JANUARY

SECOND in the table and proving altogether too strong for Preston at Deepdale, Wanderers could not have made a better start to 2001.

North End did not know what had hit them in a whirlwind start that saw Gareth Farrelly open the scoring on eight minutes. And, although David Moyes' men managed to stay in touch, Michael Ricketts secured the points with another of his "supersub" routines five minutes from time. Confirming their superiority over their Lancashire rivals by completing a league double would turn out to be a major psychological weapon at the end of the season.

Famous non-league giant-killers, Yeovil Town, proved a tough nut to crack in the Third Round of the FA Cup and Wanderers needed goals from John O'Kane and a last gasp winner from that man Ricketts to claim a 2-1 win and avoid the embarrassment of a replay.

There would be no such problems in the Fourth Round against Scunthorpe with Wanderers beating The Iron 5-1 at the Reebok to book themselves a duel with near-neighbours and promotion rivals Blackburn.

In the league, impressive victories - 2-0 at home to Tranmere and 3-0 at Sheffield Wednesday - earned Sam Allardyce the Manager of the Month award. But they came at a price with Jussi Jaaskelainen sustaining a cruciate ligament injury in the Tranmere game, which would rule him out for the remainder of the season and the prognosis was only marginally better on Mike Whitlow after he limped out of the Hillsborough game with a stomach strain.

FEBRUARY

THE Manager of the Month accolade once again proved to be a poisoned chalice as Wanderers managed to win just one of six February fixtures.

They would end the month still in the FA Cup by virtue of a 1-1 draw with Blackburn at the Reebok and still second in the league - but the pressure was starting to tell.

The Law of Sod came into play when, with Jaaskelainen lined up for an operation in the United States, Steve Banks got himself sent off at QPR, where Per Frandsen salvaged a point with a late equaliser. Northern Ireland veteran Tommy Wright, recruited from Manchester City as temporary cover, found himself in the firing line at the age of 37. But that wasn't the end of Big Sam's goalkeeping problems.

With Banks suspended and Wright ineligible, Wanderers brought back former Spurs and QPR keeper Jurgen Sommer from the United States to play against Rovers in the FA Cup and, as if fate was determined to play a hand, an early injury meant he was practically a passenger for most of the game!

A 2-1 win at Portsmouth thanks to goals from Ricketts and Bo Hansen, proved the month's only success as the Reebok offered little comfort for those fearing that an automatic promotion place was under threat.

Huddersfield and Grimsby plundered draws while Graeme Souness' Rovers returned six days after drawing in the cup to score an emphatic 4-1 league win.

Cut priced admission meant the Grimsby game - potentially one of the least attractive fixtures - pulled in the biggest home gate of the season - 24,249.

MARCH

RUNAWAY leaders Fulham, who seemed to be on a different planet when they won at the Reebok in September, found Wanderers an altogether different proposition at Craven Cottage.

Per Frandsen scored in a hard fought 1-1 draw which ended in controversy when Luis Bo Morte was sent off for spitting at Robbie Elliott.

That second place was looking increasingly vulnerable but Wanderers could still do the business away from home, as illustrated when Dean Holdsworth and Gareth Farrelly got the goals in a 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest. The Reebok frustrations continued with Gillingham, inspired by Nicky Southall who was destined to join the Bolton ranks later in the year, coming from behind to draw 3-3 while Wimbledon managed a 2-2 draw.

Those who feared a Blackburn surge found further cause for concern when Rovers won the FA Cup replay at Ewood by an impressive 3-0 scoreline.

At least the month ended with Sam Allardyce confident he had finally resolved his goalkeeping problems - Matt Clarke arriving on loan from Bradford City after initially turning down the move.

APRIL

APRIL proved to be the month when reality set in.

Wanderers had not been out of the top six all season and had looked good for runners' up spot since early December. But those dropped points at the Reebok coupled with Blackburn's rampant form saw them overtaken in the final straight.

Successive home draws against Stockport County and Birmingham left Wanderers without a league win at the Reebok in seven attempts but a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace suggested all was not lost.

