FOR the life of him, Sam Allardyce still can't work out what constitutes his best attacking combination. Not bad for a manager who has just seen his team go joint top of the table.

Holdsworth and Rankin ... Ricketts and Holdsworth ... Marshall and Ricketts?

Perm any two from four and throw in the born-again Bo Hansen for good measure and it's understandable that the Wanderers' boss hedges when asked to name his strongest pairing.

"I have a four-man combination," he insists, "and I think the four men have to realise they are all playing a great part in our success at this moment in time. So I'll continue to use all four!"

And who can blame him, judging by the way things have gone in the first month of the season?

Unbeaten with four wins on the trot - three away from home - and sitting pretty among the leading lights of the Nationwide League, Allardyce has no problems with the arithmetic (four into two WILL go) and is so far managing to keep all his strikers fully employed and obviously happy.

Nevertheless, it surely can't be long before Michael Ricketts is promoted to the ranks of the regular starters.

For the time being the manager can joke about keeping the 21-year-old on the subs' bench ("He started at Tranmere and that's the only game he hasn't scored in!") while the player himself continues to stress that he is still far from match fit!

But you can't ignore for long a striker with such natural assets: power, pace and the ability to finish.

Unleashed in the 53rd minute on Saturday, just after Dean Holdsworth had redeemed himself by cancelling out Martin Smith's goal that resulted from his own ill-judged backpass, Ricketts demolished Huddersfield. Not altogether single-handedly - he was the first to acknowledge he got more than just a little help from his friends - but not far off.

His matchwinner, just seconds after Jon Dyson had capitalised on some slack marking at a corner to head Huddersfield's 75th minute equaliser, was the crowning glory for Wanderers. It came straight from the kick off - 10 touches without Huddersfield laying so much as a foot on the ball - and ended with Ian Marshall unselifishly teeing up Hansen's delightful cross for a clinical finish. But the young Brummie had already terrorised the Terriers and given Wanderers the winning impetus.

Craig Armstrong was victim number one, turrned this way and that before looking up with relief to see Nico Vaesen make an excellent save

Chris Lucketti was not so fortunate. Few strikers get the better of the indomitable former Bury centre-back but Ricketts did, harassing the Town skipper to win the ball from Gareth Farrelly's high bouncing pass before composing himself to place a cute lob over the keeper!

Whatever Wanderers paid Walsall for the laughing striker - "£250,000, £400,000, a bag of balls, some orange squash ... I haven't got a clue!" he responds with characteristic jocularity - he's looking more of a bargain with every game.

It's early days yet for Ricketts and for Wanderers. As the manager says, the striker can still get stronger and fitter while the team hasn't yet met any of the division's more fancied sides. But they are building confidence with every victory and enhancing their reputation with every resolute performance - even when their character is being severely tested.

Going behind in such a shambolic fashion - under pressure from Kevin Gallen, Jussi Jaaskelainen could do little else but hack away Holdsworth's wayward pass, leaving Smith a shot into an empty net - was a body blow after such a solid if unspectacular first half display.

Holdsworth had also missed the best chance of the first 45 minutes and made matters even worse when he missed a second sitter. But, undaunted, he made amends with a superbly headed equaliser and his determination was mirrored throughout the team.

Macclesfield was forgotten. By all accounts this was one of Huddersfield's better performances but there was always a feeling in the tit-for-tat second half that they'd met more than their match in Wanderers.

Mike Whitlow, who needed a cortisone injection in his shoulder before getting the all-clear, again proved an able and valiant understudy for Mark Fish at the centre of a defence that, although embarrased by Dyson's equaliser, looked altogether more resilient than in the midweek cup tie.

And if Steve Bruce thought his five-man midfield would over-run the trio of Farrelly, Per Frandsen and Franck Passi, he was sadly mistaken.

Wanderers aren't fashioning that many chances, it must be said, but the strikers are converting a high percentage of the ones that are coming their way.

The glory boys are doing their stuff but, as with all the best teams, there are unsung heroes playing vital roles.

Farrelly continues to look the player he was when he made his name at Aston Villa and Hansen is enjoying a new lease of life as a provider rather than a spearhead striker.

Patched up they may be but Wanderers are not only doing everything asked of them, they're currently exceeding all expectations.