SAM Allardyce was checking casualties today as the race for automatic promotion went into the dramatic final week of a roller-coaster season.

Wanderers go to Wolves tomorrow knowing they must win to keep the dream alive after Blackburn Rovers came from a goal down to beat Portsmouth 3-1 yesterday.

Now Bolton are relying on Rovers to slip-up. They are four points adrift with two games to play and the Reebok boss is counting the cost of Saturday's record-breaking victory at Barnsley.

Having gone to Oakwell without Colin Hendry, who was laid low by a viral infection, Allardyce saw Paul Warhurst return from an ankle injury to give an impressive performance at centre-back - only to pull up sharply with a hamstring injury in the last 10 minutes.

Groin problems

Nicky Summerbee, who has come into form in recent weeks, was forced out of the game early in the second half with a shoulder injury, pressing Dean Holdsworth into service when the manager had hoped to give the seasoned striker's groin problem time to clear up.

"We've hit a few problems again," Allardyce acknowledged, "and it's going to test the squad to the full tomorrow night.

"All we can do is wait and see but Colin certainly wasn't well at the weekend, Dean's groin is not 100 per cent and we don't know how we're going to be with Paul and Nicky.'

Nevertheless, Wanderers will go to Molineux knowing they are at least assured third place and pole position in the play-offs and buoyed by the fact that their win at Barnsley established a club record 13 away wins in a season, overtaking the previous mark which had stood since 1905.

"It's a fantastic achievement," Allardyce said proudly, "but it doesn't mean anything if we don't get the ultimate prize."