Fulham boss Martin Jol sees their FA Cup exit as a blessing in disguise.

Jol is quite happy to see relegation rivals Wigan and Reading carry on in the Cup while Fulham focus on collecting the 12 points he feels they need to survive.

"It's no guarantee of safety, but on the other hand, I always like it if teams, especially those around us, have replays or stay in the Cup," said the Cottagers boss.

"So in that respect it's probably better to be out of it. It's quite simple - we need four or five wins. But if you leave it up until the end of the season, you could probably end up with a problem.

"If we win those games as soon as possible, it could be easier. I think you will need 36 or 37 points to be safe and at present, there are probably eight teams who are fairly concerned."