McBride move pays dividends for Coleman

Fulham 3 Portsmouth 1

With Fulham 1-0 down at half-time thanks to a brilliant Lomana LuaLua strike and booed off by a section of their supporters, Coleman brought on striker Brian McBride to give his side greater presence in attack.

The move worked perfectly, and goals from Andy Cole, McBride, and Luis Boa Morte ensured Fulham - who also missed a first-half penalty through Steed Malbranque - moved seven points clear of the relegation zone.

"I could not care less what people in the stands say," said Coleman. "I'm not paid to listen to that. If I were the type of person who did, then I wouldn't be a manager. I'm paid to pick the team I think will win the game - and that's what I did."

This victory could ensure Fulham's survival in the top flight for another season. But Coleman insisted the pressure is still on his team as they prepare for a difficult match at Bolton next Saturday.

"This was an important step forward - but I don't see it as breathing space for us," he continued.

"We need to build on this win, and I will not let my players relax. We are seven points clear with a game in hand on Portsmouth, Southampton and the teams in the bottom three. We are not even looking at the teams above us; we are just concentrating on getting away from the bottom."

Coleman agreed that the introduction of McBride early in the second period - had altered the direction of the match.

Portsmouth have now lost eight of their last 10 matches and risk sliding into the bottom three. The way they collapsed in the second-half will be a worry for their supporters, but coach Joe Jordan denied he was concerned by Pompey's poor recent form.

"We have five points' advantage on Palace, and there are teams in a more serious position than we are," said Jordan. "But that does not hide the fact that we do not have enough points."

Jordan also refused to accept that the players were unsettled by the current managerial situation. Head coach Velimir Zajec will return to his role as director of football at the end of the campaign - and chairman Milan Mandaric revealed that his club have already spoken to potential candidates.

FULHAM: Van der Sar, Volz, Knight, Goma, Rosenior, Malbranque, Legwinski (Radzinski 64), Clark (Bocanegra 84), Jensen (McBride 57), Boa Morte, Cole.

PORTSMOUTH: Ashdown, Taylor, De Zeeuw, Primus, Stefanovic, Cisse, Stone (O'Neil 77), Berger (Kamara 82), Skopelitis, Yakubu (Fuller 88), LuaLua.

Referee: M Clattenburg (Co Durham).