WHILE Bolton manager Sammy Lee’s agenda for change is planned as a long-term project, one thing he could not wait to alter was his team’s results, which had threatened to leave his blueprint advanced no further than the drawing board.

According to Lee, Bolton had been stuck in a comfort zone that had yielded them just four league wins since the turn of the year in the closing months of Sam Allardyce’s reign.

How Bolton would have settled for a bit of that comfort when losing their first three matches of the new campaign, but the pressure Lee admitted to be feeling was lifted when his sixth game in charge since being elevated from his role as assistant finally yielded a first three points thanks to goals from player-coach Gary Speed, Nicolas Anelka and substitute Daniel Braaten.

Lee had pleaded for patience in implementing the changes he insists will have a positive effect at the Reebok and even though chairman Phil Gartside also admitted that time would have to be a factor in trying to repeat Bolton’s recent success, how much time may have been open to conjecture had things gone wrong again at the start of a pivotal week.

Anelka and El-Hadji Diouf, both outstanding against a below-strength and below-par Reading, have made noises about leaving before the transfer window closes on Friday and Bolton’s old guard will be further altered by the expected departure of Ivan Campo, Stelios Giannakopoulos and Abdoulaye Faye before Everton visit next Saturday in the final match before the break for international fixtures.

That period could have been dedicated to a worrying bout of soul-searching but after this highly impressive victory, Lee can now look forward with a renewed optimism which may only be tempered if either of his most mercurial attacking talents do decide to take their skills elsewhere. Fundamental to Lee’s change of tack had been a move away from Allardyce’s favoured formation to a 4-4-2 lineup but the scheme was evidently not without a degree of flexibility as Bolton started yesterday looking more like 4-5-1 with Anelka as a lone striker. With a nod to the past, Diouf and Kevin Nolan were quick to support. Lee also clearly had defence in mind as he stationed Gary Speed just in front of a back four that had inspired little confidence and leaked goals alarmingly in the opening fortnight.

And Bolton’s start was encouraging as Anelka posed his usual threat and Diouf, less popular with the Bolton support, also worried a Reading defence which had been forced by injury to change both of their full-backs and include in Andre Bikey a centre-back who had flown halfway round the world in midweek for Cameroon’s friendly international in Japan.

The last person he probably wanted to face after that was Anelka and midway through the first half the Frenchman gave Bikey the slip and drove in a shot which Marcus Hahnemann could only parry to Diouf. With little time to react, Diouf stabbed the ball goalwards but not past teenager Scott Golbourne, making his Premier League debut after Nicky Shorey had injured a knee on England duty, who cleared from almost on the line.

A missed tackle by Gerald Cid that allowed Shane Long to test Jussi Jaaskelainen suggested Bolton had not cured all their ills but with just over half an hour gone they took the lead. More positive play from Diouf earned a corner and when he delivered it, Speed powered in the type of header that used to be his stock in trade.

Having not tasted victory since early April, Bolton had an attack of the jitters at the start of the second half when Ulises de la Cruz shot into the side netting and Reading failed to make the most of a couple of other promising positions.

But with Diouf and Anelka, the home side always looked potent on the break. The pair combined again after 53 minutes for Anelka to give Lee some breathing space when he ran on to Diouf’s pass and rounded Hahnemann to score his third goal of the season. If he goes he will be badly missed, a point further underlined when he crossed for Braaten to sidefoot home the third goal at full stretch in the final minute.

Player ratings: Bolton: Jaaskelainen 6; Hunt 7, Meite 7, Cid 6, Samuel 7; Speed 8; Nolan 7, Alonso 8 (Braaten 75min), McCann 8, Diouf 8; Anelka 9.

Reading: Hahnemann 6; De la Cruz 6 (Halls 83min), Bikey 5, Ingimarsson 6, Golbourne 6 (Convey 63, 6); Fae 5 (Lita 73), Gunnarsson 6, Harper 6, Hunt 6; Long 5, Doyle 5.