Dean Whitehead believes Stoke are now as good a team on their travels as they are at home.

The Potters' form at the Britannia Stadium was the cornerstone of their success last year, with 10 wins and five draws from their 19 home fixtures helping them secure an impressive 12th-place finish in their debut Barclays Premier League season.

It was a different story away from home as Tony Pulis' side suffered 13 defeats, but they have only lost once on the road so far this term.

Their away days have included a 1-1 draw at Everton and a 1-0 victory at Tottenham in recent weeks and Whitehead thinks the team have put their travel sickness behind them.

"It's important to take a little bit of pressure off the lads at home by picking up the results away," Whitehead said.

"We've had a good result at Everton and we beat Tottenham a couple of weeks ago, so we are as confident away from home as we are at the Britannia Stadium nowadays.

"There's no problem here (at the Britannia) and if we keep picking up results away from home we are going to be fine."

Whitehead has been a virtual ever-present in the Stoke midfield since moving from Sunderland in the summer in a deal worth an initial £3million.

With the Potters currently lying ninth in the table, things have gone even better than the 27-year-old might have hoped, but Whitehead says he is not surprised that the group of players he has joined have managed to build on their success from last season.

"It's been really good - they are a great bunch of lads and we are getting results on the pitch," Whitehead said.

"We have got a great spirit and we are progressing well at the moment.

"Looking at the squad and the players we have got there is no reason why we shouldn't be where we are.

"We've got good players, a good team and a good squad and that is all you need in this league.

"I don't know how far we can go - we could go to any heights.

"But we're not going to get carried away with where we are at the moment. We'll just keep grinding out the wins and the results and we'll see where it takes us."

Pulis has frequently stated his determination to keep his players' feet on the ground and Whitehead was full of praise for the methods of his new manager.

"He's different to work with than a few other managers," Whitehead said.

"He goes into a lot of detail in terms of making sure that the team is hard to break down, keep a good shape and frustrate teams.

"Then we play our football after that. He's good to play for because you know exactly what you have to do."

Stoke travel to Hull on Sunday with speculation rife that defeat may spell the end for Phil Brown's time in charge at the KC Stadium.

Hull are struggling at the wrong end of the table and will be desperate for victory, but Whitehead feels confident that the Potters can maintain their away form.

"It's going to be fast and furious early on, that's for sure," Whitehead said.

"They are going to want to get off to a good start like we are.

"It will be tough like any match is in the Premier League, but as long as we are on our game, we are confident of getting a result."