Our live website report

Wanderers V ASTON VILLA

IVAN Campo was not at the Reebok to see his new teammates attempt to collect their first points of the season.

The 28-year-old Real Madrid defender, who signed a season-long loan deal with Wanderers yesterday and received international clearance just hours

before the transfer deadline, was back in Spain to make personal arrangements for his Reebok switch.

Sam Allardyce had already ruled Campo out of his selection plans, explaining that he would not be match fit - although not as far behind the rest as one

of his other pre-deadline signings, the former Spurs striker Chris Armstrong, who has flown to Belgium for intensive therapy with the specialist who

helped Akin Bulent make a successful recovery from a damaged cruciate ligament and got Michael Ricketts fit for the start of the season.

Ricketts is over his hamstring problems but still a cause for concern after being the target of a Spurs 'bid' which Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside described as "laughable" and which led Allardyce to criticise the Londoners' transfer tactics and question whether his top scorer would be in the right frame of mind.

Campo and Armstring were not the only new recruits to be registered at the Reebok before the transfer window slammed shut. Bulent's free transfer from Galatasaray was finally sanctioned when the Turkish FA ruled the Istanbul club had no contractual hold on the midfield player and consequently not entitled to compensation, while Big Sam also reuinted the Holdsworth twins for the first time since they played together as youngsters at Watford, signing Dean's brother David, who was without a club, on a month-to-month agreement.

The only departure saw out-of-favour keeper Steve Banks join Bradford on a three-month loan.

On the field Wanderers were boosted by the return of skipper Gudni Bergsson who missed the Charlton defeat with a knee injury and returned to the defence in place of Anthony Barness, who dropped to substitute.

Ricardo Gardner also found himself relegated to the bench as Kevin Nolan was restored to the starting line-up.

Villa boss Graham Taylor signed former Manchester United defender Ronny Johnsen and Spurs midfielder Oyvind Leonhardsen before the deadline but stuck by the squad that beat Manchester City 1-0 at Villa Park in midweek to gain their first points of the season.

Wanderers: Jaaskelainen; N'Gotty, Bergsson, Whitlow, Charlton, Nolan, Frandsen, Warhurst, Pedersen, Djorkaeff, Ricketts. Subs: Mendy, Gardner, Holdsworth, Barness, Poole.

Aston Villa: Enckelman, Delaney, Staunton, Mellberg, Wright, Hendrie, Kinsella, Barry, Angel, Vassell, Crouch. Subs: Hitzlsperger, Allback, de la Cruz, Samuel, Postma.

Referee: Steve Dunn (Bristol).

14:55: WANDERERS 0, VILLA 0

Half-time

WANDERERS were unfortunate to have nothing to show for their most impressive half of the season.

Villa were second best for much of the first 45 minutes, although they did force Jussi Jaaskelainen to make a couple of awkward saves when Lee Hendrie and Darius Vassell threatened to score against the run of play.

The football matched the bright conditions with Paul Warhurst forcing Villa keeper Peter Enckelman to make an impressive one-handed save to keep out his well-placed long-range effort on 15 minutes and Youri Djorkaeff managed to conjure up a header that went narrowly wide from the midfielder's lobbed cross.

But Warhurst was one of two Bolton players who didn't make it to half time. He went off with a head injury in the 38th minute, six minutes after Simon Charlton was withdrawn with what looked like a stomach injury after a crunching collision with Hendrie.

16:00: WANDERERS 1, VILLA 0

MICHAEL Ricketts was spot on for the second time in three games as Wanderers finally got their season up and running at a sun-drenched Reebok.

The Bolton goal-star - subject of a failed pre-deadline bid from Spurs - produced a carbon copy of his penalty at Fulham on the opening day to bamboozle Peter Enckelman 10 minutes into the second half after the Villa keeper had brought down Henrik Pedersen.

Wanderers lived on their nerves in the closing minutes when Gareth Barry was just inches away from snatching an equaliser and Jussi Jaaskelainen made a stunning reflex save as a J Lloyd Samuel shot took a wicked deflection off Gudni Bergsson. But it was a well-deserved three points in the end - a reward at least for the positive way Sam Allardyce's men approached the game.

They had to cope with the loss of Simon Charlton and Paul Warhurst with first half injuries but Ricardo Gardner and Anthony Barness proved able replacements.

Youri Djorkaeff was again outstanding in a victory that raised hopes for the touch fixtures to come.

Wanderers: Jaaskelainen; N'Gotty, Bergsson, Whitlow, Charlton, Nolan, Frandsen, Warhurst, Pedersen, Djorkaeff, Ricketts. Subs: Gardner for Charlton 32 mins, Barness for Warhurst 39 mins. Not used: Mendy, Holdsworth, Poole.

Aston Villa: Enckelman, Delaney, Staunton, Mellberg, Wright, Hendrie, Kinsella, Barry, Angel, Vassell, Crouch. Subs: de la Cruz for Vassell 45 mins, Samue for Wright 64 mins, Allback for Crouch 64 mins. Not used: Hitzlsperger, Postma.

Referee: Steve Dunn (Bristol).

Attendance: 22,501.