IT would be considered a pleasure and a privilege to have been a fly on the wall at Blundell Park this morning when Brian Laws put his Grimsby team through the agony of seeing themselves being hit for six.

It may be cruel and unsporting to delight in other people's grief but who could be blamed for wanting to see an action replay of every action-packed minute of such an awesome Wanderers performance?

The Laws theory is that he might spark a positive reaction by letting his players see for themselves how much of a hiding they took at Burnden last night - in much the same way that Colin Todd called for his team to bounce back after Saturday's Southend shocker.

He should be so lucky!

Fact is, there's a world of difference between Bolton Wanderers and Grimsby Town. Indeed, there's a world of difference between Wanderers and the vast majority of Division One sides, judging by this latest exhibition of adventurous, attacking football.

Todd hoped his shellshocked players would show a positive response to their 5-2 spanking but no manager ever had the right to expect his team to produce such a breathtaking backlash as this.

To their eternal credit, Wanderers even went one better and recorded their biggest league victory since the 6-0 smashing of Newport in 1988.

They produced one of the most exciting and entertaining games and, on chances created, one of the most impressive attacking displays by a Bolton side for many a year.

And, although it might pile on the agony for poor Grimsby, it could easily have been more.

"It could have been 12," John McGinlay reckoned without a hint of exaggeration.

"We came out of the blocks and never let up. Not for a minute. It's hard to sustain it for 90 minutes but you don't mind putting the hard work in when you're winning like that.

"We were awesome. It was a magnificent performance, especially after a freak defeat on Saturday because that's what it was, a freak. It left a bitter taste in the mouth and it was a quiet journey home but we've show our quality again.

"We ran them into the ground and they aren't a bad side."

On a night when the goals and the glory were spread around, it was only by cruel luck and generosity that McGinlay didn't claim a place for himself on the scoresheet.

He deserved a hat-trick but, for once, the free-scoring Scot was denied a piece of the action, although the fifth goal was a close run thing.

Latching onto David Lee's mouthwatering pass, McGinlay, who'd hit the post once and gone almost as close twice more, appeared to have got his reward when he lobbed the ball over stranded keeper Jasen Pearcey. Suddenly Michael Johansen, who'd started the rout with a sensational 20-yarder, nipped in to steal his thunder - by a whisker.

"The ball wasn't over the line until I knocked it in," the little Dane claimed. And, with a shrug of the shoulders, which suggested he was prepared to accept his word, McGinlay simply said: "It was close and I'd like to see it on TV but I suppose I'll give it to him."

No-one was in the mood to argue, even for fun, on a night when Wanderers recorded their fourth win to rubbish suggestions that they'd been flattered by their flying start.

Not that Todd didn't have cause for concern at the way his team defended at times.

Grimsby shouldn't have had a look in after Johansen and Nathan Blake had put Wanderers two up with terrific strikes inside 19 minutes. But one lapse allowed Paul Trollope to pull one back and there were lucky escapes when Clive Mendonca - so often the scurge of Bolton defences - failed to convert a free header and Neil Woods missed the target with only Keith Branagan to beat.

Wanderers were irresistable, though, and once Chris Fairclough had provided the decisive touch to turn Alan Thompson's teasing free-kick past the wrong-footed Pearcey for his first goal for the club, they ran riot.

Blake had carried the can for the vital miss that might have turned the game at Southend but he served up a powerful, productive performance that put him right back at the top of the popularity ratings.

The Welsh international's strength and pace was a constant threat to the Grimsby defenders but, more encouragingly, his partnership with McGinlay is starting to blossom. The striker who felt an outsider for so long after joining the battle to stay in the Premiership, now looks like he's got his feet well and truly under the table.

Lee, another who will have welcomed the chance to get another shout after the weekend roasting, got his reward for persistence when he finished off a high-speed link-up with Thompson in a breakout from a Grimsby corner - a goal that must have demoralised Laws more than any of the six.

Grimsby, who'd harboured hope of getting back on terms during a shot-a-minute, end-to-end first half, were out on their feet when Lee laid on the fifth but Wanderers still weren't finished. Thompson, giving another offering of the highest standard, was again the link-man in a move of pace and accuracy that gave Scott Taylor his first goal and gave Burnden fans a brief but exciting glimpse of a possible scoring star of the future.

Todd had the satisfaction of knowing there were no lasting scars after the Southend beating.

"The sign of a good team and a good squad is when you can respond in the way we did to a 5-2 defeat," he suggested.

"I had faith in the team that went down at Southend and gave them the opportunity to bounce back, which they did. Our attacking display was tremendous.

"There was a little bit of alarm at the back once or twice when we didn't defend too well as a team. But we've shown again that we have the potential to score goals."

Laws, who saw his team claim their first win at the weekend, was devastated and searched hopelessly for some crumb of comfort.

"I would like to say it was a backlash from Bolton's result on Saturday," he said, "but we simply got beaten by a better side.

"We had a team on Saturday but that wasn't a team out there last night. We had 11 individuals playing as individuals. Not as a team.

"We got a hiding and I'm very wounded and very hurt. There'd better be a response on Saturday.

"What I've seen out there, the players will see on the video!"

The Grimsby boss might have made himself a small fortune, if he'd sold tickets.

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