It is little under three months since Fulham were spectacularly routed 5-0 by Watford at Craven Cottage and whilst the memorable victory kick-started the Hornets' season, the Whites have won just five times since.

A 2-0 win over high-flying Derby County on Saturday at the Cottage was a welcome shot in the arm for Kit Symons' side, who had not tasted victory since their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest five weeks earlier.

Having found themselves in the giddy heights of 13th in December, the Cottagers have slipped back towards the Championship relegation zone since and are currently perched in 19th, eight points clear of the drop.

Derided for paying a fee potentially rising to £11m for former Leeds United talisman Ross McCormack, Fulham are now reaping the rewards, with the Scot recently reaching double figures in the league.

With 12 goals in all competitions, the former Cardiff City frontman is the Whites' top scorer this term, though ex-Wigan Athletic forward Hugo Rodallega is just one behind McCormack, though the Colombian has only netted twice in his last 16 league and cup outings.

What has surely been detrimental to Fulham's chances of an immediate return to the Premier League has been the high turnover in players, with 34 making appearances in the Championship this season - for context, five more than the Hornets.

But with 24 players leaving the Cottagers permanently following last season's relegation from the top flight, there has been a certain degree of necessity to the revolving door selection policy.

That policy has, however, seen Symons offer olive branches to senior players frozen out by his predecessor Felix Magath. One such player is former Watford loanee Alex Kacaniklic.

The Swedish international terrified Championship defences during his 12-game loan stay in 2011 but was packed off to FC Copenhagen on loan in September by Magath. Re-called in December, Kacaniklic promptly marked his return to west London by scoring in his second outing to seal a 2-1 home win over Reading.

Fulham have the third-worst away record in the Championship, picking up just 12 of their 39 points away from the bank of the River Thames. Symons' side last won away from home on December 13 when they claimed a 1-0 victory at Leeds United.

Since then their away record reads played five, lost five; a period in which they have scored just twice and conceded 11 times.

Midfielder Lasse Christensen is a doubt for the trip to Vicarage Road owing to a hamstring complaint but Rodallega could return after suffering a dead leg against Wolverhampton Wanderers a week ago.

Not that he will be guaranteed a starting berth, with Matt Smith returning from a loan stint at League One Bristol City, where he scored 13 times in just 20 outings for the promotion-chasing Robins.

Signed from Leeds for £500,000 on transfer deadline day in September, the 6ft 6in targetman made just one league start before being loaned to Steve Cotterill's side.

Fulham starting XI v Derby County (28.02.15): Bettinelli; Richards, Bodurov, Hutchinson, Stafylidis; Christensen, Tunnicliffe, Parker, Ruiz; Woodrow, McCormack.