Barry Hayles believes he can pose boyhood club Tottenham serious problems at White Hart Lane on Saturday – if he gets the nod from Fulham boss Chris Coleman.

The Jamaican international added a new dimension to Fulham’s attack after coming off the bench at Goodison Park last weekend and grabbed his first goal of the season with an instinctive finish from a corner.

Hayles told the club’s official website this afternoon:

“I certainly hope I’ll be starting. I think I did well enough last week to give the manager something to consider. Fingers crossed, he’ll have taken notice of my performance – if I’m selected my season will start on Saturday. I’ve played against Spurs a few times now and have played quite well – for me, they have been quite a good team to play against. It’s always nice to play against the side that you follow and as strange as it sounds, most players want to score against the team they support.”

We’ve got to go there and be solid and not concede early on in the game. The whole week has been spent focussing on what went wrong last Saturday. It’s been drummed into the players’ heads now so hopefully we will be able to use that in the match. I think playing in the lone-striker role suits my style of play. I’m comfortable playing with my back to goal, holding the ball up, and I’m just hopeful I can get the opportunity to show what I can do against Tottenham on Saturday.”