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Hodgson nervous ahead of final-day showdown

09/05/2008

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has admitted he is feeling the pressure of the club's survival campaign ahead of the final round of matches this Sunday.

The Cottagers face FA Cup finalists Portsmouth at Fratton Park in their last game of the season, knowing that a win will definitely see them survive in the Premier League.

And three points against Pompey would mark the end of a remarkable turnaround for Fulham, who looked all but relegated only a matter of weeks ago.

The club's fans cheered the team around a lap of honour at Craven Cottage last Saturday following their crucial 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Birmingham City.

And Hodgson said this premature celebration has only added more pressure on his side to complete the job this week.

"That reception is the biggest pressure that has been put upon us. We realised then, if we hadn't already, that it is so important to people," the Fulham boss explained.

"If anything, it worried me because I don't think we deserved it. I thought it was magnificent of the fans to stay behind and give us that reception to make us feel good.

"But we can still slip into the Championship and there's still a big risk of that happening."

Any two teams of three teams could still be relegated alongside bottom club Derby County on Sunday - with 19th-placed Birmingham City and 18th-placed Reading currently favourites for the drop.

Fulham occupy the final safe place in the table, 17th, heading into the last day of the season, ahead of the Royals on goal difference only.

Bolton Wanderers can technically still be relegated, although it would take a remarkable swing of 11 goals in the results on Sunday to see them go down before Reading or Fulham.