Wanderers 2, MANCHESTER CITY 0: Kevin Davies is doing a rotten job of convincing Sven Goran Eriksson that he has given up on his England dream.

On the verge of a country call six months ago, when the national coach was looking for attacking alternatives and eventually plumped for Peter Crouch, the Reebok hit-man reckons he has conceded defeat in his fight to add a senior cap to his Under-21s honours.

But at the Reebok on Saturday, with Eriksson looking on, he offered further proof - if it were needed - that he is one of the most feared and respected combatants in the Premiership, but now with a previously unrecognised versatility.

For it was not as the spearhead - the role in which he has been indispensable over three successful seasons with Wanderers - that he terrorised Manchester City and paved the way for a derby double, but as a hard-working and productive "winger"!

Poor Stephen Jordan, the City left-back, didn't know what had hit him, nor did Stuart Pearce as he considered the consequences of inconsistency as his Blues, worthy winners of the Manchester derby eight days ago, were systematically outfought and outplayed by a Bolton team missing three regulars and with four more much-used squad players unavailable through injury, suspension or international calls.

For, while City failed to muster a single shot or header on target, Davies was both inspirational and effective in a first half performance that effectively sealed Wanderers' first league double over their Manchester rivals for 41 years.

It was Davies who paved the way for Jared Borgetti to finally break his Premiership duck and, when needed, he was there in the thick of things in his more familiar role, unsettling worried centre-backs at the set-piece that brought Kevin Nolan - another man who must have caught Eriksson's eye - his eighth goal of the season.

Sam Allardyce is understandably lobbying for Nolan's inclusion in the World Cup squad, but is not ruling Davies out of the reckoning.

"Davo was an absolute revelation for us down that right hand side, particularly in the first half," the manager said, in praise of the former England Under-21s striker he picked up for nothing three summers ago and who is now such a vital cog in the Reebok machine.

"His overall performance in all areas - his strength and ability to hold up the play and from a creative point of view - made life extremely difficult for young Jordan. But wouldn't he make life difficult for anybody in that position?

"Full-backs in the world of football wouldn't come across anybody quite as big and as strong and as quick and as skilful as Kevin.

"He was one of the reasons why we got the win."

Nolan was another, winning the midfield battle against his fellow Scouser, Joey Barton, and showing once again that he has an uncanny knack of being in the box at the right time.

"I think Kevin now has got to get a little more recognition for his outstanding improvement," Allardyce said, promoting his young captain.

"He's been playing and scoring goals in the Premiership since he was 19 and he's now 23.

"He probably deserves to be looked at for the World Cup. He deserves a shout because I don't see much better outside the top 11 that is obviously going to selected.

"He's certainly somebody they could put in or maybe look at."

And while we're on the England theme, it is looking increasingly like Allardyce will get his shout, sooner or later.

How interesting it was to see Eriksson at the Reebok at the end of a week in which his indiscretions in the Fake Sheikh Affair had created a clamour for his sacking and seen Big Sam universally acknowledged as one of the top candidates to succeed him.

For this was a game that saw the Bolton boss doing what he does best - achieving success out of adversity.

With El-Hadji Diouf, Abdoulaye Faye, Radhi Jaidi and Jay Jay Okocha all away at the African Cup of Nations, Gary Speed facing another month on the sidelines, where Henrik Pedersen has spent the last 13 weeks, and without the suspended Hidetoshi Nakata, he was forced to bring in Nicky Hunt off his sick bed to make up the substitute numbers.

And things went from bad to worse when Khalilou Fadiga limped off after just 22 minutes with a knee injury - hardly the best of starts for a team looking to end a run of four Premiership games without a win.

Yet, it seems the more problems they encounter, the more Wanderers are galvanised.

If Diouf had been available, Davies would have been the central striker and Borgetti would not have had the chance to show what a world class finisher he is; had Faye not also been in Egypt, Ivan Campo would not have had the opportunity to display the class - superb passing and solid defending - that makes him a natural in the holding midfield role; and with Speed in the starting line-up, Stelios might not have been such a pivotal figure in midfield.

Goals change games, of course, and netting two in four minutes just before half time helped the Wanderers cause considerably. But no-one, not even Pearce, could argue that City, desperately unlucky to lose to a last minute Speed penalty at Eastlands in September, deserved anything more than they got.

"Some of the performances I had last week, weren't there this week," said the Blues boss, lamenting the lack of consistency that is the biggest threat to his hopes of a top six finish. "It's okay being switched on for one game one week but you have to be switched on every week in the Premiership.

"Bolton are very well organised in what they are trying to achieve and you've got to be at it for 90 minutes. We gifted them a couple of cheap goals and you can't afford to do that.

"When you play against Bolton you know you've got to work hard for your goals."

Indeed, Wanderers had conceded only four in nine previous home games - a record only matched by Liverpool and Arsenal - and City never looked like adding to that tally.

A back four that now virtually picks itself can, on days like this, look invincible. Neither Andy Cole nor Darius Vassell, both with England caps, troubled the cool Bruno N'Gotty and the ever-improving Tal Ben Haim, while Trevor Sinclair, another who has worn the Three Lions, got no joy against the impressive Ricardo Gardner, who had more than enough pace and determination to deal with City's right flank. And, if young Joey O'Brien thought he could get as easy a ride as he did against Albert Riera every time he played right-back, he'd soon change his tune about midfield being his favoured position.

Allardyce reckons he cannot continue squeezing the pips out of an increasingly weakened squad and is still desperately trying to bring in reinforcements before next week's transfer deadline.

He has confidence in his players but even the manager wonders, at times, how they do the things they do.

"To get 11 players out on the field was difficult enough," he said. "But to get those 11 to give their very best to get such a big result, a comfortable 2-0 win, is an even bigger achievement.

"Now I'll just have to wrap them in cotton wool."