THE sighs of relief were still reverberating round the Reebok as Jay-Jay Okocha offered a matter-of-fact explanation of how he kept his cool to score what he acknowledged could become one of the most important goals of his glittering career.

"I think I was in the perfect mood to take the penalty," the trick-a-minute Nigerian said after his last-kick winner put Wanderers back in the survival business.

"I was very calm."

Okocha, who has been pulling rabbits out of hats throughout his distinguished playing days for clubs and for his country, did not hesitate as referee Graham Poll pointed to the spot after Spurs defender Gary Doherty sent Youri Djorkaeff sprawling.

"First of all, Youri was the one who was fouled," he explained, "and I remembered he had missed one before .. . so I said I had to take the responsibility."

Djorkaeff did not argue. "I was a little bit tired," he admitted. "The foul was on me and to recover my fitness wasn't easy. Jay-Jay took the ball and that was okay with me."

It was also okay with Sam Allardyce and the best part of 23,000 Wanderers' fans who saw justice done and their hopes of beating the Premiership chop take a significant turn for the better.

It was all the sweeter for coming, as it did, deep into in the second of the two added minutes and all the more satisfying for being thoroughly deserved.

Four times this season Wanderers have cursed their luck after squandering 1-0 leads in the dying seconds of games. This time the roles were reversed but no-one can say they were lucky.

For the best part of 45 minutes, urged on constantly by supporters who fully understood the significance of the win they were chasing, they pounded the Spurs goal. It was stirring stuff but it looked like ending in frustration as a combination of poor finishing, the woodwork and the brilliance of American keeper Kasey Keller denied them time and again.

And it might have been another of those hard-luck stories if Gus Poyet's cleverly-lobbed pass had not run away from Robbie Keane and into the safe hands of Jussi Jaaskelainen with just seven minutes left on the clock!

"That was the turning point for us," Allardyce said as he celebrated successive Premiership wins for only the second time this season. "For all they didn't do in the second half, Tottenham could have punished us in that split second. It didn't happen and that was crucial."

If that was a slice of luck then it was richly-deserved, a reward for a defence that had to work frantically at times in the first half to prevent Spurs turning their more incisive football into an interval lead. Ricardo Gardner, Gudni Bergsson and Florent Laville all made important interventions while Jaaskelainen had Per Frandsen's goal-line clearance from Goran Bunjevcevic to thank for keeping his goal intact.

Never mind Okocha, it seemed Allardyce had waved a magic wand himself at half-time as Wanderers launched a succession of raids that had Spurs on the back foot and the fans on the edge of their seats. The only change was Anthony Barness replacing the injured Gardner at left-back, an enforced switch that only served to strengthen the side as the ever-reliable Londoner - the only Englishman to figure in the team - kept the left flank tight as well as offering attacking support.

Spurs had to no answer to Wanderers' midfield who had the game's real class acts in Djorkaeff and Ivan Campo while Sheringham and Keane could fined no way past the excellent Bergsson and Laville.

Bergsson, who sensationally outpaced the much younger Stephen Carr to frustrate one of Spurs' most promising first half attacks, was agonisingly close to scoring against his former club when he headed Djorkaeff's free-kick against the post.

Later Keller got his fingertips to a Djorkaeff shot then turned a cracker from Pierre-Yves Andre round the post and he also got lucky when he blocked but couldn't hold a Barness shot and Okocha headed the rebound wide of the unguarded goal!

The second head-to-head proved no contest as Okocha stroked the spot-kick wide to the keeper's left, just inside the post.

"I didn't expect Jay-Jay to take the penalty," Allardyce admitted, "but it's the man who has the 'bottle' who is the best man in those situations.

"The last minute of a game when you need three points to help you survive is a huge pressure. But he's a cool man. He doesn't have a nerve in his body. He's just scored one of the most crucial penalties ever taken at the Reebok."

Okocha, who will play for Nigeria in their African Nations Cup qualifier in Malawi at the weekend, believes time will determine the importance of his goal but he remains confident Wanderers can beat the drop.

"We have found form at the right time. If we keep that going I believe we will survive and this may be one of the most important goals I have ever scored."