Wanderers where on nil points prior to the visit of the Royals and confidence was uncharacteristically low, but manager Sammy Lee sent his troops out to produce an effective and convincing performance which should hopefully be the start of better times.

From the first whistle to the last, the hosts had the hunger and desire to beat Reading and the side that played today looked a totally different side to the one which lost to Portsmouth a week ago despite only one change to the personnell.

Watched by their former captain Jay-Jay Okocha, Bolton put in a performance which the skilful Nigerian would have been proud of during his heyday at the Reebok.

On seven minutes Gavin McCann nearly celebrated his return to the Bolton side with a goal. The former Aston Villa and Sunderland man made a powerful run through the middle of the park after being put through by the excellent El-Hadji Diouf but Reading got in a block on the experienced midfielder just as he fired in his shot.

Gary Speed fired over the Reading crossbar just a minute or so afterwards following a melee in the penalty area which had seen Reading centre half Andre Bikey seemingly stick out a hand.

Reading had a couple of half chances midway through the first half but their cutting edge was not present for only their second ever top flight fixture against Wanderers.

Firstly a right wing cross by Ulises De La Cruz was headed off target by Kevin Doyle, then strike partner Shane Long fired a snap shot straight into the waiting grasp of Jussi Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal.

On 25 minutes an incisive left wing run by Bolton top scorer Nicolas Anelka saw the Frenchman break into the penalty area and produce a diagonal shot which Royals keeper Marcus Hahnemann was equal to.

Howeever the American custodian parried the ball into the path of El-Hadji Diouf who looked certain to put Bolton in front only to mis hit his shot at the last moment.

Just after the half hour mark though ,Diouf made amends when his perfect right wing corner was powerfully headed home by Gary Speed to lift the roof off the stadium.

It could have been two for the Trotters just moments from the break when the hard working McCann nearly connected to a low right wing cross from Nicky Hunt at the far post.

Reading came out for the second half with a bit more life to them and on 54 minutes Bolton got a let off when Gerald Cid's mistake allowed full back De La Cruz in on goal only for the Ecuadorian to hit the side netting at the crucial moment.

Anelka was in good form for Bolton and he and Diouf looked dangerous on a week in which both players happiness at the club was largely talked about by the national media.

The £12 million rated Anelka flashed a shot just wide after cutting in from the left but he later made it three goals from four games shortly before the hour when his one on one with Hahnemann trickled over the line following some good work by Diouf.

Anelka thought he had scored his second and Bolton's third on 64 minutes but the officials quite rightly ruled that the world class striker was offside when forcing home Kevin Nolan's chipped cross come shot.

Steve Coppell made a couple of Reading substitutions in an attempt to bring the visitors back into the game with USA winger Bobby Convey coming on to replace youngster Scott Golbourne and former Bolton target Leroy Lita on for Emerse Fae.

However neither could change Reading fortunes and the irony was that it turned out to be a Bolton substitute who sealed the game when Norwegian Daniel Braaten netted his first goal for the club after converting a delightful curling left wing cross from Anelka.

The Bolton performance was of a very good standard and the club get another chance to perform in front of their home support when taking on Everton a week from now.

Congratulations to Sammy Lee on answering his critics and getting his first win as a manager.

BOLTON WANDERERS: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Nicky Hunt, Abdoulaye Meite, Gerald Cid, Jlloyd Samuel, Kevin Nolan, Gavin McCann, Mikel Alonso (Daniel Braaten), Gary Speed, El-Hadji Diouf, Nicolas Anelka

SUBS NOT USED: Christian Wilhelmsson, Kevin Davies, Andy O'Brien, Ali Al-Habsi (GK)

READING: Marcus Hahnemann, Ulises De La Cruz (John Halls), Ivar Ingimarsson, Andre Bikey, Scott Golbourne (Bobby Convey), Emerse Fae (Leroy Lita), Brynjar Gunnarsson, James Harper, Stephen Hunt, Kevin Doyle, Shane Long

SUBS NOT USED: Khalifa Cisse, Adam Federici (GK)

ATTENDANCE:

20,023

REFEREE:

Mark Clattenburg

BOOKED:

Nicky Hunt (Bolton)

Ulises De La Cruz (Reading)

Abdoulaye Meite (Bolton) 

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