Hodgson: we will survive

ROY HODGSON refuses to believe his Fulham side are heading for the drop.

The Cottagers remain deep in the Premier League relegation mire, despite snatching a dramatic point here courtesy of Jimmy Bullard’s late free-kick, after Morten Gamst Pedersen had headed Rovers in front just before the hour.

It leaves them seven points below the safety line with just nine games to play, but Hodgson retains the optimism he brought with him when appointed in December.

His team have not won in four games but when asked if they can survive, Hodgson replied simply: “Of course we can.”

With games against fellow strugglers such as Newcastle, Derby, Sunderland, Reading and Birmingham to come, there remains reason for Fulham to believe they can pull off a remarkable escape.

Hodgson added: “The games at this level are intensive encounters.

“All I can say is I don’t think anyone watching this game will have dismissed us as a team doomed for relegation without a chance in the Premier League.

“At this stage you don’t know if points are valuable or not in terms of the number of points you need, but they are always valuable in terms of being able to come away from here unbeaten after a good performance.

Said Rovers boss Mark Hughes: “At the end of the day it is a poor result for us, because we need to win as many games as we can.”

BLACKBURN: Friedel 6, Ooijer 6, Samba 5, Khizanishvili 5, Warnock 6, Bentley 7, Reid 8, Tugay 5 (Roberts 57, 6), Pedersen 6, Santa Cruz 5, McCarthy 5 (Derbyshire 56, 5).

Subs Not Used: Brown, Mokoena, Dunn.

FULHAM: Keller 5, Stalteri 5, Hughes 7, Hangeland 4, Konchesky 7, Dempsey 5 (McBride 66, 5), Bullard 8, Andreasen 5, Murphy 7 (Healy 84, 5), Davies 5, Johnson 6.

Subs Not Used: Niemi, Volz, Bocanegra.

REFEREE: Mike Riley (Yorkshire) 6: Sound enough, although he missed the foul on Stalteri in the build-up to Blackburn’s goal.

MATCH VERDICT: ** Pretty dire, although this was a crucial point for Fulham.