Zamora has been troubled by stiffness in the joint in recent weeks and boss Martin Jol is refusing to take any chances with a player who suffered ligament damage when breaking his right leg a year ago. The striker's five-month absence saw the Cottagers slump into the Premier League drop zone and he looks equally crucial to their chances of staying up this year, with the club losing all three games he has missed. Zamora was held back for the 2-2 draw with Manchester City after starting Thursday night's Europa League match with FC Twente on the bench, a decision he had no problem with. "In terms of my ankle, I'd rather rest to be honest," he said. "Obviously, I want to play. The European nights are nice but, at the minute, we want to get points in the Premier League. "The gaffer said, 'We'll rest you for this one', so I can come on or whatever." Insisting the problem was not a longer-term concern, the 30-year-old added: "It's stiffness more than anything in the ankle joint but we're working on getting it looser after the injury. "It's still a little bit niggly but I'm trying to keep on top of it. "Hopefully, I can get 100 per cent fit and carry on. "It's just a disruptive injury that I had last year, this year, that flared up a little bit." Zamora shrugged off any discomfort to kick-start Fulham's comeback in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Manchester City. The Cottagers were heading for a defeat that would have rooted them to the foot of the table when Zamora's brilliantly-controlled finish made it 2-1, with Danny Murphy sealing a point that lifted the home side up to 18th. Zamora said: "It seems like a win to us, from 2-0 down to a team that have absolutely set the league alight this season. "It's a great point for us and kickstarted us, I think, into carrying on." It was the first time this season Fulham had showed a real ruthlessness in front of goal at Craven Cottage. Zamora, who also found the net in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Blackburn, said: "We look back at the Blackburn game, we had something like 46 crosses, which is unreal. "Apparently, it's 26 crosses in a game and you win and to get 46 and just to come away with a point was slightly disappointing. "This place is a fortress for us and we've always done well here so hopefully we can continue that, kick on. "One win and we're up the table, so it means nothing at the minute in terms of looking at the table. "I don't think you can tell anything until a good 10-15 games into the season." It is vital Zamora maintains form and fitness, something that could also yield an England recall. "It's obviously an honour to play for England or even be in the squad, so I'll keep working away," said the forward, who injury has prevented adding to his solitary cap. "I'll just keep working here and if I do get in there then brilliant." Zamora is set for another rest on Wednesday when Fulham travel to west London rivals Chelsea in the Carling Cup third round. Jol, who could still be without Andy Johnson, Aaron Hughes and Dickson Etuhu, said: "There will be a lot of changes."
