Roy Hodgson insists Fulham are still eying a Europa League spot despite the Cottagers losing their two major strikers to injury.

Both Bobby Zamora (back spasms) and Andy Johnson (knee ligaments) limped off in the 1-0 home win against Stoke last Saturday, a result which hoisted Fulham into the prized seventh spot.

But despite both expecting to spend a spell on the sidelines, Hodgson reckons the race for Europe is still well and truly on.

He said: “We are taking the prospect of Europe very seriously.

“We would absolutely relish the prospect of playing in the Europa League, and it would be an incredible bonus for the club to qualify.

“But we are not trying to run before we can walk.

“We are fully aware that there are a lot of big teams around us, and there is still a lot of work to do.”

Hodgson’s optimism may stem from the fact stand-in striker Erik Nevland fired the winner at the weekend, and has performed well when called upon.

But, as ever, it was his side’s defensive efforts that pleased Hodgson most.

He added: “I thought we were pretty comfortable.

“The back four stood firm when the inevitable Stoke barrage came at the end, and I thought we stopped them getting any clear-cut chances.

“I didn’t think we were going to concede, and we had enough chances to add more ourselves.”

Fulham’s defensive prowess will likely be tested when they travel to Chelsea on Saturday as they look to increase their impressive tally of 14 clean sheets.

And Hodgson admits that has been the bedrock of their campaign.

He added: “I think the number of clean sheets speaks volumes for the amount of hard work everyone has put in.

“All good teams base their tactics on a solid defence.

“You can build on that and start to play football, and we have certainly done that this season.”

Fulham’s next three matches: May 2 Chelsea (a), 9 Aston Villa (h), 16 Newcastle United (a)