Bolton Wanderers 3 Blackburn Rovers 3

Bennett 26, Sheridan 42, Sampson 77; Lowe 55, Aley 71, Rigters 90

Wanderers suffered a cruel case of déjà vu as Maceo Rigters' late leveller forced the second string to settle for their second 3-3 draw in the space of six days.

Fresh from their six-goal thriller at Burnley, the Whites matched their Crown Ground efforts by going 2-0 up thanks to first half goals from Rhys Bennett and Sam Sheridan, and kept going despite being pegged back to 2-2 late on; Jack Sampson sneaking home what looked like being the winner.

But Rigters, the most experienced player on show, finally burst into life with just stoppage time to play, thumping home the goal that denied Bolton a win in their final home game of the season.

And it means that their final fixture at Everton in two weeks looks like being pivotal in determining whether they can climb off the foot of the table, but with the goals flowing freely, they will at least have a great chance of netting the strikes they need to do so.

Bolton went close early on in the local derby when Bennett got on the end of a Sheridan free kick but couldn't keep his shot down - a warning that Blackburn didn't heed as Wanderers repeated the trick on 26 minutes.

The same pair combined after Matthew Pearson had hacked down Zoltan Harsanyi on the left flank, with centre half Bennett getting onto the end of a chipped delivery to poke home via the palms of keeper Jake Kean.

Keen had earlier shown greater reliability in turning Maison McGeechan's 30 yard drive round the post, and denied the same threat in a scramble that stemmed from the resulting corner, with a Rovers defender also coming to his rescue to clear off the line from Javlon Campbell.

Adam Bogdan didn't have much to do at the opposite end thanks to a well marshalled defence that kept former Dutch U21 star Maceo Rigters quiet, but when called upon to deny Rigters' strike partner Nick Blackman with five minutes to the break, a breathtaking tip kept the Whites ahead.

And it proved a crucial block as the lead was doubled just before the turnaround - Zoltan Harsanyi's cross only half cleared and Sheridan the grateful recipient as he returned the ball into the bottom right corner with interest from 25 yards, via the aid of a deflection.

In a derby situation, the away side were never likely to sit back and accept defeat, and so it proved as Jason Lowe's mazy run and drive halved the deficit within ten minutes of play resuming and Zach Aley sliding in to level from Lowe's cross with 19 minutes to go.

Having led for so much of the game, Wanderers likewise weren't content to settle for a point, and regained the advantage with little over ten minutes left. Harsanyi was the creator again as he left his marker trailing down the right, and Sampson got enough of a stud on the low cross to roll it over the line in slow motion.

As the seconds ticked down, the points looked at though they were due to stay at home, but the very moment the fourth official strode out to raise his board to indicate the length of added time, Rigters' pace got the better of the Bolton defence for the one and only time all evening.

Racing onto another great delivery from the pivotal Lowe, he hared into the box picked his spot with the cruellest possible timing from a Wanderers viewpoint.

Wanderers: Bogdan, McDonald, Blakeman, Bennett, Riley, Sheridan, Campbell (Battersby 46, McGregor 88), Irwin (Odelusi 76), Sampson, Harsanyi, McGeechan. Subs not used: Burns, Lainton.

Blackburn Rovers: Kean, Ramm, Morris, O'Connor, Pearson, Lowe, Banton (Evans 79), Doran, Rigters, Blackman, Aley. Subs not used: Santa Cruz, Swann, Hitchcock, Ajagbe, Knowles.

Referee: Mr Dean Mohareb.