IT must have stuck in their throats, but many Wanderers fans ended up cheering the result as hated enemy Manchester United triumphed 1-0 against Birmingham City.

The result was just what doctor Sam Allardyce ordered and sets up Wanderers for their crunch match at West Brom on Saturday in fine style.

It now leaves Steve Bruce's struggling Birmingham perilously close to the relegation zone, just six points above third-from-bottom West Brom - and two above Wanderers, who beat them 4-2 at the Reebok on Saturday, of course.

Earlier, Michael Ricketts, the £3.5m striker who had almost forgotten how to score for Wanderers, has done himself no favours with a farewell parting shot at the club.

Ricketts, who moved to Middlesbrough just before the midnight transfer deadline on Friday night, claims Wanderers' lack of ambition as his reason for leaving.

And he is sure to further annoy Wanderers fans with quotes attributed to him in several papers and on many websites today.

He says: "I've come to a bigger club with a winning mentality."

"Boro are a far bigger club and they have a better squad of players.

"I'm looking to establish myself in the side and go on from there.

"They are top drawer facilities here compared to where I've come from and I can achieve my ultimate career aims here.

"I made up my mind to come as soon as I heard Boro were interested.

"I'd got to a stage where I needed to improve. I wasn't improving at Bolton, my game was stuck, so hopefully I can improve here."