Fulham defender John Heitinga is preparing for seven cup finals to save Fulham from Barclays Premier League relegation.
The Whites sit rock bottom of the table heading into this weekend’s visit of Robtero Martinez’s Everton.
Heitinga only swapped Goodison Park for Craven Cottage in January and knows only too well the threat posed by the Toffees.
It is the first of seven tests Fulham are facing between now and May 11 as Felix Magath looks to mastermind a great escape.
Four or five wins should be enough to see the Whites survive but Heitinga is approaching every game with a cup final mindset in a bid to beat the drop.
“I knew when I came to Fulham that it was going to be hard and a long season,” he said.
“Hopefully my experience will keep Fulham in the league. We will still need to play better. We need to fight to survive.
“It’s important to look at ourselves. We showed against Newcastle [a 1-0 triumph earlier this month] that we will be hard to beat at home, and in the games before for example.
“It [Everton] is an important game and all of the games that are coming are important. They are all big. They are all cup finals. There’s still 21 points to play for and hopefully we will survive.”
Fulham’s hopes of beating the drop took another blow on Saturday as they were thumped 5-0 by title hopefuls Manchester City.
Fernando Amorebieta partnered Brede Hangeland in the centre of defence, Heitinga’s preferred position, but conceded two penalties and was sent off.
It means the Venezuelan will miss this weekend’s game with Everton through suspension and opens up a spot in the heart of the Whites backline for Heitinga to slot into.
“I will play wherever the manager asks me to play,” added the Holland international.
“Normally I play as a centre-half. I did for the national team and my other clubs. It’s up to the manager but I can play in different positions and at the moment I am flexible.”
