JOHN McGinlay is confident Sam Allardyce has the ability and the talent at his disposal to win the battle for survival and make Wanderers a permanent fixture in the Premiership.

"Super" John is predicting a nail-biting fight to the finish but, with the help of the fans who elevated him to legend status, he feels sure he will be watching top flight football at the Reebok again next season.

"Without doubt the fans can play a big part," the former Scotland international said, adding his voice to the Bolton Evening News "Keep The Whites Up" campaign.

"The Reebok is not renowned for its atmosphere so the team really needs all the support it can get. That puts a big responsibility on the fans to get behind the team in the remaining games, which I'm sure they will do."

McGinlay, who had two stints in the Premiership in his five years as Wanderers' goal star, admires Allardyce for the success he has generated against all the financial odds.

"You've got to give him a lot of credit for what he has done with the money that has been made available to him," he adds. "To keep us up again this year, which he will do, will strengthen our chances of becoming a permanent fixture. then, hopefully, the chairman will make some cash available.

"I know Sam would love to have had something to spend on a couple of strikers - one at least - because we are still short up front. He knows that. We're solid at the back, the midfield has a lot of permutations and, obviously, Jay-Jay has come onto his game and is running things.

"But, if you want good people up front, you have to pay for them. Sam's gambled on the two boys he's brought in on loan and good luck to them but I'm sure he'd have loved to have been able to get someone with a better scoring record.

"West Ham worry me because they've got goalscorers but it's going to go all the way and I still think Birmingham will get dragged back into it.

"This weekend will have a big bearing on things. You've got to fancy West Ham to beat Sunderland and that would mean us going into the Spurs game on Monday with the psychological blow of being in the bottom three. But I think we'll get a win and that will go a long way towards helping us. Birmingham play West Brom and could slip up and get sucked right back in."

McGinlay says relegation would be devastating for the club which is still dear to his heart more than five years after he ended his association. "You fear the worst if we did go down. Just look at the big clubs who are languishing now because they dropped out of the Premiership. Leicester have turned things round a wee bit because of new poeple going in but look at what's happened at Derby.

"Overheads will be high, the money won't be coming in and there's the big debt we're carrying.

"And the best players won't want to stay if we're in the First Division. But I'm sure it won't come to that."