IT was party time in Bolton on Sunday night as the whole town celebrated Premiership survival writes Chris Sudlow.

For Wanderers have confounded the soccer world by staying in the mega-money Premiership after their nail-biting 2-1 Reebok Sunday Survival Crunch victory over Middlesbrough.

It meant nothing that media favourites West Ham could do in their last game against Birmingham would make any difference whatsover - and they drew 2-2!

Player of the season Per Frandsen and Magic Man Jay Jay Okocha scored the vital Wanderers goals in the opening half.

Manager Sam Allardyce's reliance on "foreign mercenaries" was the slur from much of the media that angered Wanderers fans. But the very same Foreign Legion showed their heart when it mattered.

Now the East End boys will face having to sell most of their so-called top-rated English superstars as they face life in Division One with massive cash problems.

But Joe Cole, Defoe, Carrick and Co could soon ease those finances as they are unlikely to fancy life out of the spotlight. Expect the bids to start soon . . .

For Wanderers fans it was a close call at one point during a momentous afternoon of final Premiership action. For it all momentarily threatened to go pear-shaped for Wanderers after that bright opening start.

Michael Ricketts, sold to Boro in the January window, came off the bench to a typically warm Lancashire welcome (not!) - and then scored his first ever goal in Middlesbrough colours.

Then home fans, with what one Sky commentator described as "transistor radios" relayed the news that the Hammers had scored at St Andrews.

It made the nerves jangle, but only for about 15 minutes, and Wanderers well deserved their eventual lap of honour after yet again the fans' info was far in advance of Sky TV's poor coverage to tell the players what was happening at St Andrews.

Birmingham had equalised, then gone in front and the final score of 2-2 made no difference to the delirious fans at the Reebok and packed pubs throughout the town.

Sky TV had already relegated the match to the elite Sky Sports Extra - unavailable to cable viewers - which meant a friendly pub was the only source of viewing for most ticket-less fans.

But nobody seemed to mind as the parties began all over Bolton.