SAM Allardyce has challenged his strikers to carry on where they left off at Elland Road on Sunday and take Wanderers onwards and upwards, clear of the Premiership danger zone.

The Reebok boss saw Henrik Pedersen lead a four-goal demolition of Leeds United and was happy to confess he had been proved wrong.

Youri Djorkaeff and Michael Ricketts also got in on the scoring act as Wanderers recorded their biggest win of the season to haul themselves off the foot of the table - fractionally above West Brom and West Ham on goal difference - prompting the manager to unashamedly admit: "Having complained about the front line not finding the back of the net, they have stuffed it right up me.

"And long may that continue because, if it does, there is only one way for us to go and that's up!"

Wanderers recorded their first four-goal haul since the crushing victory over Ipswich at the Reebok in April which ultimately secured last season's Premiership survival and the sense of relief after eight games without a win has been matched by the new-found belief that they can now start to make their quality count.

The game was a personal triumph for Henrik Pedersen, who returned to the starting line-up after a four-match absence to score twice - his first Premiership goals since joining Wanderers from Silkeborg in July last year.

His partnership with the outstanding Djorkaeff, who took his total for the season to four, was the most productive combination Allardyce has come up with in 13 attempts while Ricketts came off the substitutes' bench to confidently convert his third penalty from three attempts.

The manager praised Ricketts for keeping his nerve under pressure (the scores were level at 2-2 with just two minutes of normal time to play) and believes his one-time top scorer could now have turned the corner.

"Michael has suffered a loss of confidence as we all know," Allardyce acknowledged, "and we have to try to keep him going. But I think the spirit and the aggression he showed when he came on was something he can carry on and break his way back into the starting line-up.

"I hope the goal has given him a lot of confidence because the composure he had to stick that penalty away under so much pressure showed what a nerve he's got. So, if he can link up with either Henrik or Youri and they carry on scoring, we don't have any problems getting up this division.

"We still have to work on the back unit but I still feel we are getting heavily punished for very, very few mistakes."