Wanderers 2 MAN CITY 0: JAY-Jay Okocha has promised to treat Wanderers fans to more of his magic tricks.

Like the matador in a bullring, the more the crowd cheers, the more he will entertain.

"I feel very much at home now," the Nigerian World Cup star said with a winning smile after sending the Reebok into raptures with a virtuoso performance in Saturday's derby triumph.

The naturally flamboyant Okocha had the crowd on its feet time and again as he bewitched and bewildered Kevin Keegan's Blues with his breathtaking skills then left the field to a spine-tingling standing ovation when he was substituted two minutes from time.

"I got a great ovation when I came off. It was good to see," said the appreciative African. "I feel well accepted now and it's amazing how the supporters are behind me.

"It makes me want to give 120 per cent when the supporters appreciate you and it encourages you to give even more effort."

Okocha was furious with himself when he struck his 23rd minute penalty wide of Peter Schmeichel's right hand post, revealing that he changed direction at the last second because he thought the big Dane might have seen him score from the spot against Spurs 12 days earlier. But he more than made up for the miss, playing the pivotal role in setting up Wanderers' opener for Henrik Pedersen nine minutes later then, after Ivan Campo doubled the lead with a copybook header from Youri Djorkaeff's corner seven minutes into the second half, he set about driving City crazy with his dazzling dribbles and audacious improvisation.

"After the second goal I thought I had to do something maybe to make their players go mad a little bit and come out at us in an anger mood so that we might get the third goal," he explained.

"It didn't work out that way but at least everything went well for the team."

Well enough to give Wanderers their third successive Premiership win and their third successive clean sheet - a statistic that pleased Sam Allardyce far more than any of Okocha's party pieces.

All season the manager has been craving for his defence to shut up shop and now, thanks to the introduction of Florent Laville, he has a back line he

knows he can rely on - one he would have been proud to have figured in during his own playing days.

Relatively unknown outside France before Allardyce took him on loan on an agent's recommendation, the "Rock of Lyon" has been a revelation since making his debut against Manchester United. At 29 he could still have many good years ahead of him - as his new sidekick, the 37-year-old Gudni Bergsson, can testify - and will surely be a fixture next season if Wanderers are ultimately successful in securing their place in the Premiership.

And so they should after taking their confidence to unprecedented heights with a run that has lifted them to within six points of their safety target..

Never mind West Ham, Birmingham, Leeds United or Aston Villa - Wanderers' destiny has always been in their own hands and they have shown over the last seven games - four wins, two draws, one defeat - that they have the character as well as the class to haul themselves clear of the drop zone.

There were doubts to begin with as City looked determined to make up for their 5-0 hammering at Chelsea. Eyal Berkovic was menacing and Nicolas Anelka had two opportunities to make Wanderers pay for their sloppy start.

But the pendulum swung when Per Frandsen delivered a sliderule pass into the box and Schmeichel upended Djorkaeff to concede the penalty. Okocha's miss seemed a disaster at the time but turned out to be just the inspiration Wanderers needed.

The doubly-determined Okocha left Berkovic and Kevin Horlock on their backsides before turning and shooting wide then produced a stunning pass to tee-up the turbo-charged Bernard Mendy for a screaming shot that singed Schmeichel's fingertips before skimming the crossbar.

Unlike the fans, Allardyce is not at all impressed by Okocha's showboating. What he does marvel at, however, are the more orthodox skills that have made the Nigerian a genuine world class performer - like the high-speed one-two he played with the excellent Frandsen close to the left touchline before firing in a low cross Pedersen converted for his seventh goal of the season.

From that 32nd minute on, City did not have a prayer.

"For the first 15 to 20 minutes we didn't get up to the right gear," Pedersen admitted. "But, after the penalty miss ... the goal killed City. At 1-0 up we felt in control of the game and when it got to 2-0 they didn't seem to have any more to give."

Kevin Keegan defended his £18 million strikeforce of Anelka and Robbie Fowler, arguing that the legendary Pele would have struggled with the "putrid" service that came from his so-called "creative" department. But more significantly, the crestfallen City boss acknowledged that Wanderers wanted it more than his players. "Fair do to Bolton," he said. "They got a goal up and played some good stuff and looked like a team that's got confidence and desperately wants to stay in the division. We look like a team that already have."

Jussi Jaaskelainen, whose early save from Anelka helped Wanderers emerge unscathed from their dodgy start, is confident that with their new-found solidity, a point a game ratio is now well within their grasp.

"It's still going to be tight but I think the last three games have given us a lot of confidence," the big Finn said. "Hopefully we can go from strength to strength.

"The penalty was the turning point. Maybe it was better that he missed it!"

It was certainly a much-needed wake-up call. Where they lacked momentum, they suddenly found pace and purpose and where they looked vulnerable to Berkovic's darting breaks, they seized the initiative in midfield and grew in composure at the back. Ricardo Gardner had licence to push forward on the left and Mendy, who could hardly put a foot right in the first quarter, became a constant threat with his pace and it was his blistering run that won the corner which brought Campo his second goal of the season and a just reward for yet another authoritative display in his favoured midfield role.

Allardyce already had an unshakeable confidence in the quality of his Foreign Legion (not an Englishman in sight until Delroy Facey replaced Pedersen 14 minutes from the end) but on Saturday they also showed what they are made of on the character front.

To a man they responded to the bodyblow of Okocha's penalty miss and produced a performance that eclipsed City, put the frighteners on West Ham, Birmingham and Villa and left the fans hungry for more.