Fulham Head Coach Scott Parker believes the fixture list gets no easier for Fulham as we prepare to face Brighton & Hove Albion at Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening.
The Whites have impressed against the top sides of late, garnering four points from meetings with Leicester City and Liverpool, but Parker knows Graham Potter’s men will also provide a stern test.
“I’ve nothing but admiration for Graham, the way he plays and what he’s doing there, and what he did at Swansea as well,” he said.
“They’re a very good club, Brighton. Obviously at this moment, and maybe last year at times, they’re in and around where they are currently, but they’re a very, very good team, a well coached team, a team that everyone sees can cause many a team problems.
“It will be a tough game for us tomorrow night, we understand that. It’s a team that’s been in the Premier League now for some time, and they’ve stabilised a little bit over the last few years.
“An established Premier League team, with a very good manager, so it will be a tough ask tomorrow.”
Victory for Fulham would see us leapfrog the Seagulls in the Premier League, but Parker is not concerning himself with such variables at this time.
“It’s still very early on in the season but in terms of the table and where teams lie, and where we lie at this present moment in time, it’s not a big worry or focus for me where we can go, where we can jump,” he explained.
“The main focus for me is trying to win games and trying to get points, whether that’s playing against Brighton, Liverpool, Man City. We always go into games trying to put our way on the game, trying to come out with points.
“It’s another huge game, but every game for us this year is going to be massive, just like the last one was, and the next one after this will be again.
“I like where we are at the moment, I like the way we’re going, we need to keep on that track and try and put in a very good performance tomorrow night.”
The team was expecting to be roared on by the Fulham faithful again on Wednesday, but sadly the news of London entering Tier 3 means the fans will be denied that opportunity.
“It’s devastating news to be quite honest with you because if there’s one thing that I was very complimentary about, and certainly was massive for us against Liverpool, was the fans,” Parker said.
“There was [only] 2,000 in that stadium, but it was electric. It was a real breath of fresh air, and it showed how much we’d missed them.
“As quickly as the fans were allowed in, they’re now back out. It’s the current climate we’re in. Everything in this time is very uncertain, things change very, very quickly, which we’re all experiencing and understanding.
“But I can’t lie, it’s very, very disappointing, because at times during this season when you are where we are, they’re going to be the help we need, they’ll be that extra man for us.
“I’m gutted for that, I’m gutted for the fans as well.”