TONY PULIS admitted it was a 'bitter pill to swallow' after Stoke City went down to two late goals in their Premier League match against Bolton Wanderers.

Winger Matthew Taylor, who had scored the injury time equaliser at the Reebok Stadium earlier this season, produced another late, late show to stun the Potters who had led since the 13th minute through striker David Kitson at the Britannia Stadium.

City had been hoping to claim the victory which would have taken them past last season's points tally of 45, and it looked on the cards for much of the game.

But as Pulis commented: "We have to take this one on the chin because we had the opportunities to win the game, but it was Bolton's day in the end.

"We needed that second goal, but although the lads gave it everything and we had a real go, we paid for the fact that we didn't put one of the chances away."

Pulis was not happy with the circumstances which led to Bolton's equaliser from a free kick after substitute Vladimir Weiss had been brought down.

Although City's manager did not comment on whether it was a foul, he said: "What concerned me was that the referee hesitated before blowing for it.

"He allowed play to go on for two or three seconds before bringing it back. To make matters worse, the free kick took a deflection off the wall."

Bolton boss Owen Coyle was understandably delighted, but also relieved that his side had managed to turn the game around in such dramatic circumstances.

"I thought we were as poor as we've been since I came here in the first half, but we were the team in the ascendency after the break," he said afterwards.

"This is a magnificent victory for us, but it was a game I thought we could win even though Stoke have such a good home record and Tony Pulis has done a fantastic job.

"The changes we made in the second half certainly had an effect. Klasnic had a couple of half chances soon after the break and Weiss certainly brightened us up."