BOLTON opened up their pre-season fixture schedule with a hard fought goalless draw against Rochdale.

The League Two opposition provided a stern test as both teams played out a tame 0-0 stalemate in a leisurely paced affair.

The result was largely irrelevant as the Wanderers players used the outing at Spotland as a continuation of their early pre-season training.

2,576 spectators braved the wet conditions in North Manchester with the travelling support from Bolton getting a first glimpse of the impressive new summer recruit Fabrice Muamba.

The new £5m signing appeared from the dugout at half-time along with eight other substitutes as Wanderers boss Gary Megson opted to give the vast majority of his first team squad at least 45 minutes worth of match action.

Record signing Johan Elmander had been pencilled in to make his first appearance for the Trotters however he was forced to postpone his debut after picking up a slight ankle injury. The only other notable absentees were El-Hadji Diouf who was sidelined with a calf problem and Heidar Helguson who missed out after complaining of stiffness.

After a measured start to proceedings, Bolton almost found themselves one goal down on the ten minute mark when Jon Shaw spun on the edge of the area and blazed only a yard wide of Al-Habsi's right-hand post.

That neat Rochdale move seemed to inject some pace into the game as the Wanderers carved out their first real opportunity only seconds later.

Woolfe's pinpoint ball from deep picked out Kevin Nolan's well timed run through the centre of the park. The skipper's deft lob over Rochdale keeper Sam Russell seemed certain land in the unguarded net, however Nathan Stanton read the situation fantastically and acrobatically cleared from under his own crossbar. Matt Taylor fired in the rebound but again it was well blocked by the Rochdale rearguard as Russell recovered to divert the ball away from goal.

The two chances were the only real highlight in a tight opening to the game. On the half-hour mark Adam Rundle forced Ali Al-Habsi into a smart save following neat footwork inside the box while Joey O'Brien drew a few groans from the home crowd following a clumsy challenge on left-back Tom Kennedy.

Matt Taylor made Russell work with a trademark long range effort before great link-up play down the Trotters left resulted in Kevin Davies side-footing wide at the near post five minutes ahead of the break.

As predicted, Gary Megson made wholesale changes at the interval as only Woolfe and Andy O'Brien reappeared for the second period.

It was Rochdale who almost broke the deadlock on 52 minutes when Chris Dagnall found himself in space 20 yards from the goal. As it was, Jaaskelainen - in his first outing for the Trotters since inking a new four-year deal at the Reebok - darted out off his line and spread himself fantastically to repel the half-time substitute's goal bound finish.

The game continued to progress at a customary pre-season pace with both teams enjoying an equal share of possession without creating many clear cut opportunities.

Cohen glanced a header just over the bar on the hour mark while up the other end of the field Clark Keltie saw a pot-shot from distance skim the roof of the net after taking a wicked deflection off Andy O'Brien.

Jon Shaw wasted arguably the best opening of the game late on when he failed to latch on to an inswinging cross at the far post in a move which rather typified the nature of the game.

The full-time whistle signalled the end of a largely uneventful 90 minutes but both managers will not be too concerned with the outcome as they ready their players for the start of the domestic campaign which commences in only a few weeks time.

Rochdale: Russell, Wiseman (Ramsden 59), Stanton, McArdle, Kennedy, Buckley, Keltie, Jones, Rundle, Le Fondre (Dagnall 46), Shaw (Subs not used: Toner, Higginbotham, D'Laryea)

Bolton: First half - Al-Habsi, Steinsson, Samuel, Nolan, Cahill, Andy O'Brien, Taylor, Joey O'Brien, Davies, McCann, Woolfe

Second half - Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Meite, Andy O'Brien, Gardner, Vaz Te, Muamba, Cohen, Dzemaili, Obadeyi, Woolfe

Attendance: 2,576

Referee: Mr K Hill