RICARDO Gardner could be out for the rest of the season amid fears that he may have suffered a second cruciate ligament injury in four years.

The Jamaican international -- a key defender for Wanderers this season -- was stretchered off just 17 minutes into Wednesday night's Reebok derby after falling akwardly and straining his right knee.

Early examinations suggested he had sustained ligament damage but the Wanderers' medical team are awaiting scan reports to determine the full extent of the injury.

"It's a ligament problem but we aren't sure if it's medial or cruciate," Allardyce said after initial assessments. "We sincerely hope it's only the medial."

Damage to the medial ligament could mean a six-week lay-off but the fear is that Gardner may have damaged the same cruciate ligament he tore in a First Division game at Barnsley in February 2000 and which kept him out of action for seven months.

The injury and a booking for Per Frandsen, which will put him out of the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final at home to Aston Villa on January 21, added to Wanderers' woes on a night when they gave the Premiership Champions and current leaders a major fright in a grandstand finish before going down 2-1.

Goals from Paul Scholes and Ruud van Nistelrooy put the Reds into a 2-0 half-time lead, but Wanderers pulled one back two minutes from the end of normal time -- officially credited as a Gary Neville own goal but claimed by Youri Djorkaeff -- to take the game to a nail-biting climax.

With keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen almost camped in the United penalty box, defenders panicking and Sir Alex Ferguson desperately checking his watch, the last kick of the game, two minutes into added time, summed up Wanderers' night.

Substitute Ibrahim Ba found himself with time and space in front of a crowded goalmouth ... and launched the ball high over the crossbar!

"My heart was in my mouth," Allardyce said, agonising over the Frenchman's miss. "He took it down superbly and I was up off the bench with my hands on top of my head thinking it was going in.

"It was a great shame for us after a tremendous second half effort, but very disappointing."

Ferguson admitted: "I really thought we were going to see out the game, but Bolton never gave up."