Premiership: Reid just happy with points

Sunderland boss Peter Reid has admitted he does not care how his side manage to claw their way to Barclaycard Premiership safety as long as they do it.

The Black Cats eased their fears of being drawn into the dogfight at the bottom of the table with a hard-earned win over Bolton, courtesy of Jason McAteer’s first ever goal for his new club against his old.

And while their manager would be delighted to see his side throw off the shackles of a difficult campaign to entertain for the remaining nine games, he would settle for the points however they come as he prepares for tough away trips to Chelsea and Arsenal later this month.

‘‘If we’d have played hopelessly and won 1-0, I’d have taken it, I’ve got to say that,’’ he said.

‘‘You like to entertain, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty this late on, put it this way, if we went to Stamford Bridge and played awful and won 1-0, I don’t think I’d be complaining afterwards.’’

The win Reid’s side claimed at the expense of old friend Sam Allardyce’s men saw them climb one place to 13th on 34 points, but Blackburn’s victory over Aston Villa means the gap to the relegation places remains at just five points.

But he was able to take plenty of positives out of a game which he went into without six potential starters.

In addition, Cameroon striker Patrick Mboma had to had to have a pain-killing injection for a back problem, and also played while still coming to terms with the death of close friend Jason Mayele.

The 26-year-old Chievo player, a Democratic Republic of Congo international, died in a road accident in Verona on Saturday night

‘‘I’ve got to say, Patrick Mboma was different class,’’ said Reid. "Not many people know one of his best friends he was virtually a brother to him was the lad who died in the car crash.

‘‘He’s gone through a lot to play for us, and his performance was absolutely outstanding.’’

But while Reid’s mood was one of muted celebration, Allardyce was left to pick up the pieces.

Not only did his side fail to collect anything from the game, leaving themselves just a point clear of the drop zone, but defender Mike Whitlow suffered a suspected broken rib while England striker Michael Ricketts damaged a knee.

The Wanderers boss is hopeful the 11 days between now and Bolton’s next game the crucial visit of fellow relegation candidates Derby to the Reebok Stadium on March 16 will give his casualties time to recover.

‘‘We’ve got a little bit of a breather with no game this week because of the cup, and hopefully that will be enough time for those two players and the other ones to get fit,’’ he said.

‘‘Hopefully we’ll have a bigger squad to pick from for the Derby game, which is now one hell of a pressure game for both sides, and one perhaps where we’re under more pressure than them because of the fact that they’re not expected to get anything and we’ve started to slip down there a little bit more.’’