Fulham boss Roy Hodgson played down concerns over the fitness of Damien Duff and John Pantsil after the pair were left out of the starting line up for the defeat against Birmingham City. Even though Danny Murphy, Andy Johnson and Diomansy Kamara were unavailable, Hodgson was comfortable with his decision.

 

“Duff's not injured.” said Hodgson, “ It's quite simple for him and Pantsil. He (Pantsil) got back from Ghana late Thursday, Duff got back late from Paris. They both played two games internationally. We have two games next week so it was just a question of using the squad."

Despite their five-match unbeaten run coming to an end, Hodgson was boosted by the return to action of Simon Davies after recovering from an ankle problem. The former Blackburn manager added "You're always sad when an unbeaten run comes to an end. It's been a good spell for us and I suppose what is most disappointing is we've made a mistake in the first-half and paid the ultimate price.”

Lee Bowyer’s early strike separated the teams but Hodgson reflected on missed chances but a strong showing by the home team. “We played very well in the second half but, even in the first half, we had plenty of chances. Full credit to Birmingham for the way their back four defended and their midfield players also got plenty of tackles in.”