Anthony Gardner believes Hull City must take advantage of fixtures against their near rivals, starting with Saturday's showdown at West Ham United.

Hull suffered a disappointing 1-0 reverse at fellow relegation candidates Blackburn last week and Gardner knows his side cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to retain their Premier League status.

"We must stay positive," said Gardner. "I feel we can get points at home and away during the run-in but it's a big challenge.

"It was a big missed opportunity at Blackburn. A few of the teams around us won, but that should not concern us.

"We can only focus on our jobs. If we do the business, we will be fine.

"The focus is on West Ham. They won last week (against Birmingham) but we believe we can go there and win.

"I think we will need a bit of everything, A bit of grit, a bit of togetherness and determination. We have those in abundance so we should be fine."