Birthday boy Floyd Ayite believes Fulham as dark horses rather than play-off favourites will do the club a power of good.

Tuesday night’s win over basement boys Rotherham, 2-1 kept the Cottagers on the heels of the current play-off pack with the midway point of the season approaching.

Their promotion credentials will be further tested by Saturday’s visit of in-form Derby.

Togolese international Ayite, who joined the west Londoners from Ligue 1 Bastia in the summer, suggests staying under the radar where there is less pressure until the final push may be the way to go.

The winger said: “You may be right that it is sometimes better to do the chasing rather than be chased.

“At the end of the day we are all professional footballers and it is up to us to manage the pressure really – that is our job whether you are just outside or in the playoff positions.

“But it may be better not to be in the top six yet.”

If Fulham as a whole are better off in the shadows, Ayite who is 28 today, is himself rapidly emerging from them, becoming something of a fans’ favourite down at Craven Cottage.

He cranked that popularity up another notch with the winner against the Millers, his third for the club.

It might have been more if some outrageous skill from the French-born star in the first half not been thwarted by the legs of Rotherham keeper Lewis Price.

His own harshest critic, Ayite called it a missed opportunity, one he was happy to atone for later.

“We really pushed in the first half as we wanted to get a foothold in the game very quickly and I feel I slightly missed my chances,” he added.

“Fortunately, in the second half I was able to get the important goal.”