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Matt Taylor scored an 89th-minute penalty as Bolton fought back to draw 1-1 with Stoke City at the Reebok Stadium and move out of the Premier League relegation zone.

Taylor finished from the spot after Sam Ricketts was brought down by a knee-high challenge from Danny Collins.

A superb goal from Dave Kitson had put the visitors ahead 53 minutes into a match that was at times low on quality but always high on endeavour.

The first half was a slog with neither side capable of stringing together passing moves and the most entertainment derived from a physical duel between Kevin Davies and Abdoulaye Faye.

Bolton forward Davies, leading the line as a lone striker, is the most penalised player in the league and he was extremely fortunate not to be sent off for a 14th-minute forearm smash into the face of Stoke defender Faye which was not even called a foul by referee Mark Clattenburg.

Faye was left with a swollen cheek but exacted his own revenge with a series of strong challenges that caught Davies's head and back (twice), none of which drew a caution.

The best chances fell to Stoke who at least showed some effectiveness in their direct approach.

On two minutes Dean Whitehead thought he had the goal at his mercy after an excellent cut-back from Ricardo Fuller but Gary Cahill hurled himself to block.

Five minutes later, Fuller was harshly adjudged to have dived and was shown yellow by Clattenburg when Gavin McCann appeared to trip him after the Jamaican cut the ball past the one-time England midfielder.

Twenty-five minutes later Glenn Whelan's long-range free-kick drew a smart low stop from Jussi Jaaskelainen, who dived to his left to tip the curling effort around the post.

The corner that followed was cleared for a throw and Rory Delap's infamous long throw was showcased but Jaaskelainen managed to block at the near post under pressure from Whelan.

A drab first half drew to a close, and the second period could hardly have been worse.

It was not, with both sides getting the ball wide better and keeping possession more readily, with Bolton improved by the introduction of Ivan Klasnic and Ricardo Gardner for anonymous midfield duo Fabrice Muamba and Gretar Steinsson.

After the sides exchanged chances - Delap mis-hitting a finish off the face of Zat Knight for the Potters and Taylor half-volleying just wide from the edge of the area for the Trotters - it was Stoke who took the lead, thanks to a moment of magic from Kitson.

The former Reading striker is finding his feet at Stoke after a difficult first season and, in taking Fuller's flick with his right, taking out Ricketts and placing it past Jaaskelainen, he showed why he cost £5.5 million a summer ago.

Bolton were not disheartened and continued to plug away, with much of the joy coming from Gardner's width and Klasnic's deft touch.

Croatia striker Klasnic almost scored a debut Bolton goal but was denied by Thomas Sorensen's acrobatics after he latched on to a quickly-taken free-kick on 67 minutes.

His team really should have levelled from the resultant corner.

Some head tennis saw Davies nod the ball back to Tamir Cohen, whose bicycle kick was blocked. The loose ball fell to Knight at point-blank range but the big defender somehow hoofed the finish over.

It was a horrific miss but Bolton were not disheartened.

They plugged away and a late run from Ricketts paid off when he was chopped down by a crude tackle from Collins, whose boot raked down the knee of the former Hull man.

Last season's top-scorer with 10, Taylor made no mistake from the spot to deservedly level for the Trotters.

Despite a late scare when a Delap long throw was met by Liam Lawrence, who was kept out by a brave stop from Jaaskelainen, Bolton held on to move clear of Hull and Wolves on goal difference and outside the bottom three.

Reda Maher / Eurosport