Hughes a happy Cottager

Fulham boss Mark Hughes believes his side can match any team at Craven Cottage and will build on their FA Cup win over Tottenham on Sunday.

The west London club showed their potential when they cruised to a 4-0 win over Harry Redknapp’s side and booked their place in the fifth round of the competition.

Fulham have hit form at just the right time at the Cottage, scoring 15 goals in their last four home games.

Hughes is hoping his side can maintain that impressive run when they play Newcastle on Wednesday and help them move further clear of the English Premier League’s bottom three.

Hughes said of Newcastle: “They are playing well at the moment and are above us in the league so it is another challenge for us on the back of playing Tottenham.”

“We are playing another side who are above us but we are playing with confidence and anybody coming to the Cottage these days will have to play well to overcome us.”

“At the moment we are enjoying our football. If you are struggling and not playing well the frequency of games can be too much for you but that is not the case with us and we are looking forward to every game that is coming along.”

Hughes had the added luxury of being able to rest several of his key players during the second half of their 4-0 win over Tottenham.

Andy Johnson has just returned from a long-term injury while Moussa Dembele had been nursing ankle complaint.

“The FA Cup win has set us up nicely for the Newcastle game. I had that in mind during the second half when I could protect a number of players like Andy Johnson and Dembele,” Hughes said.

“I was grateful that the game was won and we could save players for Wednesday night.”

Fulham’s new loan signings Eidur Gudjohnsen and Gael Kakuta could both make their first appearances for the club.