Having dismissed Fulham as Premier League no-hopers barely a year ago, Mark Schwarzer has revealed he is now pleased he was persuaded to become part of the club's remarkable revival that may yet see them qualify for Europe.

The summer signing of Schwarzer from Middlesbrough was just one of the astute moves made by manager Roy Hodgson that have transformed Fulham from being relegation fodder into consistent performers in the top half of the table.

The big Australian goalkeeper has been the bedrock of a defence that boasts the fourth best goals-conceded record in the league. And he was at his brilliant best on Saturday when successive point-blank saves from Ji-Sung Park and Wayne Rooney helped Fulham clinch a shock victory over Manchester United that blew the title race wide open.

While Boro are now struggling to beat the drop, Schwarzer and his new team-mates find themselves ninth - just one point off the seventh place that will almost certainly earn a place in the new Europa Cup competition next season.

Schwarzer, who also considered offers to move to Bayern Munich and Juventus when he ended an 11-year association with Middlesbrough, puts his current good fortune down to the persuasive powers of Hodgson.

Still fit and agile at 36, he said: "Towards the end of last season most people were writing Fulham off, and I was one of them. Around February time, when I was at Boro, I remember thinking Fulham had no chance of surviving.

"But they created that amazing feat, staying up, and then, when I came down to speak Roy Hodgson, I realised he had plans, that he wanted to turn the club around and make them into a strong team and really look up towards the top half of the table.

"This season we've consolidated very well, we've played very good football and I think it's right we're in the position we're in."

Schwarzer, hoping that a win over Uzbekistan in Sydney next Wednesday will all but clinch World Cup qualification for the Socceroos, credits the team spirit inspired by Hodgson for the turnaround in Fulham's fortunes.

He said: "It's fantastic to have that type of manager who encourages you and gives you self-belief, so that if you make a mistake you just get your head down and rectify it. Everyone is pulling in the right direction, everyone is supporting each other, guys are covering each other in case there are mistakes.

"From the front line to the back line we're defending as a team and that shows with the amount of clean sheets we've had this season. Our defensive record is outstanding and that is credit to the full team, not just the back four and the goalkeeper.

"Now we have 40 points, and everyone talks about 40 points being in the safe zone. When you think about what Fulham went through last season, to be where we are now is a credit to everyone at the club."

And they're not finished yet. Schwarzer said: "There's eight games to go and we definitely want to finish in the top half of the table.

"But I'm also hoping for two of the top four teams to be in the FA Cup Final so another place in Europe goes to a finishing position in the League - that would open it up."

It is typical of the confidence now coursing through Craven Cottage that Fulham's next fixture, at home to Liverpool on Saturday week, holds few fears for Schwarzer.

"It's a massive game," he said. "But hopefully we can perform equally well against them as we did against Manchester United."