Fulham eye top-ten finish

Fulham midfielder Dickson Etuhu said the club have an eye on a top-ten finish in the English Premier League after their thrashing of Blackpool.

The Cottagers beat Ian Holloway’s side 3-0 at home to move into tenth spot on the table, but such is the closeness of the league, they remain just six points from the relegation zone.

But Etuhu said the club’s mindset was now a positive one, having moved away from the flurry of teams in the bottom half of the table.

“We’re not thinking about going down, we’re thinking about going up and concentrating on that,” Etuhu said.

“We know we’re good enough and you know there are still seven games to go. The league is very tight and anything could happen.”

“We’re focused, the manager and coaching staff have a plan and we’re all together on it and it is working well.”

“Obviously the top 10 is the target for us, but at the end of the day we have just got to keep getting points on the board.”

Fulham took just three points from a possible 12 in February, but a win over Blackburn, a narrow 2-1 loss to in-form side Everton and a resounding victory over the Seasiders is a show of their form.

Etuhu said their manager, former Manchester United forward Mark Hughes, had inspired them to be confident of beating anyone – and their next challenge in the league on Saturday, Hughes’ old club away at Old Trafford, will require every bit of confidence.

“The manager does not expect us to lose to anybody. He expects us to win every game and that is what we need,” he said.

“That is what we need to believe and that is why we go out – especially at home – believing we can beat anyone.”