Fulham boss Roy Hodgson refuses to give up on their battle against the drop after yesterday's 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United.

A 32nd consecutive away league game without a victory left Fulham deep in trouble but manager Hodgson far from ready to throw in the towel.

He said: "We were two points behind Bolton and we are now three points; Birmingham, who were four points ahead of us at the start of the day are still four points ahead.

"We have got seven games to play. But it was a significant move for Sunderland with their excellent win at Aston Villa, so we have lost touch with them.

"But having said that, seven matches, a lot of things can happen. We have got to keep believing that our football can get us out of this situation and we have got to hope that the things that didn't go right for us today, we can put right."