The Sky Blues dominated the affair against the Trotters but couldn't claim three points despite Aaron Phillips' strike...
Coventry City Under-21s claimed a point against Bolton Wanderers at Leyland's County Ground, but should have claimed all three.
The Sky Blues dominated the affair as Aaron Phillips' second-half strike levelled the tie after Chris Cvetko's opener.
Lee Glover's side almost took the lead just 47 seconds into the game as the lively Devon Kelly-Evans cut inside to find Ben Stevenson 25 yards out, but his low shot was well saved.
Kyle Spence and George Thomas created plenty of problems in the opening 10 minutes of the game but were left frustrated as two crosses were blocked in quick succession with the tireless Bassala Sambou ready to pounce.
A quarter of an hour into the game, the home side took a shock lead. In their first attack of the game, Cvetko smashed home from just outside the area despite the best efforts of Corey Addai.
It was cruel on centre-back pairing Dion Kelly-Evans and Cian Harries who were rarely tested, and managed the game brilliantly for the Sky Blues throughout the 90 minutes.
City should have been level when Spence beat his man on the right, which became a regular occurence as the game grew on, to cut back for Thomas who scooped over from six yards out.
Thomas hit the post with a brilliant 25-yard free-kick ten minutes before the break and then the controversy. Thomas did brilliantly to turn inside the area to fire home but the linesman flagged offside for Darragh Leahy, even though it appeared the Irishman didn't intervene with play.
Despite the harsh decision, the young Sky Blues continued to pour forward and finally got their reward 23 minutes from the end.
Phillips picked up the ball 30-yards out and as Spence pulled a defender away, the right-back burst past his man and fired a fierce effort into the top corner to level for City.
City should have claimed all three points in the final minutes of the game as the Trialist took down a Devon Kelly-Evans cross in the six-yard area but his shot was blocked as the spoils were shared.
Teams
Coventry City U21: Addai (GK), Phillips, Dion Kelly-Evans, Harries, Leahy, Stevenson (Shipley 66), Finch (Trialist 78), Devon Kelly-Evans, G. Thomas, Spence, Sambou (Trialist 86).
Subs: Whitmore, Skuza (GK).
Bolton Wanderers U21: Fitzsimons (GK), Spooner, Garratt, Phillips, Twardzik, Taylor, Griffiths (Grant 58), Cvetko, Newell, Samizadeh (McKenna 58), Likoy-Elumba.
Subs: Allen, Turner, Honeyball.
Yellow card(s): Phillips, Taylor.
Attendance: 62