JERMAINE Beckford is the Wanderers man of the moment but he wants credit to go to everyone who has contributed to an eight-game unbeaten run.

The 29-year-old striker is on a fruitful run of form with five goals in six Championship matches, only drawing a blank in the 1-1 home draw with Ipswich.

His goals have secured an extra six points for Dougie Freedman’s team in that run but he insists the improved form of the back line deserves as many plaudits.

The defence has conceded just five goals in the eight-match run and kept successive league clean sheets on the road for the first time in five years.

And Beckford believes the strong competion for places at the back, like elsewhere in the squad, is bringing out the best in that back line.

Beckford told The Bolton News: “The boys that have been drafted in at the back are doing very well and I think it helps they are getting pushed.

“The likes of Zat Knight and David Wheater are pushing them to the wire in training every day.

“It is a true testament to the guys in there, Matt and Tim, to have stayed in the team as long as they have done.

“Being pressed to perform and doing it, I take my hat off to them all.

“They have all done extremely well and clean sheets are not bad for us.”

Clean sheets are most certainly a boost, particularly with Beckford so profitable in front of goal at present.

He has a habit of getting goals in clusters in recent years.

He ended last season on loan at Huddersfield netting five in four games and scored five in three and six in four the previous season with Leicester.

He bagged three in four games for Everton in 2010/11 and enjoyed spells of six in eight, seven in nine, five in three – including a famous FA Cup winner against Manchester United – and four in four for Leeds the previous campaign.

Beckford is naturally happy to be amongst the goals again after a slow start to his Wanderers career saw him wait 10 games for a league goal, though he did break his duck in the Capital One Cup defeat at Tranmere.

But he insists it is not about personal achievements; it is about helping the team win matches.

And he is hoping for more of the same at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Beckford added: “It is a good run I’m on but I don’t really look at things like that.

“I just try and take each game as it comes.

“More important to me is the team and I can only see us moving in one direction and that’s up the table.

“At the end of the season, hopefully we have been promoted or are in the play-offs and then I can look back at the goals I got.”