Stalteri: Future is bright if we avoid the drop

Victory at Portsmouth in a final-day decider will seal a dramatic escape and allow Fulham to look forward to an eighth successive campaign in the top flight.

Right-back Stalteri said: "Assuming we stay up, I've got this gut feeling Fulham won't be in a similar situation to the last two years. I'm not saying we'll be fighting for a place in Europe next season, but I don't think we'll be going into the last game needing three points to stay up.

"You've seen results coming round for us in the last couple of months and, if the manager is given the whole summer to work with this squad, I could imagine seeing us anywhere as high as 11th or 10th next year, definitely in the top half of the table. The squad is strong and it has the quality."

Stalteri's optimism springs from a dramatic run-in to the end of the current campaign which has seen Roy Hodgson's team win three out of four games, including last Saturday's key victory over relegation rivals Birmingham City.

That 2-0 triumph saw Fulham rise out of the bottom three for the first time since just before Christmas and now Hodgson's men go to Fratton Park knowing their fate is in their own hands.

Twelve months ago Fulham were saved by a home win over Liverpool in the penultimate fixture. This time it comes down to the last game and awin will ensure survival, no matter what Reading or Birmingham do.

The tension is mounting and Stalteri, whose consistency and experience has proved so valuable to Fulham since he joined on loan from Tottenham in January, admitted he is feeling it.

The 30-year-old Canadian won a Bundesliga and Cup double with Werder Bremen in 2004, played in the Champions League for the German side, was lauded by Martin Jol at Spurs and has regularly captained his national team.

Yet, for all that success, he said: "Helping Fulham stay up would be right up there with those other achievements. To be honest, it's been even harder than winning the league championship with Bremen. This has been a lot more stressful than that season."

The reception that greeted last week's win over Birmingham was quite extraordinary, with hardly a single Fulham fan leaving Craven Cottage until Hodgson and the players had completed a celebratory lap of the pitch. But Stalteri knows there will be no let-up in the stress levels against Portsmouth, even though the FA Cup finalists will have one eye on their Wembley appearance tomorrow week.

He warned: "We have to be well aware that nothing has been accomplished yet. That wasn't the 38th game of the season, it was the 37th and there are still three big points up for grabs on Sunday."

"The mood is good, though. The players are experienced enough to keep their focus and the manager has made sure we haven't got over-excited. I certainly won't celebrate until we've made sure of survival."

There could be a double celebration with Stalteri next week seeking to turn his loan deal into a permanent move. He said: "I've got no regrets coming here and I'd definitely love to stay on at the club."

But what if that meant playing in the Championship next season? Stalteri set the tone for Sunday's showdown when he insisted: "Everybody at the club is thinking about just one thing and that's staying up, not going down.

"My only thoughts are of keeping this team in the Premier League, and hopefully playing here in that league next season."