Fulham boss Chris Coleman hailed the performance of his
injury-hit side in their 2-1 home win over Middlesbrough on Monday
evening.
The Cottagers took a crucial three points, despite the absences of
the likes of Jimmy Bullard, Papa Bouba Diop, Luis Boa Morte and
Simon Elliott, leaving Coleman a happy man.
He said: "It was an easy team-talk. We had nine missing and our
players were dropping like flies.
"I told my guys not to be nervous and luckily we got the penalty
and that settled us down.
"But then we conceded a goal where we switched off. Antti Niemi
made a mistake with his goal-kick and then our defenders switched
off.
"It was a big game for us and our attitude was much better than in
previous games and I am very proud of my players.
"We went 2-0 up and then could have scored more, but we conceded a
goal at the end and could have collapsed as we did against
Liverpool.
"I know you don't get relegated at Christmas, but if you have a bad
festive period then it makes a huge difference to your
season.
"But we showed great energy and all the lads who came in and did a
good job."