SAM Allardyce has been given a boost with the news that El-Hadji Diouf and Abdoulaye Faye will not be flying off on international duty this week.

The Senegalese pair will be fit and fresh for Sunday's visit of Fulham after their country's friendly against Angola, scheduled for tomorrow night, was called off.

Wanderers had expected to be without eight first-team players this week due to international call-ups.

But the cancellation of Senegal's game means that Diouf and Faye will not be joining Abdoulaye Meite, Tal Ben Haim, Nicolas Anelka, Stelios, Andranik and Ricardo Vaz-Te on the absentee list at training.

The friendly between the African countries was called off when police in Dakar said they could not provide security because of local elections which were going on simultaneously.

Efforts to move the game failed before Senegal were reported to have accepted a late invitation to play in France on the same night.

Diouf and Faye were both named in the national squad to play Benin in Rouen, but they were not in the list of Wanderers players named yesterday as being away on international duty.

The unexpected rest for striker Diouf and defender Faye is good news for Allardyce who is concerned about the condition his players will return from their midweek exertions.

He said: "We have got 50-60 per cent of the team away, flying out to whatever country or other they are involved in. We just hope there is no reaction, either from Saturday's game or from their involvement in the friendlies they are playing in.

"We will need all the players in the squad to play their part from now until the end of the season.

"This time of the year it gets a little tiring having been through Christmas and January and we have got some big games coming up and some midweek games to contend with, including the replay against Arsenal.

"So we have all got to make sure everyone is not only on top of their form but on top of their fitness.

"I have got to wait at home sitting by the phone and hope it doesn't ring on Thursday with somebody who is playing in a friendly telling us they have got themselves injured."

Allardyce, meanwhile, has been impressed with the progress of Andranik who got another 40 minutes' first team action at Watford on Saturday as he continues to force his way into his manager's plans.

"We got another performance from him," Allardyce said. "He looks the part. He has got good energy and good ability and that is a big lift to us. I hope he can go on from here and continue to grow with is."