Bullard: West Ham miracle is our inspiration

The chances of Fulham engineering a great escape of their own are slim. But after snatching a late equaliser at Ewood Park, Bullard was as ebullient as ever as he revealed that West Ham's phoenix-from-the-flames recovery was held up as a beacon of hope in a team meeting at Fulham's hotel.

"It was a proper meeting, the most serious I've been involved in," said the former Wigan and Hammers man.

"As a West Ham fan, I know what can be done. We're not silly, we knew it started here for West Ham as well. We haven't given in. We're going to give it a right good crack."

Only the most optimistic fan would believe that Bullard can be Fulham's Tevez. Both players defy their small frames with big hearts and even bigger performances, but Bullard is hardly a prolific goalscorer.

His last goal, on February 3 against Aston Villa, was also the last time Fulham found the net in Roy Hodgson's only win since arriving at the club. In the 89th-minute on Saturday, he produced a carbon copy free-kick from the edge of the area to leave Brad Friedel grasping at thin air.

Mike Riley's decision to award it in the first place was the cause of some dispute, the referee deciding that Blackburn defender Chris Samba was guilty of dangerous play when he raised his boot to hook the ball away from Eddie Johnson.

Hodgson thought it was a definite free-kick, but Rovers boss Mark Hughes claimed it was no different to the type of challenge Samba puts in every week without being punished.

"It was a bit harsh," said the big defender. "If it had been in the box, he'd never have given it. But it's our fault, because we were not mentally prepared. We thought it would be easy. But this was the kind of game teams at the top would have closed out with five minutes to go."

The two camps also differed in their views of Blackburn's goal after 59 minutes as Hodgson insisted his defender Paul Stalteri was shoved to the ground before Morten Gamst Pedersen met Roberts' cross with an emphatic header past Kasey Keller.

While a point gives Fulham hope for a dramatic revival, Blackburn know it will do little to help their bid for a UEFA Cup place.