Bolton climbed out of the Premier League relegation places with a precious 1-0 win away to Middlesbrough.

What Gavin McCann's close-range poacher's finish on 60 minutes lacked in beauty it more than made up in importance, taking Gary Megson's side above Birmingham City and Reading into 16th position.

Birmingham have a game in hand, but can expect no favours from second city rivals Aston Villa on Sunday in a derby with added significance.

With teams packed so tightly at the bottom, consecutive wins against West Ham and Boro have transformed Gary Megson's side from relegation certainties into probable survivors on 32 points.

Defeats for Fulham and Reading completed a perfect day for the Trotters, who can hardly have imagined such an outcome when the afternoon began.

Megson surprisingly chose to leave El-Hadji Diouf on the bench, leaving the visitors short of attacking firepower.

The Senegalese might frustrate with his attitude and approach to the game, but he possesses what Grzegorz Rasiak and Tamir Cohen do not - genuine quality.

Middlesbrough enjoyed a frenetic start. With less than 100 seconds on the clock David Wheater's header forced a good save from Ali Al-Habsi before Julio Arca drilled a shot just over.

Tuncay then latched onto a low centre from Jeremie Aliadiere - excelling on the right wing - and shot straight at Al-Habsi from close range.

The Saudi goalkeeper came to the rescue again when another low cross fell to Afonso Alves, whose shot appeared destined for the roof of the net before a fingertip helped it over the bar.

All this took place before nine minutes were up and, perhaps sensing their overwhelming superiority, Boro took their foot off the gas.

The rest of the first half trundled by with more head injuries than attempts on goal. Team-mates Cohen and Cahill were both cut as they challenged in the air, and the Israeli was forced off in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Bolton's only source of danger going forward was Jlloyd Samuel and his long throws from the left side.

One such missile found its way to the Matthew Taylor's prolific left foot. But the winger's low shot found only the feet of stand-in keeper Ross Turnbull, who kicked it inelegantly away.

After the break it was a different story, as this time Bolton flew out of the traps.

McCann, never the fleetest of foot, somehow burst past George Boateng and Julio Arca down the left to win a corner before Ivan Campo had a shot saved.

Taylor then forced Turnbull to push behind his long-range volley and from the corner Rasiak glanced a header onto the top of the bar.

Bolton skipper Kevin Nolan then shot straight at Turnbull from a Danny Guthrie cross when a better-directed shot would have produced a certain goal.

Guthrie himself then had a chip headed off the line and Taylor's follow-up went behind off both a defender and the outside of the post.

The resultant corner was met by the head of Cahill and saved brilliantly by Turnbull, but McCann was on hand to stab the ball home from a yard out.

Alex Chick / Eurosport