Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has warned his players not to become complacent as they battle to save their Premier League status.

Fulham are now just four points from safety at the foot of the table and face fellow strugglers Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.

The Cottagers have eight more games to avoid relegation from the top flight but five of those are away from home and they have not won on their travels for 18 months.

But Hodgson has been boosted by a draw away at Blackburn and a hard-fought victory over Everton at Craven Cottage last Sunday.

The Fulham chief is well aware his side must not become complacent as they approach the first in a number of crucial games.

Hodgson said: "I do feel the confidence in the team is good but I hope they are aware that one victory doesn't solve any problems.

"If we start believing that because we have done quite well in the last couple of games our problems are virtually over, then we are unbelievably naive.

"Our problems are still great because we are in the relegation zone and adrift of a pack of teams just above the relegation zone.

"Everything depends on us making certain that the hunger, appetite, desire, enthusiasm and work rate is there in every game and then I would like to think if we have that, we might just have enough quality.

"There is a belief that if we can continue to keep this level of performance up and make certain we never drop below that in the last eight games, that even though we are carrying the burden of being behind the other teams, we can make that difference up.

"It has got to be done on the field of play. If a team is going to survive it is because the team is actually good enough to survive and the only way we can show that is by doing what we did on Sunday against a good team - producing a good performance and getting a victory.

"In the beginning it was a tough time but since I've become more comfortable with regard to the players and the way the team is playing, I don't think my confidence or belief in them has wavered.

"We haven't, as yet, been able to get ourselves totally back in the mix. We are four points behind and that is better than six, but it is still a lot of points behind."

Newcastle have yet to win under Kevin Keegan and Hodgson knows that if they can take three points on Tyneside, it will drag the Geordies deeper into the relegation mire.

But the Fulham boss maintains that no club has a divine right to Premier League status - not even Newcastle.

He added: "I have great respect for Newcastle. I know what a great club they are but these days, apart from the very fortunate five or six at the top end who never flirt with relegation, there are not too many others who can say they will never find themselves in a difficult position.

"It seems to me the way Newcastle approach it that they are perfectly aware that there is no God-given right and they have to claw their way out of an unpleasant situation."

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