KEVIN Phillips was last night ordered to become Sunderland's fox in the box and fire his club to Premiership safety by rediscovering his shooting boots.

Howard Wilkinson has noted that Phillips's lean run in front of goal has coincided with Sunderland's alarming slump over the last 18 months.

After scoring 30 times in his first Premiership season, the striker has hit the net just 14 times in his last 54 league appearances.

This evening, he will link up with a new strike partner at Bolton Wanderers after David Bellion was given the nod ahead of Marcus Stewart and Tore Andre Flo.

Wilkinson will make three changes to the side that started his first game in charge, with Michael Gray moved into midfield, Kevin Kilbane playing on the right wing and George McCartney at left-back.

Thomas Myhre will also replace Jurgen Macho after shaking off a thigh injury and illness, but it is Phillips who is being touted as Sunderland's saviour by the manager after the side scored just four goals in their first ten league games.

Wilkinson said: "If there's anything that hasn't changed about me, it's that I want my strikers in the areas where they're going to do the most damage most of the time.

"And when Kevin Phillips was scoring, Sunderland were doing well, it's as simple as that.

"Kevin has scored more goals from 20 yards than Michael Owen, for instance, but we've got to give Kevin chances in the penalty area.

"Everyone has got a responsibility. It's not just Kevin Phillips's problem. There are too few names in the scoring column.

"Kevin hasn't played a lot, and he had an up-and-down pre-season in terms of injuries.

"But there aren't many people better than Kevin Phillips at dispatching half-chances. I need him where those chances are being made."

Wilkinson wants to take the fear out of Sunderland's football as they approach a defining stage of their season.

After meeting the Premiership's basement club tonight, the Black Cats visit fellow strugglers Charlton Athletic next Sunday in what is also shaping up as a relegation battle at this early stage of the season.

While the next two games represent a golden opportunity to pick up valuable points, a couple of defeats would put the Black Cats deep in the mire.

Wilkinson believes his side needs to approach matches with less trepidation, and said: "We're trying to make sure we're not frightened of what might happen.

"If we're not prepared to make angles or have the ball, or if we're letting fear cloud our judgment, we've got a problem. That was the case in the first half against West Ham.

"It's like an exam: if you already know the answers to the questions you're going to be asked, it removes a lot of the fear.

"Physically, the players are doing no more than they would normally do in training, but they have to work smart rather than hard."

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