ROY Hodgson defended his decision to change the entire starting XI as Fulham bowed out of the Carling Cup at Manchester City last night.
The Whites fielded a virtual second string at the City of Manchester Stadium, with Simon Davies the only first-team regular.
Zoltan Zera's volley gave the visitors the lead, but Gareth Barry forced the game into extra-time, where Kolo Toure's header 10 minutes proved the difference.
However, Hodgson has no regrets about leaving his first team in London.
He said: "I'm disappointed we haven't taken it to penalties, but I couldn't ask more than they have given.
"I thought this team would give Man City a game, and knew we would stretch them. It was a better level than I could ask for, and drawing 1-1 [after 90 minutes] was more than I could expect but we deserved it.
"We made 11 changes, but if you look at our programme we've got Arsenal, Basle and West Ham in the next week."
"I have got a pretty good idea now of which players I can trust."