Fulham boss Mark Hughes believes his side have too much quality to be drawn into a relegation dogfight after a Clint Dempsey equaliser earned them a home point in a 1-1 draw against Birmingham.
The Cottagers have now gone five league games without a win but Hughes insists there is no need to panic even though they are just one place above the bottom three.
“It was difficult because at 1-0 down they got lots of people behind the ball away from,” Hughes said. “We had to keep on going, keep knocking at the door, keep showing belief, which I was really pleased with and we got back on level terms.
“Towards the end of the game the one side that looked like creating something was ourselves. I was pleased with the guys. We are missing a number of key players. We have missed these key players in the attacking third and that will affect your momentum and fluidity of your play.
“We have just got to keep going. The guys are working exceptionally hard to get points on the board. Birmingham are probably more pleased with the point than we are. We are very aware of where we are, you only have to look at the table.
“But we only five points away from seventh, so you can look at it both ways. What we have to do is keep that belief that I saw in abundance today. We have too much quality and just need to get a few players back.”
