Premier League

Striker Jermain Defoe admits he is desperate to seize the opportunity he has been given since moving to Portsmouth.

The England international faces former club Tottenham on Sunday having scored four goals in his last four matches.

That run is just a continuation of the form he showed after his January move from White Hart Lane, where had had been in and out of the team.

However, bottom side Spurs head to Fratton Park to face opponents who have started conceding goals instead of scoring them - letting in 10 in the last two matches against Manchester City and Chelsea (in the Carling Cup).

But manager Harry Redknapp, who signed Defoe as a teenager for West Ham and then again in a £7.5 million deal eight months ago, is banking on the striker showing Spurs just what they have missed out on..

Defoe, who turns 26 next week, is one of six former Tottenham players at Fratton Park and admits: "Of course I'm looking forward to this game.

"It's a special one for everyone but obviously a special one for, me. I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't.

"I thought I was going to play against Spurs last season but then got a phone call the day before the game telling me I couldn't."

Pompey initially signed Defoe on loan to beat the transfer deadline after selling top scorer Benjani to Manchester City.

The loan element - even though it only lasted a few days - meant that under Premier League rules he was barred from facing his former club in the same season.

It came as a nasty surprise and Defoe, who was also ineligible for Pompey's glorious FA Cup run having already played for Spurs, recalled: "It was a massive blow because it's always nice to play against your old team. All week I'd been looking forward to it.

"Now finally it looks like I've got my opportunity and I've always thought if you get it you've got to perform and that's what I'm aiming to do.

"Don't get me wrong I loved the years I had there, made a lot of friends. It's a great club.

"But I didn't feel I had the opportunities I deserved there. A lot of times when I played and scored the next game I'd be back sitting on the bench again and it was difficult for me to understand.

"I kept my head down a for a long while, kept on working hard, but I knew I'd have to move on.

"I don't know what's gone on since at Spurs. They've sold some world-class players but they've also bought some as well and they are still a really good side despite the early results.

"But people turn up to see top players like Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane and although I wasn't surprised when Berba went, I was a bit when I heard Robbie was going to Liverpool."

Defoe added: "All players want to feel appreciated, it's a massive thing. There's nothing better than when you want to go out there and do well for the manager and everybody else involved and that's me now.

"I got off to a good start at Portsmouth and the more goals you score the more confident you get - and I'm still playing with quality players."

Defoe will be hoping to score on Sunday but he knows what is more important is to halt the defeats.

"The main thing is we've got to start winning again and I think it's really important we win this one against Spurs," he said.

"After back-to-back defeats you need to get going again and there's another big week coming up with a European tie and two home league games.

"The manager's looking for a reaction and I know he'll get it. I can't put a finger on what went wrong last week. It happens sometimes.

"At this level if you concede a couple of goals in the first 10 or 15 minutes you can get really punished.

"The thing with us is that we are an attacking team. We have players with a lot of energy who want to get forward and get in the box looking for goals. That suits me."