after Stead had initially found space down the right, but with the game opening up, chances started to arrive at both ends.

Ricardo Vaz Te waltzed through the home defence with embarrassing ease two minutes later, only to be robbed by Justin Hoyte before he could shoot, and Lawrence curled a right-foot effort just high and wide within seconds.

Former Newcastle midfielder Gary Speed, protected by the arrival of Ivan Campo as a replacement for Martin Djetou, linked with Diouf on 63 minutes to force his way into the box, but he could not get his shot away as Davis intervened.

Sunderland's inability to retain the ball for any length of time once they had won it back was proving hugely damaging, and they were almost caught on 67 minutes when Fadiga found Stelios Giannakopoulos 25 yards out, although his volley flew high over.

McCarthy replaced front two Stead and Gray with Anthony Le Tallec and Daryl Murphy with 21 minutes remaining, but it was the visitors who should have gone ahead with 18 minutes remaining.

Speed worked himself into space down the left and cut the ball back for Diouf, but he skied his left-foot shot high over from 10 yards and the home side survived.

Arca flashed an 87th-minute free-kick across the face of goal and then saw his last-gasp effort tipped away as a spirited finish came up just short.

Teams

Sunderland Davis, Hoyte, Breen, Caldwell, Collins, Lawrence, Bassila (Stubbs 81), Whitehead, Arca, Gray (Murphy 69), Stead (Le Tallec 69).

Subs Not Used: Alnwick, Woods.

Booked: Gray.

Bolton Jaaskelainen, Hunt, N'Gotty, Ben Haim, Gardner, Speed, Giannakopoulos, Djetou (Campo 57), Fadiga (Okocha 81), Vaz Te, Diouf (Borgetti 76).

Subs Not Used: Walker, Jaidi.

Booked: Fadiga, Giannakopoulos, Ben Haim.

Att: 32,232

Ref: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire).