Davies wants to exploit Pompey's travel fatigue

(GETTY IMAGES)

Simon Davies hopes Fulham can make the most of Portsmouth's European jet-setting this week to kick-start their Premier League campaign with a result at Fratton Park.

Pompey played against Sporting Braga last night in the Uefa Cup and so will have little time to regroup ahead of Sunday's game on the south coast. The Cottagers, meanwhile, will have had all week to prepare as they look to build on the goalless draw with Sunderland which kept them out of the relegation zone and halted a run of three straight league defeats.

Davies said: "We are glad we got a point as it broke the sequence of results we have had recently. Now we have got to push on. Portsmouth have a game in Europe so hopefully we will be the fresher team on Sunday and we must make that count."

The Fulham manager, Roy Hodgson, masterminded an escape from what had looked certain relegation when he arrived at the end of last year. The experienced coach is certain that his squad – which saw heavy investment over the summer, including some £10m on misfiring striker Andrew Johnson – have what it takes to steer well clear of the scrap for survival this season. Davies remains confident results will soon be turned around.

"If you look at every team in the Premier League they all go through tricky spells where they find it difficult to score goals and get the wins," he said. "We are having ours now, but we will come back stronger from it."

"It is a very long season," he added. "I am sure everyone is disappointed with the results, but you go through spells like this during the season. The quicker we get back to winning ways, which I am sure we will do, the better."

*Queen's Park Rangers have cut the cost of match-day tickets following complaints from supporters. The Championship side, partly owned by the Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, have abandoned the most expensive category A and B fixtures with immediate effect. An open letter to supporters from the vice-chairman. Amit Bhatia, who is Mittal's son-in-law and representative on the board, said: "Many of you don't need the added burden of higher ticket prices at select fixtures."