SAM Allardyce was rueing missed chances which denied Wanderers the opportunity of catching up with Fulham in the league table.

Bolton remain four points behind the Cottagers, but there would have been just a one point gap if Allardyce's team had put away just one of their numerous attempts on goal.

With West Ham and Sunderland only drawing in home games and West Brom losing yet again, the Whites could have ascended into the group above the relegation zone along with Jean Tigana's team, Birmingham, Charlton and

Aston Villa.

Allardyce said: "We should have been looking at the results from Saturday with more delight because we should have crept away from West Ham and Sunderland without a shadow of a doubt.

"Of course West Ham could also say that they were unlucky as they were ahead.

"The crucial thing about Saturday was to leave here with Fulham just a point ahead of us, that would have been a huge relief from our point of view. It would have pulled us into that pack above the bottom three, and start looking to fight with those clubs rather than always looking below us.

"If we had won we would have had a few points between us and the bottom three - it would have been a nice bit of breathing space.

"Saturday would have been a big boost to not only win it, but to win it as comfortably as we should have done.

"But unfortunately we have kept the pressure on ourselves."

Allardyce was delighted with the team performance but was frustrated by poor finishing.

He felt having Michael Ricketts, who suffered a hamstring injury in training on Thursday, available could have been the difference.

He said: "Two points have been tossed away.

"We should have won having been in such good positions as often as we were. Several opportunities came and went but time goes by and towards the end of the match you start to wonder whether you will even get a point.

"It was a very good performance overall. Everything we did was good apart from the final product was missing.

"That is the most disappointing thing. It is not as though we went through the game and had one or two half chances - we had five at least,

"Henrik had three and there was one for Jay Jay as well. And even when Ricardo Garner got round the keeper we could not get the ball in the back of the net.

"I think we could have gone on until Monday morning and still not scored a goal.

"Michael Ricketts would have probably been looking on thinking he might have put a few of those chances away, especially with the form he is in at the moment.

"To be fair the defensive unit was solid which is encouraging. It was an important clean sheet to keep but the front, cutting edge was not there.

"I can only hope it was just one of those days."

Allardyce's immediate concern now is Jay Jay Okocha limping off during the second half, although he does not yet know the full extent of the Nigerian's problem.

Allardyce said: "Jay Jay has a hamstring injury which is a bit dodgy from our point of view because he's playing very well at the moment and we do not want to lose him."