But it all went wrong at Crewe where a 2-1 defeat in a game postponed earlier because of a waterlogged pitch left supporters looking at the "dreaded" play-offs again.

Yet there was no reason for despondency. No Bolton team had won at Barnsley for 92 years but a Michael Ricketts' goal secured a 1-0 win - setting a club record of 13 away wins in a season.

MAY

HAVING set that record for away wins to reinforce the concensus that Wanderers were the best counter-attacking side in the business, they went one better in the next game at Wolves winning 2-0 with Dean Holdsworth and Ricketts on target.

Third place was already guaranteed when the regular season ended with a 1-1 draw at home to Sheffield United in what turned out to be a "meaningless" fixture - meaningless to everyone that is apart from Dean Holden who made an emotional and heroic return to the first team, 14 months after breaking his leg in the previous season's corresponding fixture, and rescued a point with a last minute equaliser.

So to the Play-offs for the third year running. Having finished third behind

Fulham and Blackburn, Wanderers started favourites to beat West Brom who had trailed 13 points behind in sixth. But Ewan Roberts and Lee Hughes put the Baggies 2-0 up and

Gary Megson's men were looking set fair for Cardiff. But Sam Allardyce's knack for making astute substitutions paid off again. Mike Whitlow was sent on to shore up the defence and Per Frandsen was introduced in midfield to provide a cutting edge. The result - a dramatic recovery that would prove crucial. Nine minutes from time Gudni Bergsson cut the deficit to one then with seconds remaining Frandsen held his nerve to convert the first penalty Wanderers had been awarded since the first day of the season!

Wanderers maintained the momentum and won the second leg 3-0 - Bergsson giving them an early lead then Ricardo Gardner and Ricketts securing a place in the final against Preston.

At Cardiff they never really looked in any serious trouble after Gareth Farrelly drilled in his fourth goal of the season on 17 minutes but Matt Clarke made one crucial save before Ricketts made the last of his supersub appearances to score his 24th goal of a sensational campaign. And there was still time for Gardner to put the gloss on a memorable 3-0 win.

JUNE

ROBBIE Elliott leaves the Reebok after four seasons to return to his old club Newcastle on a free transfer.

Wanderers fail to secure an agreement with Bradford for the purchase of Matt Clarke, who reluctantly returns to Valley Parade while Franck Passi, Tommy Wright and Nicky Summerbee are all released.

Djibril Diawara finally becomes a Wanderer. The Senegalese defensive midfield player arrives on a season-long loan from Italian club Torino.

JULY

WANDERERS become the first Premiership club to sign a Japanese player when they recruit Akinori Nishizawa on a season-long loan from Cerezo Osaka.

Sam Allardyce secures the services of Gudni Bergsson, Paul Warhurst, Ian Marshall and Dean Holdsworth on new contracts, agrees new deals with Michael Ricketts, Gareth Farrelly, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Kevin Nolan and Ricardo Gardner and adds to his squad Nicky Southall on a Bosman free transfer from Gillingham and Henrik Pedersen, the Denmark international striker, who signs from Silkeborg for £650,000.

AUGUST

WANDERERS warm up for the Premiership with defeats in showpiece friendlies against Spanish Primera League Athletic Bilbao (1-0) and Deportivo Alaves (2-0) but when the serious business starts it's win, win, win!

Far from being the whipping boys, it's Big Sam's boys who are doing the whipping as they open their Premiership account with a sensational 5-0 win at Leicester. Kevin Nolan and Per Frandsen get two apiece and Michael Ricketts starts as he means to go on.

Everyone wants a copy of the Premniership table showing Wanderers on top but there's no rush. That's where they stay as they follow up the lashing of Leicester with a 1-0 home win against Middlesbrough, courtesy of another Ricketts strike, then a sensational 2-1 victory over Liverpool - Ricketts again before Dean Holdsworth snatches the points with a flukey late goal that prompts Gerard Houllier to dump goalkeeper Sander Westerveldt.

Allardyce is Premiership Manager of the Month and Wanderers are the toast of English football.

