THE Reebok has the makings of a new hero.

He may not have the flair of Worthington, the charisma of McGinlay, the finishing power of Ricketts and he will never reach the legendary status of Lofthouse but Stig Tofting has what it takes to put some fire into Wanderers' belly and there is nothing supporters like more than a "good little un".

Witness the booming chants of "Stig! Stig! Stig!" every time he trundled over to take one of his trademark long throws!

The Danish midfielder was an instant hit on Saturday when he helped his new team-mates record their first Premiership win in 13 games, just 24 hours after finalising his transfer from SV Hamburg.

The 32-year-old they call "The Lawn Mower" lived up to his reputation as a combative little terrier, putting some much-needed bite into Sam Allardyce's midfield.

And that famous throw of his set up the decisive first half goal for Ricardo Gardner that proved just enough to secure Wanderers' first home win in the Premiership since August 27.

Tofting, who looks tailor made for the relegation dogfight, did not stop to reflect on his impressive debut. Instead, within minutes of the final whistle, he was dashing to Manchester Airport to catch a flight to Copenhagen to team up with the Denmark squad ahead on Wednesday night's international in Saudi Arabia, where he will make his 35th appearance for his country.

Although small in stature at just 5ft 9in, Tofting is a big player for Denmark and, according to his new team-mates, he is destined to play a big part at the Reebok.

"He will have a great couple of years here," said fellow Dane Bo Hansen. "He is very experienced and he is one of the best players in the national team. He is one of the most important players for them and I don't see why he can't be that for us as well.

"I thought he did really well and worked very hard for the team. He will improve when he gets used to playing in England and playing with the lads. It's a very good signing for the club."

What you see is what you get with Tofting and his debut, according to Hansen, was typical of his style of play.

"He's probably used to getting more time on the ball in Germany," the midfielder said. "Other than that, that was a typical performance by him."

Simon Charlton, who has more than just a passing resemblance to the new boy, joked: "All the lads are calling us twins and I suppose he is a good looking lad! Although I don't have the tattoos and the pierced nipples!

"But he certainly made an impact. I thought he did really well considering he's only been in the club two days and we only got our first glimpse of him in a bit of team practice on Friday.

"He was fantastic, a tough tackling little terrier-like person - I suppose somebody's going to say like myself. Once he settles down and gets to know the lads, he looks like being a good buy."

Gudni Bergsson, delighted to see Wanderers secure the long-awaited win that hoisted them out of the bottom three, said the team looked more solid with Tofting in midfield.

"He's got the experience and the character and I definitely thought we looked a bit stronger for his presence there," the captain said, "although I believe he tired towards the end. But he played a hard game on Wednesday (for Hamburg) and there's a lot to take in with the new surroundings and new players. Overall I think he played really well."

Bargain hunter Allardyce, who paid a mere £250,000 to secure Tofting's services for the next two and a half years, enthused: "To take a player out of another country, out of another environment and throw him into a melting pot, into a side struggling for results, is not easy.

"But I know there's a lot of determination in the lad and I know also there's a decent footballer in him. I know he'll be nothing but a great addition to our team.

"Some of the contributions he made showed what a tenacious player he is, showed us that he can handle the ball and see a little pass."

And that long throw? "It's a nice piece of armoury," the manager acknowledged. "We were silly in the fact that we wasted the first two he put in by giving fouls away that took the pressure off West Ham but the third was very good. He's got a really good trajectory with it. Mick Whitlow did ever so well just getting the lay-off right for Ricardo to hit it first time. Although it went through a lot of bodies, it was a magnificent strike and no-one could have saved it."