Wanderers' season could turn on a goalkeeper who went from the record book to the joke book in 90 calamitous minutes.

They needed a helping hand from someone - and found him in 6' 7" Zeljko Kalac.

The man who has just become Australia's highest priced player in history at £760,000 was a walking disaster area as he gift-wrapped Wanderers' passage into the last 16 when they should have been dead and buried.

Until the Burnden boys finally began to show their Premiership pedigree late on all Leicester's problems stemmed from Kalac's non-stick gloves in a nightmare home debut. He was at fault for all three Bolton goals - dropping one corner, running under another and diving over the inspirational Richard Sneekes' 25-yard strike in between. And he almost handed Wanderers another goal when he spilled Alan Thompson's vicious 37th minute strike and watched helplessly as the ball bounced inches wide.

It's true Wanderers were lucky and it's also true they were given a footballing lesson in the first half. But who cares how the wins come at the moment.

Victories breed confidence and help shake off the losing habit and this one might just do them the world of good. Certainly by the end they had their tails up and we were left to drool over a penetrative run and shot of top quality by Sasa Curcic which was cruelly denied by the woodwork and an unstoppable angled drive which produced a stunning first Bolton goal for the Serb and the winner for Wanderers.

But it would be papering over the cracks to ignore the manner in which the First Division side overran them in the first half and penetrated an unsteady defence at will.

Franck Rolling set the scene with a dangerous ball across the face of Wanderers' goal to which two strikers were unable to apply the finishing touch before Branagan came to his team's rescue with four quality saves. First he got down in a flash to beat away Scott Taylor's powerful16th minute low drive after Chris Fairclough half cleared a David Lowe cross dangerously into his path. He produced similar quality eight minutes later to smother Pontus Kaamark's 30-yard rocket at the foot of the post and then denied Mark Robins what looked a certain goal seconds later with outstanding reflexes after Garry Parker put the striker clean through.

Leicester were enjoying a virtual monopoly on possession patiently picking their moment to carve open the Wanderers defence. An incisive through ball by Robins released Taylor but Sneekes rescued his defence with a crucial saving tackle before Brian Carey crashed a volley against the post and Robins' follow up shot was tipped over by the overworked Branagan. City were made to pay for failing to capitalise on their superiority when Kalac made a hash of David Lee's corner and John McGinlay fired home from four yards amid the ensuing scramble seven minutes before the break.

It was the classic sucker punch but the home side hit back four minutes into the second half when they again exposed Wanderers at the back. Taylor threaded the mobile Robins through the middle and the ex-Manchester United and Norwich poacher steered his low shot past Branagan.

Wanderers' luck was in again when they restored their lead in crazy and controversial style on 61 minutes. Lowe's attempted pass struck referee David Elleray and appeared to bounce up against a Wanderers player's hand. With the home players and fans calling for a handball decision Sneekes seized on his chance, crashing in a 25-yard shot which Kalac only managed to parry against the ground as he mistimed his dive. This time their lead lasted just four minutes before Taylor provided his second assist with a cross from the goalline which Iwan Roberts converted with a thumping header and a minute later Taylor directed a near post snapshot from Robins' cross inches wide.

Wanderers came out of their shells at last and, with Sneekes and Curcic emerging forces, began to take control.

Alan Thompson was unlucky to see a powerful half volley which could have tested Kalac to the limit hit Curcic before the Serbian midfielder rifled a 20-yard shot just wide and produced his blistering run and shot against the post. It was third time lucky for Curcic, however, with his blistering winner 11 minutes from time and joint manager Roy McFarland saw enough in his side's performance to draw encouragement.

"The important thing for us is that we are in the last 16 and I think it was a good team performance.

"We always had the edge on them in terms of being in front in the game. Every time they hit us we had a reply."

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