KEVIN Nolan is in the sort of "don't push me" mood that should carry a government health warning.

The determined young Wanderer could not be more psyched up for tomorrow's derby duel with Manchester City if he tried.

He has already vented his spleen with a pumped up performance against Lokomotiv Plovdi, and Stuart Pearce's Blues are next on the list.

Nolan was not happy to be given a place on the bench for Thursday night's historic UEFA Cup clash with the Bulgarians, but, when he got on, he certainly made his presence felt.

And he was equally combative after the game, vigorously defending himself against accusations of unsporting behaviour, letting it be known in no uncertain terms that he expects to be selected for the City game, and giving critics of Jay Jay Okocha a piece of his bright, young mind.

The very suggestion that the Wanderers captain was struggling for form brought a cutting response.

"As far as I am concerned, Jay Jay is playing really well," Nolan snapped. "If people are getting on his back, that's up to them, but as a team and a squad we've been doing well, confidence is high.

"Jay Jay had a bit of an ankle problem the other night and although he tried, he couldn't go on - but he loves the club, always gives 100 per cent and he wants to do well. He gets as disappointed as anyone if he doesn't hit the form he was showing a couple of seasons ago and some people might get on at him, but he's one of the biggest assets of the team, so the opposition is obviously going to try and make sure he doesn't play the way he can."

Nolan understands the manager's reasoning that he needs a rotation policy to get the best out of his squad, but he does not like it, especially when his name is not in the starting 11.

"No, I'm not happy," he snapped. "Being the club's first European game here at the Reebok and having come through the youth team, I was disappointed not to be picked.

"The gaffer explained to us that he had one eye on Sunday because that was such an important game, but the lads sitting on the bench are still not going to be happy. Everybody wants to play.

"But I managed to get 25 minutes under my belt and it was a good experience. Hopefully, I'll get a bit more over there. Who knows?

"I'm just hoping I'm in the side tomorrow because I'm raring to go. The way we finished the game on Thursday has given me a big boost."

Nolan's decision to play on, convinced that Plovdiv midfielder Georgi Iliev was feigning injury, led directly to Wanderers getting back on level terms with the Bulgarians and set up a grandstand finish that was capped when Jared Borgetti snatched an injury-time winner. His actions were condemned by the Plovdiv players but endorsed by Allardyce, who had no sympathy for the visitors.

"Normally we'd have kicked the ball out and stopped play," the manager said, "But, because they'd used it as a tactic to waste time, we finally took it into our own hands. The referee didn't consider the player to be injured, so we played on.

"They weren't happy that we scored from it and, if the lad had been stretchered off, I'd have had some sympathy for him. But he just got up, jogged back into his own half and carried on playing - so he clearly wasn't injured in the first place."

Nolan says Wanderers learned enough about Plovdiv the good, the bad and the downright ugly that should stand them in good stead for the return leg in Burgas on September 29. But the only game he is focusing on now is Sunday's derby - and he is in a mean mood.

Impishly reflecting on the criticism Wanderers received for their lacklustre display in the bore draw with Blackburn, he said: "City are doing fantastic. Stuart Pearce has got them playing really well and the City of Manchester Stadium is going to be a tough place to go.

"They've got quality throughout but, hopefully, we can stop them playing, do our own thing, have another boring derby and nick it 1-0."