THE catastrophic effect of Wanderers' last-gasp squanderings is illustrated today in a Premiership table showing how they could be tucked comfortably in mid-table, 13 points and six places clear of the relegation zone.

On six occasions this season, Bolton fans have seen their team concede goals in the closing minutes of games, allowing no fewer than 10 points to slip through their fingers.

In their last two games - at West Brom and at home to Manchester United - they have surrendered winning positions, the fourth time this season that a 1-0 win has been transformed, dramatically and agonisingly, into a bitterly disappointing 1-1 draw.

Combined with the disasters of the first half of the season, when they missed out on draws against Liverpool and Arsenal in successive games and wasted golden opportunities to take maximum points from home games against Chelsea and Blackburn, they have now hit a psychological barrier Sam Allardyce sees as a serious threat to their prospects of staying in the Premiership.

"It's a collective thing," the manager said, hoping his latest wake-up call will prevent any further lapses. "But when it gets brought up and you realise the points we have thrown away it makes it difficult to swallow.

"And, even if we don't let it happen again, we'll still have done it too much. I just hope we've finally learned our lesson."

Allardyce acknowledges that on various occasions this season Wanderers have themselves profited from late goals but it is the number of points dropped that the manager, the players and the fans are focussing on as the fight for survival reaches a nailbiting climax.

Currently perched just one place and three points above the relegation zone, Wanderers know they could be sitting pretty but for those 10 squandered points.

Without the late lapses they would be lying 12th in the table on 36 points - just two points behind their target for the season with 10 games still to play.