SAM Allardyce is under treatment for a badly gashed shin as Wanderers count the cost of last night's dramatic 2-1 home victory over Luton.

Boss Ian Greaves is sweating on the big central defender's fitness as he prepares for a demanding Christmas programme, which sees Wanderers take on Nottingham Forest at Burnden Park before travelling to Sheffield United the following day.

For the umpteenth time, Wanderers had to show their fighting character in a game that saw Luton's Dixie Deans sent off 14 minutes from time. Neil Whatmore and Roy Greaves got the second half goals to secure the points after Lill Fuccillo had put Luton ahead on 32 minutes.

10 YEARS AGO: December 23, 1991

WANDERERS are struggling to get in-form striker, David Reeves, fit for the Boxing Day game at Leyton Orient.

Reeves, who has scored nine goals in his last six games and 15 up to now this season, would have missed the weekend game against Swansea but was reprieved when the game was postponed with the Burnden Park pitch waterlogged - a decision that added to a fixture backlog that is starting to worry manager Phil Neal.

Mark Patterson is also pressing for a place on the Orient trip after his recent back problems.

5 YEARS AGO: December 23, 1996

AN eight-match run without a win is starting to worry Colin Todd.

The Wanderers' boss saw his team slip to second in Division One behind new leaders Barnsley at the weekend when they could only manage a 2-2 draw at Swindon.

"That will probably make our players realise there is still a lot of hard work to be done," Todd said. Inspired by a brilliant second half performance from Nathan Blake, Wanderers twice came from behind to rescue a point with goals from Scott Green and John McGinlay. Green had a last-gasp "winner" disallowed for offside - only for TV pundit Jimmy Greaves to later confirm that video evidence proved the goal should have counted.