Wigan Athletic boss assesses draw against Bolton Wanderers

Latics were off to a flyer with James McClean opening the scoring inside seven minutes.

Will Keane had already had the ball in the net, only for it to be chalked off for a foul in the build-up by Callum Lang.

And McClean, Keane and Lang all came close to giving the scoreline a far more accurate look.

The second half was a different story, with Bolton pushing on more and more, and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson heading an 83rd-minute equaliser.

Latics moved level on points with League One leaders Rotherham, with a game still in hand, but Richardson was left to reflect on what might have been.

"I thought we controlled large parts of the game," he said.

"I thought we were excellent in the first half, possibly should have put the game to bed by half-time.

"In fact, for the first 60 minutes, we dominated large parts of the game, but now and again you have to dig in and defend.

"Both teams kept each other honest throughout, it was fantastic for the fans, and a good derby occasion."

Latics dodged a bullet just before half-time when, on a booking, McClean again fouled Bolton winger Oladapo Afolayan near the byline.

Referee Samuel Bennott elected not to brandish a second yellow, which Richardson felt was the right call.

"I thought both sets of fans, both sets of players were excellent today," he added.

"I didn't think there was a tackle in the game that deserved to make it an uneven game.

"I thought the referee and the officials managed the game extremely well.

"In my opinion, there was no need to send anybody off."

Richardson also left McClean on for the remainder of the game, despite running the risk of a sending off

"James is a very experienced player," added Richardson. "And a very valuable player for us."

McClean and Curtis Tilt both picked up injuries in the closing stages which will need assessing.