Despite being four points clear of the relegation zone, Peter Crouch insists that Portsmouth are not out of trouble yet. "It's a vital match. Stoke are down there in the league with us and so we've got to make sure that we stay above them," the England striker told the club's official website.

"Going there is going to be a battle and we've got to make sure we stay focused.

"They are a difficult side to break down so it's going to be tough. They are going to be fighting for their lives but so are we and hopefully our quality will show through.

"We needed a win after the run of results we had, so obviously the result against Manchester City was important.

"But probably more important was the clean sheet. We all defended as a team.

"We've been unlucky at times. There have been games where we've totally dominated and then lost the game, which is pretty frustrating.

"But at the end of the day, we've got to look at ourselves - obviously we've got into the position that we're in because of the way we've played.

"I believe that we are getting back to winning ways and we've certainly got a squad that is good enough to be doing better than we are."