Survival still the target for Pulis (From Campaign Series)

Survival still the target for Pulis

5:03pm Monday 8th February 2010

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TONY Pulis insists reaching 40 points remains Stoke's prime objective despite their promising start to the new year.

The Potters travel to Wigan tomorrow night in the Barclays Premier League unbeaten in 2010, with four wins and two draws in all competitions.

Saturday's 3-0 victory over Blackburn at the Britannia Stadium made it four league matches without defeat for Pulis' side and saw them leapfrog Rovers in the table and move up to 11th place.

Stoke have games in hand over the teams immediately above them which could see them banish any lingering prospect of a relegation battle in the next few weeks and start to consolidate a place in the top 10.

But Newport-born Pulis has stressed that until the Potters have secured a total of 40 points - enough to virtually guarantee top flight survival - they will not be thinking of anything else.

"We have got to get to 40 points, I think everybody will be wanting to get that,’’ said Pulis, whose team moved to within 11 points of that tally with Saturday's triumph.

"I think the sooner you get to 40 points then you can take stock, but 40 points is the target.

"It's six games unbeaten which is good and if we can carry that on a few more games, get a few more wins, we will be delighted.’’ Things have been more a struggle of late for Wigan, who have won only once in the league since November and last week suffered the humiliation of being dumped out of the FA Cup by Coca-Cola League Two side Notts County at the DW Stadium.

However, the Latics are notoriously unpredictable and led Stoke twice in the reverse fixture at the Britannia Stadium in December, which finished 2-2 and will be remembered for Maynor Figueroa's audacious second half goal which he struck from within his own half.

Currently just two places and two points above the drop zone, Roberto Martinez's side are fighting for their lives and Pulis is expecting another tough encounter.

"It will be a tough game at Wigan. I respect every football club in this league and I certainly respect what they have got,’’ said Pulis.

"We played them a few weeks ago here and the kid scored from the halfway line.

"They have got good quality right through the team and it will be a tough game.’’ Pulis has been boosted by the news that captain Abdoulaye Faye could make his return to first-team action in tomorrow night's match.

Faye, who has been suffering with a back problem since being withdrawn early on during the 0-0 draw with Sunderland last week, failed a late fitness test before Saturday's match but may recover in time to play at the DW Stadium.

Should the Senegalese defender not make it, Danny Higginbotham is set to take up the captain's armband once again.

Andy Wilkinson, who replaced Faye at the Stadium of Light, received stitches to a head injury in the Blackburn game but is available for selection.

Meanwhile, the club have confirmed that striker Ricardo Fuller was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning over what they describe as "an incident in a nightclub’’.

Fuller is accused of assaulting a 21-year-old man in the bar area of JFK nightclub, in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

Staffordshire Police said the victim suffered minor facial injuries and did not need hospital treatment.

The incident, at around 1am yesterday, came just hours after the victory over Blackburn.

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