We'll keep town buzzing

They know the task will be a difficult one. Sam Allardyce's surprise guys have confounded the pundits and knocked three of the Premiership's biggest names out of their championship-chasing stride.

Now they are preparing for the next test of their talent and resolve - the visit of Peter Reid's Sunderland to the Reebok on Saturday.

"Every week is a challenge," Mike Whitlow acknowledged as he and his fellow defenders prepared to take on football's Little and Large - Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn.

"You're always up against international players or, if they are not internationals, they are there or thereabouts.

"Sunderland have Phillips and Quinn and have class throughout their team but we've done well, just the one blip in our seven games, and everyone's had a lift out of what we've done so far - the lads, the staff, the whole town.

"And it would be nice if we could keep that going."

Wanderers, who have taken 12 points from their seven Premiership games, are still kicking themselves after losing to Southampton last time out at the Reebok. But that has simply made them more determined to deliver in front of their own fans.

Disappointing

"There are going to be hiccups," Whitlow accepts. "It's how well we react to them that counts and after Southampton we rolled our sleeves up, got a point at Blackburn then went to Arsenal and got a point there.

"The Southampton result was disappointing. I suppose after how well we'd done, the supporters thought it was going to be three easy points. But, as players, we don't make any comparison between the top and the bottom. Every game for us is tough.

"Nil-nil would have been a great result against Southampton but the lad (Marian Pahars) had one shot in the second half ... 1-0 and they've done to us what we surprisingly did to Liverpool.

"It should be a different sort of game on Saturday. No disrespect, but Sunderland are a more attacking team than Southampton will ever be."