SAM Allardyce's unhappy Wanderers are banking on their record of rising to the big occasions as they bid to get their season back on track.

Three demoralising defeats on the trot and three formidable fixtures to come have cast a cloud over the Whites, just when they were heading for their most successful season for more than 40 years.

Wanderers could not have a more daunting test of their character than games against three of the Premiership's current top four - Chelsea at home on Saturday, a trip to Arsenal the following week then a Reebok showdown with Newcastle on March 28.

But they are buoyed by the fact that they have taken points from all three this season and, as the manager worked on building a stronger defensive strategy, the players themselves drew up the battle lines.

"We have three huge games coming up and we have to start digging results out," Simon Charlton said. "We've got our tin hats on and our backs against the wall and we've got to just keep going... battling.

"It's not going to happen by itself, we've got to make it happen.

"The interesting thing is we usually play better against the better teams... but we have to work at it."

Jay-Jay Okocha has been critical of his own performances since his return from African Nations Cup duty but says he is looking forward to the challenge.

He said: "Every game is quite difficult and these are the more difficult ones, but we have always played well against the big teams, maybe because of the kind of players we've got in the team. We all know what is waiting for us and we are looking forward to these games."

Fitness checks yesterday suggest Emerson Thome should be fit to face Chelsea after missing the Birmingham defeat with an ankle injury but Youri Djorkaeff could be out for three weeks with a hamstring problem.