GIVE Alan Shearer an inch and he'll take a mile. Give him a weekend off and he'll score a hat trick!

Even Superman needs a rest now and again and the striker's first real break this season - two weeks without a game - inspired him to even greater heights than usual.

It was some time coming but two late goals to complete his fourth hat trick of the season finally brought some semblance of sanity to a totally one-sided derby game.

The plaudits deservedly rang around a packed Ewood for the man Jack Walker once described as the making of the new Blackburn Rovers and Shearer walked off with yet another match ball for his collection.

Everything in the garden is rosy for a player whose all-round performance - forget his goals for a moment - was, not for the first time, absolute perfection.

Yet, I have no doubt Shearer and his team-mates saved a bouquet or two of thanks for goalkeeper Tim Flowers.

Incredibly, in a game where Rovers' total of goal attempts soared faster by the minute than the price of a packet of fags after the Budget, Flowers had a crucial role to play. Bolton, who had bravely fought back to equalise in a first half when they could have been sunk without trace, had been bothered, battered and all but bludgeoned to heavy defeat by Rovers pressure for 81 minutes.

Then up popped substitute Nathan Blake, going where few Bolton men had been before - into Rovers' penalty area - to strike a sweet shot.

For an agonising fraction of a second the unbelievable seemed about to unfold.

Were Wanderers going to steal victory from a game where they had been second best throughout - and lucky to be second?

That's why you pay £2 million for a goalkeeper, even if he has had nothing to do for almost an hour and a half except pick Scott Green's superbly-taken equaliser out of the net.

Flowers was like a coiled spring, flung himself across goal in a blur of action and palmed the shot to safety around a post.

The match video would have been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service if Wanderers had pinched the points.

Instead, it took just a couple of minutes for Shearer to put matters to rights.

And he crowned a magnificent individual display and fine team performance with a glorious third.

If Nat Lofthouse says the third was a goal he would have liked to have scored, then that's good enough for me - and he did!

Because of Bolton's tenacity, determination and sheer bloody-mindedness at times, this turned into a fascinating derby, even if Rovers should have had it wrapped up by half time.

Credit to the struggling Wanderers for that and Colin Todd was right to praise them afterwards for their attitude.

The problem is that they probably aren't good enough to stay up and that's sad, because I wouldn't have minded watching the second instalment of this serial next season.

With only a single point garnered on their travels and desperate for any crumb of comfort, some of the Bolton antics - the odd "dive", the touch of time-wasting etc - were understandable.

And when you have a referee as abysmal as Paul Alcock there was a fear that anything could happen.

There could easily have been some flashpoints as we had the occasional flurry with a whinge on top. Both Rovers strikers were harshly treated, though Mike Newell almost carried his verbal protests too far and for too long.

The best way to get your own back is to let your feet do the talking and, by and large, Rovers did just that despite losing Stuart Ripley in the opening minutes.

Considering they had to re-adjust once again, they put on an excellent show.

Shearer led the front line like no-one else can, Tim Sherwood shrugged off a niggling back injury which may have affected his mobility to produce another delightful display in midfield and Rovers tackled their work with relish.

The only things that stood between them and another free-scoring fiesta were Wanderers' heroic goalkeeper Keith Branagan, a little bit of luck and, on one or two occasions, a little more clinical finishing.

But it was a case of all's well that ends well against a Bolton team who were forced to pack their defence.

Sasa Curcic reminded me of Manchester City's Georgiou Kinkladze with his dazzling runs but with Scott Sellars and Richard Sneekes alongside him they have, perhaps, too much of the same in one area.

And Wanderers are definitely lacking up front. Blake looked as though he was capable of causing Chris Coleman a few problems but the visitors so rarely attacked in any strength it was academic apart from that late strike.

Rovers soon warmed to their work and Shearer was only inches wide after a Branagan blunder. But he struck in the 12th minute with a simple finish from a good move. Kevin Gallacher caught Chris Fairclough napping, the ball was played to Henning Berg, returned to Gallacher, who had made an excellent run, and his low cross to the far post was turned in right-footed by Shearer. A tap-in.

Wanderers could have been out of it before they stunned everyone with a shock equaliser in the 29th minute and it was a fine goal too. Curcic crossed to the near post and Green flung himself bravely forward to get the vital touch with his head.

Right on half time, Branagan finger-tipped a Shearer header onto the bar and that set the pattern for the second half.

Rovers stormed forward time and again but, somehow, Bolton - showing tremendous determination - managed to hold on.

Fine saves, notably one from Gallacher's stunning drive, last-ditch clearances by defenders and all sorts of near things.

But no more goals.

At least not until Rovers produced one more surge in the wake of Flowers' save from Blake.

Lars Bohinen swung in the corner, Branagan, under pressure, missed it and Shearer blasted home at the far post.

In the last minute of normal time came a gem.

Sherwood broke on the right, measured his cross perfectly and Shearer, about eight yards out just beyond the far post, powered an unstoppable header back into the far top corner.

Great goal, great performance, great player.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.