DEAN Holdsworth summed up the growing pride and increasing confidence in the Reebok camp today when he claimed proudly: "We've earned the respect of our rivals!"

"We're winning and playing som good football but we're also showing we can mix it," the hit man insisted, dismissing doubts over Wanderers' ability to maintaian their sensational start to the season.

"There were some part of last season when teams felt they could beat us if they physical but we are showing that we can fight our way through, which you have to do in this division.

"We're not worried about other teams but they might be worrying about us now. We're only worried about ourselves because we know what we are capable of and sometimes we don't show it.

"But people are going to start looking at us and saying 'we've got Bolton Wanderers to deal with'!"

Six successive wins - three away from home - have seen Wanderers emerge as the surprise package in a three-strong breakaway group alongside Fulham and Watford.

The 19-point haul, which has surprised Sam Allardyce and his players as much as anyone else, has made the rest of Division One sit up and take notice and boosted morale as they prepare for the acid test of their promotion credentials.

Showdowns with Blackburn, Fulham and Watford in the space of four crucial weeks will see their talent and resources come under serious scrutiny. There are some who doubt their ability to pass the test and the manager himself admits it will be tough, if injuries continue to rob him of some of his most experienced players.

But Wanderers are in the winning habit and have drawn enormous encoragement from the fact that they achieved their latest victory - a 2-0 win against Portsmouth at the Reebok on Saturday - without playing at their best.

Holdsworth's third goal of the season just before half-time and another sensational strike from "supersub" Michael Ricketts five minutes from the end - his sixth in six games - brought a success that didn't look on the cards as they struggled to hit a rhythm in the first half.

"Maybe we've earned our little bit of luck," Holdsworth laimed. "But we're looking more resilient at the back and, although we have had a little bit of luck at times, we can go into these games feeling confident with all these wins behind us.

"Teams will be looking at us now and saying 'Blimey, Bolton can't stop winning!', which is good for us.

"We're on a massive run and that's fantastic for confidence and I'm just glad to be chipping in."

Allardyce, who expects big things from Holdsworth in the final year of his Bolton contract, enthused over his 43rd minute strike.

"There's probably only the like of Dean who could have scored it," the manager explained. "He pulled off the centre-half, waited for the next defender, threw him a dummy, cut inside and slotted it into the corner. We really needed it at that time because we weren't playing that well."