SAM Allardyce has drawn on personal experience to suggest that Portsmouth's storming start to the season will stand them in good stead when the battle for Premiership survival reaches fever pitch.

Pompey went top of the table when they beat Wanderers 4-0 at Fratton Park in the third fixture of the season, but have gradually slipped into the lower reaches as the demands of top flight football strain their resources.

The Bolton boss recalled the events of 2001-2002, when Wanderers kicked off with three successive victories, to suggest that the South Coast club can beat the drop. "We went through exactly the same emotional problems when we first hit the Premiership," he recalled of those heady days when Wanderers took 10 points from their first four games and went on to win at Manchester United and draw at Arsenal, but still faced a nail-biting end to the season.

"The bottom line with the Premiership is that it catches up with you.

"But Portsmouth had that wonderful start, as we did, and that always keeps your head just above the water. Any victory here and there gets them out of the bottom three. They've done that recently with a couple of home wins."

Portsmouth come to the Reebok in search of their first away win of the season.

"They've been a dominant force at home and struggled to get anything other than a few draws on their travels," Allardyce added. "So you can see where their problems lie.

"The big thing for us is that when we come across teams who are below us in the table, it's more important to get the three points off them than anyone else."