Fulham boss Martin Jol has said that the next month is crucial for the club in staying away from the relegation zone.

The Cottagers have struggled for any kind of consistency up to this point in the season, with the side competing both in the league and in Europe.

Fulham will welcome Stoke City to Craven Cottage on Saturday, hoping that they can increase the seven-point gap over the drop zone. The Dutch coach has highlighted the next three games - against QPR, Wolves and Aston Villa - as vital to build momentum in the fight for survival.

When asked whether the next four weeks are the most crucial, the Dutchman said: "Yes, because we want to get a bigger gap over the bottom three.

"Hopefully we can do that against the teams around us. It will be a challenge because we haven't done that before because we are quite inconsistent.

"But, on the other hand, if you have nine draws that is pretty consistent. That said, I think we should have won five or six of those."

Fulham are in 14th place in the Premier League with 27 points after 24 games.