WE’VE SCOTT WHAT IT TAKES

Parker: I don’t see any pressure on my team

SCOTT PARKER last night insisted his team have not lost their bottle – as Fulham’s fight to stay in the Premier League reaches its climax.

Parker’s men face a must-win contest against Wolves at Craven Cottage this evening, but go into the match on the back of a dramatic collapse against Aston Villa last week, which meant they have lost their last three games.

It is a stumble that has come at just the wrong time in the season, and brought to a halt a promising run of only two losses in their previous 10 matches, which had dragged other teams into the relegation fight and given the Cottagers hope.

Individual errors from some of Parker’s young players have cost them dearly in recent games, and they go into tonight’s clash still three points from safety, having played a game more than fellow strugglers Newcastle, who sit one place above them.

But Parker fiercely denied that, in the face of this pressure, his young team were losing their nerve.

The Fulham manager said: “I don’t think so. The nearer you get to the end goal, the pressure does crank up. But I don’t see any pressure in this team.

“We’ll keep fighting, keep pushing. We need everyone now showing guts on the pitch, having the bravery to stand out.

“We have lost against some good teams in the past few weeks. The players have done incredibly well.

“They should understand where we are, the position we are in and the

opportunity we have got. They should relish it.” Against Villa (Joachim Andersen and Aleksandar Mitrovic, below), defensive errors cost Parker’s team three late goals and three points in a 3-1 defeat.

And the Cottagers boss said: “There have been honest conversations, but always very rational.

“One thing we have always been this year is brutally honest. Without honesty, you can’t ever move forward. “If you are an individual, or a team, that is in denial and don’t want to point the finger, then you are never going to learn. When things have not been good enough, and people have been dug out, nine times out of 10 we have reacted in a positive way.

“Players here take things on the chin. But we need to act quick. What happened at Villa can’t happen again, with seven games to go.”

One boost for Parker is that winger Ademola Lookman, who tweaked a hamstring at Villa, is expected to be fit.

IN WITH A SHOUT Parker reckons his boys can keep their nerve as they fight to stay in top flight