SAM Allardyce has put Wanderers on giant-killing alert as he aims to get the balance just right at Boundary Park on Sunday.

The Bolton boss senses an FA Cup run could be in the offing but he will once again underline his priorities by resting a number of regulars for the fourth round tie against Oldham Athletic.

Henrik Pedersen, Kevin Davies, Khalilou Fadiga and Fernando Hierro, who were on the subs' bench at Blackburn, are all likely to start with teenager Ricardo Vaz Te also in the reckoning.

Jay Jay Okocha, Gary Speed, Nicky Hunt and Kevin Nolan are all nursing injuries but Allardyce is confident he has the strength in depth to see off Brian Talbot's League One side, while keeping key players fresh for Tuesday's Reebok clash with Spurs.

But he insists that anything less than the professional performance they turned in at Ipswich could see them go the same way as Manchester City.

Kevin Keegan's Blues paid the penalty for what many pundits regarded as a half-hearted approach to their third round tie at Boundary Park and Wanderers are determined to avoid any such slip-up.

"A number of players will come inSunday but, like at Ipswich, the team will include highly experienced internationals and there will be very few, if any, without any experience," Allardyce said, without going into detail.

"Given the same attitude, discipline and mental preparation they showed against Ipswich, they should have enough quality to win the game.

"But cup games are cup games and, as Manchester City found out, sometimes they favour the lesser teams and you're left with the devastation of being knocked out.

"You don't play as well as we did at Ipswich to go to Oldham and throw it all away."

Allardyce has been harshly criticised in the past for showing disrespect to the FA Cup by fielding weakened teams but, with Wanderers being well-placed in the Premiership after their recent revival, he sees things shaping up nicely in the competition.

"If we get through the Oldham match, we'll be looking for a good draw avoiding the top Premiership sides and hope to continue in the vain we've been in recently, playing to our best and winning games.," he said.

"It's going to be hugely difficult, being a local derby with a good atmosphere and, for some of our players, unusual surroundings although we did play there pre-season.

"We'll also have the expectation of the Oldham players to contend with. They will play well above themselves.

"But the bottom line is that, if we put our chances away, as we did when we blew Ipswich out of sight, we should be okay."