Football: Bould blighted by double the nerves

THE Arsenal defender Steve Bould has revealed that the north London team were now beginning to feel the pressure of the championship race after Tuesday's 1-0 victory at Bolton.

Bould admitted that just one error could now cost Arsenal the ultimate prize after Christopher Wreh's 47th-minute strike had closed the gap on the League leaders Manchester United to just three points with Arsenal having two games in hand.

Bould said: "You get a feeling that you're close now and you've got double nerves instead of your usual pre-match nerves. Maybe one mistake and you could blow it all. It's great and it's exciting.

"I don't think you can sit down and analyse and say if we do this - win here or there. It's an old football cliche but you don't read beyond the next game and we've got a big game coming up with the FA Cup semi-final."

Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, gave the winger Marc Overmars less than 50-50 chance of playing in Sunday's Cup game against Wolverhampton Wanderers after the Dutchman limped off at half-time at the Reebok Stadium with an ankle injury.

Nathan Blake, the Bolton striker, praised the Arsenal back four, and the Welsh international believes that communication and organisation will take the Highbury club to their first championship since 1991.

Blake said: "On credentials Arsenal are the best equipped to do it now definitely. They've lost Bergkamp for three games and they still look strong, powerful and everything a championship-winning side should be."

But Blake added that he felt Arsenal had received some official help on Tuesday night to keep their title challenge up. He criticised the referee, Keith Burge from Tonypandy, for not awarding a penalty instead of a free- kick in the incident which saw Martin Keown dismissed in the 64th minute when he fouled Blake on the edge of the area.

"The ref bottled it basically. Ninety per cent of the stadium could see it was a penalty and he can't. He said to Thommo [Alan Thompson] that he was going to ask the linesman.

"What does that say? I'd say he's passing the buck. He was quick enough to give free-kicks when we were fouling them," Blake said.