Bolton capitalise on Kalac's calamities

COCA-COLA CUP REPLAYS: Keeper lets Leicester down as Taylor sweats it out

PHIL SHAW

Leicester 2 Bolton 3

Three elementary errors by Zeljko "Spider" Kalac, a 6ft 7in Australian goalkeeper making his home debut for Leicester, allowed Bolton, last season's beaten finalists in the Coca-Cola Cup, to claim a fourth-round visit to Norwich they scarcely deserve at Filbert Street last night.

Leicester recovered twice from Kalac's calamities, and survived a scare when Sasa Curcic hit a post. With 11 minutes remaining, however, the giant totally misjudged Alan Thompson's corner, enabling Curcic to strike his first goal since a pounds 1.5m transfer from Partizan Belgrade.

Everything had pointed to a replay as closely contested as the 0-0 draw at Burnden Park. Leicester, despite holding second place in the First Division, have proved fallible at home; Bolton are still without an away point in the Premiership.

Prompted by Garry Parker, Leicester initially looked the more likely to snap out of their sequence. In a match featuring 12 nationalities, their new Swede, Pontus Kaamark, twice demonstrated his long-range shooting power, one drive just clearing Bolton's bar and another thudding into Keith Branagan's midrift.

It was against the run of play when Bolton went ahead after 37 minutes. Kalac could only nudge the ball on to the bar after Richard Sneekes had flicked on a corner. In the ensuing scramble, John McGinlay prodded home.

Leicester's retaliation produced a volley against the woodwork by Brian Carey. The rebound dropped obligingly to Robins, who saw a similar effort touched over by Branagan.

Their pressure was finally rewarded in the 49th minute, Taylor threading a pass through for Robins to fire home from 12 yards, and it seemed that even Kamark's exit on a stretcher could not deflate the mood.

That was proving to be Kalac's role. When a Leicester move broke down as Lowe's pass struck the referee in the 61st minute, Sneekes took aim from 25 yards. What should have been a routine save became a second aberration as Kalac dived over the ball, but four minutes later Iwan Roberts bailed him out again by heading a second equaliser from Taylor's cross.

Leicester (4-4-2): Kalac; Kamark (Grayson, 52), Carey (Joachim, 84), Hill, Whitlow; Taylor, Parker, Rolling, Lowe; Robins, Roberts. Substitute not used: Poole (gk)

Bolton Wanderers (4-5-1): Branagan; McAmespie, Bergsson, Fairclough, Phillips; Lee, Curcic, Stubbs (Patterson 60), Sneekes, Thompson (Green ,87); McGinlay. Substitutes not used: Patterson, Paatelainen

Referee: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill).