Fulham defender Stephen Kelly insists the Whites can overcome their recent run of results following Saturday afternoon’s 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa.
In-form Villa travelled to the Cottage and reignited their push for a UEFA Champions League place with Gabriel Agbonlahor on target twice in what was an impressive win for Martin O’Neill’s side.
Despite a bright start, Fulham were undone and saw an 11-game unbeaten home run come to an end.
The 26-year-old told Fulhamfc.com: “I think everyone would agree that we started well and came out and had a real go at them. There were certainly moments in the game where we were on top, but we just didn’t have the luck in the final third.
“Villa’s defence was solid throughout and there were times where they were just throwing bodies in the way of the ball. There were quite a few instances where that was the case and had we managed to steer the ball home from one of those then things may have been different.
“At the other end, we conceded two soft goals and of course, we can’t be happy with that. Agbonlahor got across his man and headed in quite freely which isn’t really like us and the second, okay it was a great turn and a great finish, but I think we could have done better also.
“We’ve been punished again for giving teams chances. That’s what happens at this level and you just can’t afford to do that. It’s hard to come back from two goals down, especially against a team like Aston Villa, and left ourselves with a lot to do.”
Villa moved to sixth in the Barclays Premier League table with their first win in five league outings and showed the kind of energy and endeavour that have won them a number of admirers this term.
“They are a very good side; they pass the ball well, use the flanks and have a lot of pace,” says Kelly. “They have a good squad of players and Agbonlahor showed his quality with his two finishes. So credit to Villa, because they did play well.
“But we can still feel disappointed that we didn’t offer more and the fact we switched off when it mattered. We’re capable of beating teams like Villa though, and we were certainly looking to come away with something.”
This defeat left the Whites seeking a first league win since that memorable 3-0 defeat of Manchester United in mid-December. Roy Hodgson’s side now have three games in seven days, with Kelly confident they can bounce back.
He said: “Five straight defeats in the league is obviously massively disappointing and we have to drag ourselves back – starting with the game against Portsmouth on Wednesday evening.
“That’s a game that we have to make sure we get three points from because we need it. It’s been a while since we took any points and of course, we are aware of that. It’s difficult to take.
“To be honest I don’t think we’ve been playing badly, but it does reach a stage where we have to stop saying 'well at least we’ve been playing well'. I think we’d all agree that it’s the points that are important.
“We need to start putting some points on the board now and make sure that we’re a bit more resilient. Following the Portsmouth match we have Bolton and then Burnley and we’re confident that we can turn things around with three games coming in quick succession. Those points would certainly push us back up the table.”