As the fragile notion of artistic merit was ground into the mud on Saturday in the desperate scramble for points, Sunderland supporters were provided with a glimpse of what their immediate future holds. The January transfer window will be used not to fulfil fantasies – barring the obvious one about avoiding relegation – but to sign the hefty, the sly and the streetwise.

A second victory in 14 matches was merited, but the scoreline belied the nerves that afflicted the players at the Stadium of Light. Having led 2-0, Roy Keane’s men allowed El-Hadji Diouf to score from a soft free kick shortly before half-time and offer Bolton Wanderers a route towards redemption. “They go in lifted, we go in fed up,” Keane said. “We had to win the game twice.”

Sunderland are grappling with their nature. “The players are so raw, they just want to run and attack,” Keane said. “Experienced lads like Bolton’s just say, ‘Come on, come on’ and suck you in. That lack of experience told.”

With Andrew Cole holding up possession alongside the admirable Kenwyne Jones and Kieran Richardson returning from a four-month absence with a back injury to provide pace and penetration, Sunderland showed signs of a more solid outlook. Yet they need much more of it, hence Keane’s interest in Stephen Hunt, of Reading, Bobo Baldé, of Celtic, and Robbie Savage, of Blackburn Rovers.

After Jones expertly rode three tackles, Richardson opened the scoring with a left-foot shot in the thirteenth minute. It was only his fourth league start since leaving Manchester United for £5.5 million in July. “I know when I had a bad [knee] injury, it gives you a chance to sit back and reflect on what you’re doing,” Keane said. “It might do Kieran some good in the long term. Brian Clough [who managed Keane at Nottingham Forest] wouldn’t even speak to you, he’d ask you to stay at home when you were injured. I’m not that bad, but it can be lonely and it’s a test of your character and mindset.”

A fractured spine forced Richardson to spend four weeks in a cast and to endure a degree of agony. “I was struggling to sleep at night,” the winger said. “Football does mean more to me now. Something like this makes you realise just much how much you love it.”

Richardson also provided the corner from which Jones extended the lead with a fine header, but Bolton were not disposed of until the final moments, when Daryl Murphy, a substitute, beat Jussi Jaaskelainen for Sunderland’s third goal.

Like Sunderland, Bolton have not won away from home in the Barclays Premier League, drawing twice and losing eight matches. “It means we’re running to stand still,” Gary Megson, the Bolton manager, said.

Sunderland (4-4-2): C Gordon 6 – D Whitehead 6, P McShane 5, D Higginbotham 7, D Collins 7 – M Chopra 4 (sub: G Leadbitter, 46min 6), L Miller 6, D Etuhu 6, K Richardson 7 (sub: R O’Donovan, 70 5) – K Jones 8, A Cole 6 (sub: D Murphy, 57 6). Substitutes not used: D Ward, M Waghorn. Booked: Richardson. Next: Blackburn Rovers (a).

Bolton Wanderers (4-3-3): J Jaaskelainen 6 – J Samuel 5 (sub: D Guthrie, 57 5), A O’Brien 5, A Meïté 5, R Gardner 5 – K Nolan 7 (sub: I Campo, 87), J O’Brien 6, G McCann 7 – K Davies 6 (sub: S Giannakopoulos, 73), N Anelka 5, E-H Diouf 6. Substitutes not used: A Al Habsi, L Michalik.Booked: Davies, Diouf. Next: Derby County (h).

Referee P Dowd
Attendance 42,058