By Gordon Sharrock: Sheffield United 1, Bolton Wanderers 2. CONFIDENCE is the key as Wanderers continue to stride towards re-establishing themselves among the elite of Division One.

They might not have been the most convincing of victories but three wins in a row have done a power of good for their self-esteem.

Ninth in the table, one defeat in six games under Sam Allardyce's reign and opposition managers referring to them as 'the form team' are tangible proof that the rest are starting to sit up and take notice again.

There is still a long way to go and sterner tests to come against stronger opposition but six goals scored and just one conceded have given the new Reebok regime a nine-point return in just 15 days - their best figures of the season.

Wanderers are on a roll and, while new boy Gareth Farrelly and Bo Hansen grabbed the goals at Bramall Lane yesterday, it's the men at the back - the department that was always the weak link in the chain - who continue to lay the foundations for a surge up the table.

"If you're ever going to do anything in the game, the defenders have to be solid at the times when they are needed," Allardyce said with the satisfaction of a man who sees a team developing in his own image and likeness.

"That allows other people to play and from that solid base, with the goalkeeper behind them, it breeds confidence!"

It helps when your new signing scores with virtually his first touch of the ball inside a minute and a half of his debut! "Actually it was my second!" Farrelly corrected, mindful of the need for accuracy on such details.

Irish eyes were certainly smiling brightly as the Dubliner, who only joined Wanderers on loan from Everton on Friday and might not have been in the side if Andy Todd had not been suspended by the club 24 hours earlier, saw his 25 yard shot skid into the bottom left hand corner of Simon Tracey's goal.

For the best part of half an hour the Blades didn't look worthy of treading the same turf. Home fans, so disillusioned they have cancelled their shirt sponsorship deal with the club, marvelled at the collective skills of a side still associated with the Premiership. They drooled over Claus Jensen's midfield skills and were worried every time Eidur Gudjohnsen threatened - even if they did give him the bird as he went down under the weight of one hefty tackle after another!

Then their luck turned and, fortunately for Wanderers, it turned again.

Jussi Jaaskelainen, whose performances have belied his previous status as number three in the goalkeeping ranks, might not have been altogether happy with his fisted clearance of Martin Smith's free kick but he didn't deserve to be wrong-footed by the cruellest of deflections as Marcus Bent's shot clipped Shaun Murphy's heels.

But the big Finn, who surely deserves to be re-instated to his national squad, wouldn't be beaten twice and it was his reflex save from Smith's first time shot two minutes later that proved the game's turning point. Within seconds Wanderers were back in front, Hansen finishing smartly after Jensen's penetrating run and astute assist. And that was how it stayed.

"One second you have a chance to go 2-1 up and the next you're losing 2-1," Blades boss Adrian Heath lamented.

"I've been quite critical of my players at times when I've felt they could have done more to achieve results but not on this occasion. I thought we did more than enough to get something out of the game.

"Bolton have good players, Premiership players and you expect them to have parts of the game. They are one of the form teams in the division and they started nice and bright with that terrific early goal, which is always nice to get away from home because it gives the players a little bit of confidence and lets you relax.

"But I thought we were going to get something out of the game and I thought we deserved a point."

Allardyce, an old mate, might have sympathised as he considered the Paul Devlin shot that hit the post on the hour and Lee Sandford's follow-up that flew high over the bar; he was relieved too when Jaaskelainen launched himself to push away Bent's shot as the game entered the first of its five minutes of over-time.

But there's no place for tea and sympathy where Roses battles are the issue and there are important points to be collected. And, in any case, he had every justification in feeling he deserved his first away win as Bolton boss.

"That super save from Jussi won us the three points," he acknowledged, "but overall we deserved it.

"We've gone three wins on the trot and we still have a lot of players injured or suspended."

On the form he is showing at the moment, it's hard to see Jaaskelainen being ousted by either Keith Branagan or Steve Banks, when they are fit again. Equally, Allardyce will be hoping Gudni Bergsson and Mark Fish can continue as the reliable rock at the heart of his defence.

Bergsson has been the epitome of cool in recent games, appearing to have the uncanny knack of always being in the right place at the right time, giving the impression that he is half a yard quicker than his opponent, which in many cases he is!

And, if Fish is so keenly seeking pastures new, as certain reports repeatedly suggest, he doesn't show it. Chastised for going AWOL a couple of times against Palace in the previous game, he didn't desert his post once and it was his presence and determination, as much as any other factor, that ensured Wanderers kept the clean sheet they were aiming for in the second half.

But this was no backs-to-the-wall exercise, by any stretch of the imagination, and Wanderers carved out two outstanding second half chances of their own.

Bergsson instigated the first with a casual interception on the edge of his own penalty area then raced forward in support as Michael Johansen and Gudjohnsen carried the move forward. And it was his eventual cross that Hansen met first time - straight into Tracey's arms.

If luck played a part in that save, it was anticipation and sharpness of the Blades' keeper that denied Hasney Aljofree when the young sub was convinced he'd scored after a moment of genius from Gudjohnsen.

We can safely predict that Swindon, Crystal Palace and Sheffield United will not be in the promotion shake up come May and, if Wanderers are going to be up there themselves, they are going to have to beat the bigger hitters when they come along.

But, with a division as wide open as this, any team capable of putting together a respectable run knows it could be there for the taking.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.