Published: 2 February, 2012
by STEVE BARNETT

THE Gunners fired blanks in a frosty encounter at the Reebok Stadium last night (Wednesday) as they were held to a goalless draw at Bolton.

Players from both sides did their best to frustrate the freezing fans in the first half, with Bolton’s David N’Gog and Arsenal’s Theo Walcott squandering golden opportunities to break the deadlock.

Having already forced a save from goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, N’Gog wasted another chance minutes later when he somehow managed to stab the ball wide when it looked easier to score.

Not to be outdone, Walcott burst clear through the middle to race one-on-one with Adam Bogdan, but lacked the composure to beat the Bolton keeper from 16 yards.

Robin van Persie can consider himself unlucky not to have added to his already impressive goal tally as he twice hit the woodwork in the second half.

Having already seen a shot come back off the near post, the Dutch striker was denied a late winner when his exquisite lob hit the bar.

The hosts might have stolen all three points in the closing minutes when Mark Davies was sent tumbling in the area by Szczesny, but referee Chris Foy waved away penalty appeals.

The result ends a run of three successive league defeats for Arsene Wenger’s side, but still sees them drop down to seventh in the table.

The draw capped a miserable day for Gunners fans, who were still coming to terms with the news that Jack Wilshere is likely to miss the rest of the season after suffering a new injury.

The midfielder had surgery on his right ankle in September, but looked to be well on the road to recovery. However, having broken down in training it has now been revealed that he has suffered a new stress fracture on his heel.