Bolton, kicking down the slope at the Lancashire FA headquarters, started brightly.
And they took the lead after 15 minutes when Zoltan Harsani volleyed home the rebound after Temitope Obadeyi's thundering header came back off the bar.
Peter Thompson had County's first real opportunity on 25 minutes when he was well picked out by Matty Mainwaring; unfortunately the former Linfield striker's shot cleared the bar.
Five minutes later Oli Johnson burst clear from half way and hit a powerful shot that brought a good save from Adam Bogdan.
Matty McNeil then came close when his header, from Greg Tansey's corner, was blocked on the line by David Gbemie.
The Hatters continued to look dangerous and another good move ended when Declan Edwards fired a fierce cross in from the right that just evaded Thompson.
Then, just before the break, McNeil rose at the far post to meet James Vincent's cross; once again Bogdan was equal to it.
County started the second half the way they ended the first and almost grabbed an equaliser inside a minute. McNeil nodded the ball into the box but a Gbemie got to the ball just ahead of Thompson.
The Hatters were level, though, from the next attack. Johnson flicked Edwards cross to McNeil who hit a 20-yard volley into the bottom corner.
The equaliser was no more than County deserved but, just three minutes later, they were behind again. Nathan Woolfe got the better of Michal Rose and crossed to Harsani who notched his second goal of the game.
Gbemie almost scored a spectacular own goal with a back header that beat his keeper but bounced behind for a corner whilst, at the other end, Obadeyi hit a shot into the side net.
County should have levelled on 76 minutes with trialist Scott Barlow's first touch since coming of the bench.
The Trafford striker got on the end of Johnson's flick, from a superb Danny Pilkington cross, but nodded over.
County: Rigby; J Vincent, Rose, McNeil, J Thompson, Havern (Pilkington 60), Edwards (Halls 85), Mainwaring, P Thompson (Barlow 75), Tansey, Johnson.
Subs: Astbury, Wilkie.
