SAM Allardyce had menace in his voice today as he warned his two closest friends in football: "I've got you in my sights!"

Leeds' newly-appointed caretaker manager Peter Reid and Birmingham boss Steve Bruce were at the Reebok on Monday night to see Jay-Jay Okocha's dramatic last gasp penalty sink Spurs and swing the pendulum Wanderers' way in the battle for Premiership survival.

Now - mates or no mates - Allardyce is determined to put the frighteners on his rivals and see off the threat from Glenn Roeder's in-form West Ham in a fight to the finish.

"It's three massive points for us," the Wanderers boss said as he celebrated a well-deserved 1-0 victory and a welcome turn of the wheel of fortune. "We've broken the 30-point barrier and we're now looking up, not down, at Leeds United and Birmingham City.

"It feels so good at this stage of the season and it will put the jitters up my old mates Reidy and Brucie. They'll be thinking they are right in it and West Ham will be thinking that they've done all they can do yet they are still not out of it.

"And that's down to our good form."

The pressure was on Wanderers after dropping back into the bottom three at the weekend as a consequence of West Ham beating Sunderland while Birmingham stretched their advantage to six points with a last-gasp victory over West Brom. But they rose to the challenge, produced a rousing second half performance and finally got their reward, securing back-to-back victories for only the second time this season.

The win lifted them back above the relegation zone, two points ahead of West Ham, who still have to come to the Reebok, and just two points behind Leeds, who are in turmoil.

Allardyce, who four times this season has seen his side squander 1-0 leads in the dying seconds of games, praised Okocha for holding his nerve to convert the penalty with virtually the last kick of the game after man of the match Youri Djorkaeff had been brought down by Spurs substitute Gary Doherty.