MEGSON DEMANDS CROWD CONTROL

Megson - Trotters must get crowd onside.

Bolton boss Gary Megson hopes his players can quickly fire up the crowd in tonight's crunch clash against Sunderland.

Megson's side have given themselves a fighting chance of beating

Barclays Premier League relegation by picking up seven points from their last three games.

Yet they remain in deep trouble and with a trip to title-chasing Chelsea to come in their final game of the season next week, victory today could be imperative.

Megson feels the Reebok Stadium crowd could play a big part.

He said: "Everybody is part of what goes on at Bolton and every football club, so when the club is fighting for European qualification - it has happened twice in a long, long time - the club's supporters were a big part of that as well.

"We wouldn't be as rude as to suggest how they should behave because it is up to the players on the pitch to get the supporters involved.

"Then you get that momentum and get a good atmosphere, as has happened on quite a few occasions."

Megson has labelled the game as one of the biggest in the club's history and compared it to the final match of the 2002-03 campaign, when Bolton beat Middlesbrough to stay up.

Sunderland now have little to play for having secured their own top-flight status last week but Megson is still anticipating a difficult encounter.

Megson said: "It is a huge, huge game, one of the biggest that Bolton have ever had in their history and certainly the biggest this season.

"There is no point saying it is a cup final because it is not, but it is just a huge Premier League game.

"It will be a good atmosphere because of the support Sunderland take all over the country.

"From our own point of view, we have got to try to put that out of our minds and fully concentrate on the fact we need these three points."

Bolton are strengthened by the return of striker Kevin Davies - who scored the winner on his last appearance against West Ham - from suspension.

Davies also broke his hand in the Hammers encounter but that injury will not prevent him facing Sunderland.