This report comes courtesy of The Northern Echo on www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk

ANGRY Sunderland manager Peter Reid gave his players a tongue-lashing after a first away win of the season could not disguise another dreadful display at the Reebok Stadium.

But the scenes of delight among the travelling masses at the end of an awful game underlined that nowadays the result is much more important than the performance to the vast majority of supporters.

Reid made no attempt to show his displeasure at the end of the first top-flight meeting of the clubs for 44 years and he admitted that his first club, managed by his long-time friend, Sam Allardyce, had done more to deserve victory.

It took an inspirational 65th- minute save by Danish international goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen to shake Sunderland out of their slumbers, with ace striker Kevin Phillips becoming the club's first post-war player to score 100 League goals and defender Jody Craddock sealing victory with his first-ever strike for the Wearsiders.

Reid opened his post-match press conference by admitting: "The better side lost and Bolton must feel hard done by.

"Our passing was absolutely dreadful - top drawer players out there couldn't pass it from here to that wall.

"It was a bad performance but we got the points. I just said that to the players and they assured me they just had an off day."

The only saving grace for Reid was the performance of Sorensen, back in action after missing three Premiership games with a broken nose.

Reid said: "When you have a keeper like that you always have a chance - it was a top class penalty save.

"Without having a go at anybody the keeper is in that world class bracket now in my opinion.

"He has a stature about him, the way he commands his box."

Reid knows that his side cannot afford to repeat such lack-lustre form against the Premiership's top sides - and Sunderland face Manchester United, Arsenal and Leeds United in their next three home games.

He admitted: "If we play like that against them we will get absolutely battered."

Sunderland, for all their shortcomings this season, have collected a useful 12 points and surely there must be an improvement in form before much longer.

At Bolton there was little cohesion between the back and the front, and it was scant consolation that Bolton were little better.

Certainly the home side didn't show the finishing to take advantage of some hesitant defensive work by a makeshift back four in which Slovakian international Stanislav Varga looked uncertain.

But it was the Sunderland midfield which again disappointed. Stefan Schwarz did his usual job of winning the ball, but there was little consistent creativity from Argentinian crowd favourite Julio Arca, who flattered to deceive in a new central midfield role, while Republic of Ireland winger Kevin Kilbane was again out of touch on his return to a side reverting to a 4-4-2 system.

Things looked black for Sunderland when Michael Gray conceded a penalty for pulling back the tricky Ricardo Gardner, but Sorensen dived to his right to push away fellow Dane Per Frandsen's low, right-foot shot.

Sunderland stunned the home fans when Phillips scored.

And it was Arca's free kick in the 83rd minute which provided the opening for Craddock to head a decisive second goal.