JUSSI Jaaskelainen is prepared to soldier on with a broken nose when Wanderers go gunning for top spot against struggling Swindon at the Reebok tomorrow. The brave Finland keeper had his face smashed in an aerial challenge with Wayne Allison as Colin Todd's entertainers toppled Huddersfield in a 3-0 demolition job on Saturday.

After accusing Allison of deliberately using his elbow in the crunching second half clash, he insisted the injury should not rule him out.

"The nose is broken but I should be okay," Jaaskelainen said confidently, mindful of the pressure he is now under from the fit-again Keith Branagan for the No 1 spot.

Blood-stained and with plugs popping out of his nostrils to stem the bleeding, the young six-footer looked every inch the wounded hero as he left the field watched by friends, family and fans in Finland, where the match had been broadcast live.

But he shrugged off the affects of the injury and was calm rather than angry when he reflected on the incident that left him needing three minutes of treatment.

"I don't know exactly what happened but he (Allison) hit me with his elbow. It was deliberate. He tried to just hit me," Jaaskelainen said matter-of-factly.

"I asked the referee why he hadn't penalised him and he said he'd challenged for the ball. But I don't think so."

The comprehensive victory over Huddersfield, which featured a scintillating first half attacking performance and produced goals for Per Frandsen, Nathan Blake and Arnar Gunnlaugsson, took Wanderers into the top six and within three points of new leaders Sunderland - the only other unbeaten side in the division.

Now, despite one or two early-season hiccups, they find themselves in a position where a high-scoring win against Swindon, combined with favourable results elsewhere, could put them on top of the table.

"We know we could have been top already, if it hadn't been for our own mishaps," Todd said after seeing his team underline its promotion credentials with a controlled, well-organised second half performance to consolidate the breathtaking forward play of the first 45 minutes.

Top scorer Blake, who returned to the starting line-up for the first time in five games to score his eighth of the season, said confidently: "The bandwagon is rolling on. We're not worried about other teams, we're letting them worry about us."

Frandsen, outstanding again in the midfield, was cautious as he anticipated a determined display from Swindon, who now have ex-Wanderer Mike Walsh in temporary charge following the departure of Steve McMahon.

"They are always the most difficult games against teams who want to show they are good enough," the Dane suggested.

"When we play teams who are above us, we always want to win. We showed that against Huddersfield on Saturday, just as we showed it against Birmingham and at West Brom, who were both above us when we played them."

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