Wanderers 2 Preston ne 0 MICHAEL Ricketts has never claimed to be another Eidur Gudjohnsen. Chalk and cheese have more in common.

But - and correct me if I'm wrong - wasn't Gudjohnsen a scorer of great goals?

The style might be different but, judging by the standard he set on his belated debut, the big lad from Birmingham is going to make just as big a name for himself as his illustrious predecessor.

Without wishing to burden the boy, bought from Walsall in the summer for a downpayment of just £250,00 the goal he scored to secure three delectable derby points on Saturday was awesome, absolutely awesome!

Isaiah Rankin's first half strike was sensational enough but, when Ricketts turned on Per Frandsen's pass and left Michael Jackson for dead on the halfway line, his pace and power were breathtaking.

He'd raced away from the Preston skipper two minutes earlier and delivered an inch-perfect cross from the left, which Bo Hansen missed by a whisker! This time he was on his own and it was up to him to finish what he'd started. He didn't disappoint, steering a low right-footer wide of Teuvo Moilanen and just inside the far post.

It's early days yet but, if Wanderers can continue in this vein, Gudjohnsen's goals will become just a distant memory.

They've got some way to go before they can feel totally confident but it's not bad seeing your name up there, second in the table, knowing you have a strikeforce of quality and variety that can deliver when necessary.

It can be the difference between success and failure. Simple as that.

Saturday was the perfect example. Wanderers weren't convincing, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, by their own admission, they were downright lucky.

But for three marvellous saves from Jussi Jasskelainen and some poor finishing by the Preston strikers, they would have been punished for some sloppy play and careless defending and might have struggled to even salvage a point.

Preston hit the woodwork three times in six minutes at the end of the first half. In fact it was Iain Anderson's shot rebounding off the post that started the break that culminated in Rankin giving Wanderers a lead they'd threatened in the first quarter when all the Second Division Champions had to offer was a pattern of bruises down the back of Dean Holdsworth's legs!

Bradford City chairman Geoffrey Richmond - never one to understate a case - had slapped a £1 million price tag on the quicksilver striker and, seeing the way he cut in from the left and rifled a shot into the top corner for his second goal in successive league games, you can understand why.

"It will probably be £1.5 million after today, knowing Mr Richmond!" Sam Allardyce joked, making light of an issue that could become deadly serious if Rankin - currently his leading scorer - continues to produce the goods and tempts him to turn his three-month loan arrangement into a permament deal.

"He was having a quiet game at the time but, as always, one bit of super skill can change any game and he changed this one with dynamic skill and super, super finishing."

Seven points from three games; three wins in a week, including the Worthington Cup tie against Macclesfield and featuring three clean sheets ... not bad for a team with selection problems.

Things are shaping up quite nicely for Wanderers, to such an extent that the doubters who fear they have lost too much quality since last season are starting to see them as a force in the division.

They need some 'tidying up', as Allardyce calls it, and they know they won't get away with so many defensive lapses against more clinical attackers. Jaaskelainen's good but he won't always be able to get them out of jail. In mitigation, the switch from three centre-backs to a flat back four meant some re-adjustment and, with Hansen operating almost exclusively as a wide right attacker, the midfield trio had to work harder to cope with Preston's lively quartet.

Hansen might just have hit on his best position, although the attack-minded philosophy of fielding three strikers might not be the safest policy away from home.

Allardyce has options though and he has shown he is fully prepared to use them. The manager doesn't just list Holdsworth, Ricketts and Rankin when he speaks of the range of attacking alternatives he believes will strike fear into opponents. Ian Marshall might have been unfit and considered by some to be over the hill but he too is being used to good effect; three games, three substitute appearances.

And, considering he was shown the door in the summer and only brought back on a short-term contract to make up the numbers, little Franck Passi was once more a big influence in midfield alongside the reliable Frandsen and the again impressive Gareth Farrelly.

Wanderers still have a bit of the 'make do and mend' look about them but they are slowly getting back to strength - Mike Whitlow showed outstanding fitness levels to come through a full 90 minutes on his return - and have the prospect of getting even stronger.

But the manager isn't counting chickens. "We'll get everybody back and start losing!" he suggested with a wry smile, weighing up the perverse nature of the game. "Football has a nasty habit of kicking you up the backside."