Fulham boss Scott Parker admits Tuesday’s clash with Nottingham Forest falls into the category of a huge game.
The Cottagers travel to the City Ground on the back of a late 1-0 victory over Birmingham City on Saturday, their second successive win and one which moved them up to fourth, two points above Forest.
Forest drew 1-1 at Derby County earlier in the day and that win for Fulham ensured they’ll start the midweek encounter two points above the Reds in the play-off zone knowing a win would almost certainly seal their place in the top six.
Tuesday’s match could prove to be a precursor to a meeting in the play-offs later this month, but despite a nine-point cushion with just five games left to play, Parker says his side won’t be taking their foot off the pedal as they look to keep their momentum going.
“Our main focus is to win games and we’ve got tough ones coming up,” said the Fulham chief.
“I think whether you’re playing top, mid table or bottom, every game will be huge. These are ones we need to prepare for and try and get on a good run.
“Back-to-back wins are huge.”
Fulham returned from the break with two straight defeats against Brentford and Leeds, but have found some form at the right time and with such a hectic schedule, Parker says the workload on the players is proving tough.
“It’s difficult,” he said.
“You have to get back up to speed and it’s a long season.
“This should be pre-season. There are five games to go and this is where either seasons fritter away or people put their foot to the floor. That’s the challenge. Let’s make this season something we look back on.
"After three months without being around my players, I knew the ones coming back in the best physical nick would perform. This week was our 20 session contact wise.
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"We’ve done all we can. It’s been a quick turnaround, but I’m pleased. We lost 2-0 and 3-0 against Brentford and Leeds and we didn’t deserve that.
“We’ve deserved these two wins and we need to keep going.”