SEPTEMBER

REPUTATIONS really are starting to be established as Wanderers go to Leeds and earn a scoreless draw.

Rod Wallace, kicking his heels after turning down a new contract at Rangers, is signed on a free transfer and makes an instant impact. The former Southampton and Leeds striker scores just six minutes after going on as sub in the 1-1 draw at Blackburn, where Bruno N'Gotty makes his debut after arriving on loan from Marseille, and lays on a late equaliser for Michael Ricketts as Wanderers gain another unexpected point with a 1-1 draw at Arsenal.

But it is not all plain sailing and a worrying trend starts to take shape as Southampton record their first win of the season when Marian Pahars scores the only goal at the Reebok and Peter Reid's Sunderland go back to Wearside with a 2-0 win.

The first Worthington Cup tie of the season also offers a sign of things to come with Wanderers fielding a shadow squad. Akinori Nishizawa becomes the first Japanese player to score in English football when he follows Dean Holdsworth and Ricketts on the scorehseet to snatch a late equaliser to take the 2nd round tie against Walsall into extra time. Henrik Pedersen scores his first for Wanderers in the first extra period to secure a 4-3 win.

OCTOBER

AN early Rod Wallace goal sees another "shadow" side through to the fourth round of the Worthington Cup.

They beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 but it's the Premiership which is attracting all the interest and one fixture stands out above all the rest - Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Wanderers go into the game smarting from a 4-0 hammering by Newcastle at the Reebok - a game which turns on the dismissal of Jussi Jaaskelainen.

With Steve Banks injured, Sam Allardyce takes a gamble and goes into the game without a sub keeper so Bo Hansen takes the gloves and the jersey. Enough said!

But Old Trafford is a different story. Juan Veron gives the Reds the lead and the fans brace themselves for an onslaught. But it never materialises. Kevin Nolan equalises in sensational style and with Wanderers dominating the second period Michael Ricketts scores his sixth of the season six minutes from the end to clinch one of the most memorable Bolton wins of modern times.

Ricketts adds Peter Schmeichel to his list of victims at Aston Villa, twice, but Villa win 3-2. Steve Banks, in goal for suspended Jaaskelainen, carries the can and drops down the pecking order behind Kevin Poole, who signs on a short-term contract.

NOVEMBER

MICHAEL Ricketts, the leading English goalscorer in the Premiership, takes his total to nine for the season with a last gasp equaliser as Wanderers draw 2-2 with Everton at the Reebok.

Despite problems at home, Wanderers continue to blaze a trail on their travels and struggling Ipswich are the latest victims - beaten 2-1 at Portman Road. Gudni Bergsson gets his first of the season while Ricketts moves into double figures with a tremendous finish.

Jean Tigana's Fulham arrive at the Reebok fancying their chances but Saha, Hayles and Boa Morte are all snuffed out in a scoreless draw that sees Allardyce bank his 20th point of the season.

And for good measure - again with a raft of changes - Wanderers secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Worthington Cup when Rod Wallace delivers the winning hit in a 6-5 penalty shoot-out victory over Southampton after the scores are tied at 2-2 after extra time.

DECEMBER

WANDERERS are edged out 3-2 at Spurs after hot-shot Ricketts opens the scoring watched by Sven Goran-Eriksson.

That's followed by a single goal defeat at Derby, with former boss Colin Todd saying nothing, but Reebok are stunned by a 6-0 hammering in the Worthington Cup by Spurs. Wanderers again play their shadow squad but Allardyce insists he has no regrets for that, repeating that Premiership survival is his priority.

Wanderers head for the Christmas games with a goalless draw against Charlton but that's followed by a devastating defeat at Chelsea. Wanderers score first through Kevin Nolan, are in command for 41 minutes then former favourite Eidur Gudjohnsen sparks a goal rush for a 5-1 win, leaving Allardyce an angry man.

On Boxing Day Robbie Fowler grabs his first hat-trick for Leeds as David O'Leary's men win 3-0.

Wanderers side miss the injured Gudni Bergsson and Michael Ricketts, the worry being that they could be out not only for the final game of the year at home to Leicester but more games after that.