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Simon Davies
Feeling the heat: Simon Davies

It would be devastating to fail now, says Davies

Ben Hunt
8 May 2008


Simon Davies has warned his Fulham team-mates not to fall at the final hurdle when they look to secure their Premier League survival on Sunday.

Victory at FA Cup finalists Portsmouth will complete a remarkable revival for a side, whose confidence was at rock bottom when Lawrie Sanchez was sacked on 21 December.

Under Roy Hodgson, Fulham have come good at just the right time with three wins in their last four games - including a 3-2 comeback victory at Manchester City and a crucial 2-0 triumph over Birmingham - leaving their fate in their own hands.

Former Tottenham midfielder Davies said: "Portsmouth will be the biggest game of my career, no doubt about it. It means so much to be in the Premier League, to the club, players, staff - everyone.

"I've played in some big matches at club level and for Wales, but in a prolonged relegation battle the pressure is so intense.

"It would be worse now if we didn't go and finish it off. From where we were, we have done remarkably well to get to this position, but we have not achieved anything yet.

"I am nervous - if I wasn't then I would not be human. There was real pressure last Saturday against Birmingham, everyone in the squad was feeling it.

"To get the win was a massive boost. Now, we've just got to do it one more time."

Fulham goalkeeper Kasey Keller says the players never gave up hope they could survive.

"We always felt that we were capable of doing it," said the American. "We knew as long as there was a mathematical chance, if we put a run together, we could get ourselves out of trouble.

"We had that run of games when we had Newcastle, Derby, Reading and Sunderland at home. We couldn't quite put it together. We felt in those games we had a great chance to get out of trouble.

"We've not done that yet, but it is now down to us and if you'd told us after the Sunderland game last month when we lost 3-1, that we'd be going to Portsmouth with it in our hands, we'd have taken it.

"We're extremely happy but, as Roy has emphasised, we haven't done anything yet. We've got ourselves in a position where we can do it. We still have to go and give a great performance."

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