GUDNI Bergsson called today for his Wanderers' team-mates to fight for the right to stay in the Division One promotion hunt.

The Reebok skipper sees no cause for despondency after Tuesday night's defeat at Watford that left them trailing the new leaders by 10 points.

"We felt we let ourselves down against Stockport on Saturday but at Watford we played well," he said positively.

"The shape of the team was good - from the front players through to the back - especially in the first half and we should be encouraged by the standard of our performance. We genuinely feel we missed out on at least a point.

"Having lost out at Stockport - after our tremendous fightback - it's now up to us to put in some good performances in the coming games.

"Being at home in the next two should help but it's essential that we take maximum points from them ... and I believe we will."

Bergsson, who was outstanding in a solid partnership with Mark Fish at the heart of the defence at Vicarage Road, remains convinced Wanderers have the ability to make up the ground they have lost in recent weeks and, with two home games in four days against struggling London clubs, certainly doesn't subscribe to the theory that Watford and Fulham already have the two promotion places sewn up.

"There's not really much in it between Watford and ourselves on the strength of Tuesday night's game," was his honesst assessment, "but then again they have quite a few more points than us.

"As a result, we've got some catching up to do but that's up to us now - nobody else. We have to concentrate on our own game ... what Fulham and Watford do is another matter. We just have to get back to winning games and getting points on the board as quickly as possible."

With Palace and Tuesday night's visitors, QPR, struggling badly for form at the moment, Wanderers have a glorious opportunity to check the slide that has seen them drop out of the top three and fall behind Sam Allardyce's two-points-per-game schedule.

Six points from a possible 21 has been a poor return but not the worst under his management. Last winter, after a promising start, he saw his new charges take just three points in a morale-sapping, seven-match winless streak.

They dropped from sixth to 14th and were struggling to keep their heads above water. But they rallied and lost only three of their final 21 games to salvage a play-off place.

Allardyce has no qualms about his players' confidence, although he would dearly love to be in a position to strengthen his squad - ideally with purchases but, failing that, with loan deals.

For all his efforts, however, he has suffered a succession of frustrating setbacks - noteably the double blow of Sunderland pair Nicky Summerbee and Paul Butler turning down temporary moves to the Reebok.

Similar deals last year - the arrival of Paul Ritchie from Hearts and Allan Johnston from Sunderland - paid handsome dividends.