WHEN Sam Allardyce stands in his technical area at the Reebok Stadium glowering at players and frantically gesticulating like an overworked tictac man, it can be safely assumed that things aren't going Bolton's way. How pleasing, then, it was to see Allardyce at his most animated yesterday afternoon as Everton dug deep in the face of some severe pressure to win three priceless points that will get their season up and running. While the opinionated Bolton manager will claim otherwise, Everton deserved to head back to Merseyside celebrating a victory which can act as a catalyst to spur them onto bigger and better things in the remainder of the year. Make no mistake about it - the Reebok Stadium has become one of the most difficult stadiums to visit in the Premiership and most teams leave empty handed after being put through the mill for 90 minutes. That is why Everton deserve plenty of credit for being able to shrug off numerous problems and then stand tall when the chips were down to grind out the victory. This was David Moyes' men doing what they do best. Having lost their opening two matches, some outspoken critics were getting ready to pen the obituaries on Everton's campaign, especially as a thin squad had to contend with three difficult away trips in the space of six days. Add into the equation that injuries had wreaked havoc with the manager's plans, then you can see why the snipers had Everton heading for a fall and made Bolton hot favourites. But just think back to last season and the amount of times Everton triumphed in the face of adversity. As a number of players suggested in the run up to this game, the Blues are at their most dangerous when they are being written off. True, the first half against Bolton will be quickly erased from the memory as both teams struggled to pass the ball with any fluency, meaning that clear chances were few and far between. To win the war, though, the battle must first be won and that is exactly what Everton did. While Bolton prodded, probed and poked around for openings, the 11 men clad in Blue ran their socks off to protect Nigel Martyn's goal. Duncan Ferguson and Marcus Bent set the example at the head of affairs, bustling up Bolton's defenders whenever possible, while behind them the midfield chased loose balls and dived into tackles as though their lives depended on it. Most credit, nevertheless, should go to Everton's rearguard, who despite some uncomfortable moments late on adopted a 'thou shalt not pass' attitude, particularly Joseph Yobo, who more than made up for last week's howler against United. | 
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