PHIL Parkinson said he was “shocked” by the reaction of Wanderers fans when he brought off teenager Luca Connell in the second half against Reading.

With the game at 0-0 on 72 minutes the Bolton boss opted to take-off the 17-year-old, who had impressed in his first start in the Championship, for another youngster, Joe Pritchard.

The reaction among home fans was fierce – and less than four minutes later Reading won a penalty, converted by Nelson Oliveira.

Jack Hobbs rescued a point with an injury-time header but Parkinson was taken aback by the change of mood after he had opted to make the change.

"I am absolutely shocked, I have got to be honest,” he said. “We played a young kid who is 17, on Friday (at Bristol City) we gave him his debut, and as a staff we contemplated a big risk starting him again with the demands of the Championship football. We started him but any more than 60 minutes is going to be a risk.

"Everybody on the bench could see he was tiring and I am not going to get one of our young kids injured.

"When I took him off, and the reaction, I was so shocked.

"I thought surely people will realise I am doing it to protect the kid.

“It wasn’t because he hadn’t played well. And it changed the whole atmosphere of the ground, it was very, very difficult to play.

“I am honestly shocked and I am not bothered about the fans having a go at me. But the atmosphere created on the pitch for the players – their team – in such a great game.

“But not only that, I put another young kid on and young Joe has been terrific for us and yet he’s had to play in that kind of atmosphere. It is only the character of a proper team that got us back into the game tonight. I am so proud of them.”

Parkinson admitted his team was slow to start but felt they had grown into the game during the second half.

"I thought the first half was even,” he said. “We knew they would have possession and take risks at the back. We pressed them high and won the ball back, got into some good positions, but our selection of pass wasn't as good as it needed to be."

"Second half I thought we were terrific. We had some great chances. We had a bit more conviction in our pressing and they weren't really in the game.

"You are always going to be dangerous on the break with Aluko and Barrow and players like that but it was a soft penalty. We were unlucky to get that given against us."

The lads were brilliant to get back into it. The atmosphere was difficult to play in and they've come back fantastically well."

Read Marc Iles's big match verdict on Wanderers' late comeback against Reading here.