Fulham boss keen to play down significance of Brighton fixture
Scott Parker has downplayed the importance of Fulham’s crunch clash at Brighton tomorrow night – insisting it’s still too early in the season for one game to be ‘the be all and end all’.
The west Londoners travel to the South Coast in 18th spot in the Premier League – a place and five points behind their opponents.
The Whites have played a game fewer than their hosts, so a victory would hand them the initiative to leapfrog the Seagulls in the near future.
Parker’s men follow that up with a meeting against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Saturday. The Baggies sit just below Fulham in the table in 19th place, having played a game more and taken a point fewer.
“There’s 20 games left in this season, so do I see this game as being the be all and end all and if we don’t get a result then our fate is done? No, I don’t.
“I understand it’s a big game, but the reason it’s a big game is because of where both teams are in the division. That’s why people judge it like that. But it was a big game two weeks ago against whoever it was we played. It was a big game against Sheffield United two or three months ago. Of course, the nearer you get towards the end of the season, the game’s become more intense and words [like pivotal] become more relevant.
“Every game is big for us. I think we’ve shown that over the past few months. We can compete in this division, but we do need to turn these draws into wins. I understand that. Hopefully we can do that against Brighton and West Brom in the games coming up.
“I still feel as a team we’re improving and we’ve developed. I feel like we’ve got a team here who can go and win two or three games back to back. You may think that’s mad – because we’ve only won twice all year and had a few draws – but that’s the way I feel.
“Brighton are a good side – they probably shouldn’t be where they are. I think Graham’s done a fantastic job with his team. They’ve been operating in the Premier League now for some time, hence the quality in their squad with players like Trossard and Maupay who can cause you problems. We all understand where their threats are and we need to work out the best plan to try and nullify that and cause them problems. We’ll be fully aware of how to deal with them.”
PHOTO: KEITH GILLARD
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