ON SONG striker Lee Bradbury will return to the Pompey line-up tonight to face Fulham after sitting out Saturday's 2-2 draw with Birmingham City as Alan Ball's side enter the third leg of their triple tester against sides expected to be among the promotion places at the end of the season.

"We've played two of the top sides in this division in the space of four days and although we have only got one point from a draw with Birmingham, I've been more than happy with what I've seen," said Ball.

"Every manager in this division will tell you that on any given day, any side is capable of beating any other, but the key to being at the top is consistency.

"Our performances against Manchester City and Birmingham showed me there's nothing to be afraid of, but what you seek is the sort of consistency that takes those teams at the top of the table away from the pack."

Pompey owed their two goals in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Brum to Alan McLoughlin's cool head from the spot, and Ball admitted: "We missed Bradbury's physical presence against a strong, solid defensive outfit.

"Since Lee's return to this club he's been tremendous. He's shown plenty of the qualities that prompted me to bring him back here and I'm sure that he's licking his lips at the prospect of Rory Allen being fit again."

That prospect is still some way off, according to Ball, who held a head count at training yesterday amid fears that Thomas Thogersen and Fitzroy Simpson would fail to pass muster.

Ball rates Thogersen's chances of shrugging off a hamstring tweak as: "Very doubtful.

"We'll look at him again later today but as things stand at the moment the chances are he won't play.

"But there's better news over Fitzroy. His was a knock on the ankle and he's got half a chance of playing."

Among those still missing are Jeff Peron, who misses out on the chance to face the club he almost joined instead of Pompey.

The Frenchman was due to join what was then Kevin Keegan's revolution at Craven Cottage, but couldn't agree personal terms, and eventually joined Pompey instead.

Saturday's hero McLoughlin is also out after being called into the Republic of Ireland squad to face Turkey in Saturday's Euro 2000 play-off clash.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.