IT must have been music to Gary Megson’s ears to hear the critics having a go at his players for the way they battled for a point at Fulham.

The boys were seriously slagged off for their performance against Blackburn the previous weekend and must have been hurt by claims that there was division in the camp.

But the way they set about the job on Saturday was proof, if it was needed, that they are united, they are pulling together and they are prepared to get stuck into the opposition.

Bruce Rioch used to tell us before every game that in the first 20 minutes or so we had to go out and win our own personal battles — to get on top of the players you were playing against — before we put our ability to the test. And I’m sure Gary gives his players the same sort of instructions.

I was especially chuffed for Jussi Jaaskelainen because he had received an awful lot of stick after the Blackburn game and he bounced back with a performance that showed why he is such a world-class performer.

I said last week that, drawing on my own experience, I expected the players to link arms, show a united front and respond to what was a real off-day — and they did.

They fought for that point and I’m sure there will be a lot of Premiership teams who won’t want to play Bolton, if that’s the way they are going to approach games from now on.

Wolves will definitely have got the message ahead of Saturday’s game at Molineux.

What a game that’s going to be — two teams in the bottom three, both desperate for points.

It’s one I’m really looking forward to watching and I genuinely believe that, with confidence boosted by the manner of the performance and the point they took from Fulham, the Bolton lads can go there and get a win and get a another run going.

The downside of Saturday’s game, of course, was that Kevin Davies’s booking means he faces a suspension.

Anybody would miss Davo the way he’s been playing, but the way the likes of Gretar Steinsson and Ivan Klasnic played when they were brought into the side at Fulham, and the way Andy O’Brien has performed since he was recalled to the side, shows that there is a good squad at Bolton and that any players who are brought in are determined to make the most of their chance.