Norwich CIty 0, Wanderers 2 BRYAN Hamilton thought Malky Mackay handled himself "really well" in his duel with Michael Ricketts, writes BEN Chief Soccer Writer Gordon Sharrock.

An interesting assessment considering the Brummie striker had a copper-bottomed penalty appeal turned down, laid on a cast-iron sitter for Ricardo Gardner and missed a gilt-edged chance himself before producing a 24-carat header to launch Wanderers on their way to victory at Carrow Road.

Where was Mr Mackay then?

In fairness to Hamilton, the combative Scot isn't the first defender and he won't be the last to think he's handled Ricketts well, only to have second thoughts when he looks at the scoresheet.

The formidable front man has been on target 12 times already in 18 appearances - five in the last five - and, at his current strike rate, it's not unreasonable to suggest he could hit 30 this season - a massive contribution from a man whose arrival in the summer for a modest £250,000 down payment (he'll only cost £400,000 all told) didn't exactly set the pulses racing.

But Ricketts looks worth his weight in goals.

Per Frandsen, a key member of Wanderers' 96-97 Championship winning side and back in the heart of the midfield following his ill-fated stint down the road at Ewood Park, is certainly confident the 21-year-old can spearhead a sustainable promotion bid.

"You need a good goalscorer if you want to be up there," the Dane said, recalling past success, "and Michael Ricketts is unbelievable; he's scored five on the trot now and we need a striker like that if we are going to get to the top.

"We had two (McGinlay and Blake) when we won the First Division last time and we certainly have one now."

On the face of it, using Ricketts as a lone ranger in a rigid 4-5-1 formation was not the most positive approach to a game Sam Allardyce was desperate to win to keep the pressure on Fulham and Watford. It's a tough and lonely job, as Dean Holdsworth discovered in previous games - and he had the support of a couple of attacking wide men.

But Big Sam has hit on a winning formula, once again. He certainly can't be accused of being blinkered in his tactical awareness! We've seen 3-5-2, 4-3-3 and, after a commanding performance against Barnsley seven days earlier, had every reason to expect him to continue with the balanced 4-4-2 line-up.

Not this time. Wanderers were determined to put the squeeze on the Norwich midfield - Phil Mulryne and Scott Parker both like space to strut their stuff - and, after a hair-raising start when poor defending threatened to scupper the whole shooting match, they gradually gained the upper hand.

But football is essentially about players, not tactics, and Wanderers have a willing squad capable of adapting to any system or formation the manager chooses to adopt.

They have had to ride their luck at times and, as Hamilton so accurately pointed out, things could have turned out much different on Saturday if Norwich had made more of two early chances. The first was foiled by a perfectly-judged save by Jussi Jaaskelainen at Andy Llewellyn's feet, the second squandered when Lee Marshall missed the target after he'd done the hard work in getting away from Paul Warhurst and Gudni Bergsson.

Both defenders recovered well to lay a solid foundation for victory and even made telling contributions at the other end - Warhurst's well-aimed free kick inviting Ricketts to rise high above Mackay and loop a peach of a header over Andy Marshall and Bergsson's back post header from Frandsen's corner making it three goals in five games - four for the season - for the skipper.

Combined with Watford's home defeat by Preston, the win took Wanderers to within three points of an automatic promotion place. Whatever else happens this season, that in itself is a major achievement by the players who have ignored the bookies' odds, defied the sceptics and, notwithstanding the manager's well-documented search for reinforcements to bring his squad up to scratch, have taken care of business by amassing 36 points from 19 games!

"They are doing me a big favour at the moment by playing so well while I'm looking around," Allardyce said, appreciatively.

"They're making sure that when I do bring someone in, I'll be doing it on the back of a winning team."

It is to be hoped the new recruits, when they do arrive, will not affect the dressing room spirit. For you sense in this current crop of Wanderers - not exactly the most distinguished collection of footballers ever assembled under the name - have a collective determination that has brought them success in adversity, and seen them emerge from an indifferent spell with renewed confidence.

"It's nice to have a lot of good players," Frandsen acknowledged, "but we have a very good team spirit in this club. We know each other's roles and we know what we have to do.

"Of course we need a few players but at the moment - even with a lot of players injured - we are playing very, very well. We have a certain confidence about the way we are playing, especially away from home."

While the team has adapted to various systems, individuals have adapted to a variety of roles. Robbie Elliott, having put his injury problems behind him and playing well at left back, was drafted into midfield after Gareth Farrelly was ruled out with a hamstring injury and did a vital job in that anchor-man position he plays so well.

Gardner, who showed surprising stamina after playing for Jamaica in El Salvador 48 hours earlier, switched from right wing to left, allowing the hard-working Bo Hansen to revert to the right flank, where he has found a niche this season.

Allardyce gave Kevin Nolan a breather midway through the second half but not before the youngster, fresh from his impressive scoring performance for England U-18s on Thursday, had gone close to opening his Wanderers' account - denied by a first half deflection and his own second half hesitancy after Andy Marshall had somehow kept out Gardner's close range shot.

There were occasions when, despite their efforts, it didn't look like being Wanderers' day. Referee Jeff Winter looked to have made a grave error, ignoring appeals for an 11th minute penalty when Andy Marshall sent Ricketts tumbling and when Ricketts had his close range header scrambled away - 60 seconds after Gardner's near-miss - the fates seemed to be conspiring against them.

But, while Hamilton can argue that his own team's squanderings and poor defending of a couple of set-pieces turned the course of the game, Allardyce had every justification for claiming his team's performance was deserving of three points.