WANDERERS were dealt a double midfield blow after scrapping for a point against Shrewsbury.

Jason Lowe faces a three-match ban as he picked up the first red card of his professional career for a two-footed lunge on Salop skipper Ollie Norburn.

And Keith Hill’s options have been further narrowed by a hamstring injury sustained by Liam Bridcutt, which forced him off the pitch in the first half.

“We’ll have to wait and see how severe the injury is once he’s had the scan but it definitely means he’ll miss the Burton game,” said the Bolton boss.

“It happens and we can’t do a lot about it. You can’t control injuries.

“It is probably a bit of fatigue in the distances the players were running at Sunderland, they were huge, the output was massive. They were leggy at the end of the game.”

On Lowe’s red, Hill had few complaints, adding: “You can see why the ref has sent him off.”

Wanderers missed out on a chance to lift themselves off the bottom of the League One table but are now three games unbeaten.

Hill felt his side had responded well to going down to 10 men, having struggled last month when they did the same at Accrington.

“There are some things I need to work on when there isn’t a game on, no fatigue, really, pre-season,” he said. “The players dealt with it better. They didn’t allow themselves to become victims of the scenario and we were determined.

“Remi (Matthews) made a couple of wonderful saves at the end but I thought we kept ourselves in it well.

“There was desire, determination, so it felt like a positive point in the end.

“There was a little bit of luck but with the games coming thick and fast I am pleased we didn’t lose the game. We don’t know how far that point might take us.

“Respect to the players because there are things I have learned from the Accrington game, personnel out on the pitch, and there are certain things you have to do when you are down to 10 men.”