Crystal Palace
Hodgson backs Eagles to fly
Roy Hodgson insists Crystal Palace are looking upwards rather than over their shoulders following a 1-1 draw with West Ham.
Wilfried Zaha's late equaliser, upon his return from suspension, secured a deserved point for the Eagles, who trailed to Mark Noble's first-half penalty.
Palace are just three points above the relegation zone and have work to do to avoid the drop, but Hodgson insisted their display against the Hammers was not that of a struggling side.
"I did think our performance, particularly in the second half, was really good and it would have been a bit of a travesty to have got nothing," he said.
"Given the number of chances we had, the one goal we got was pretty poor reward for our efforts. The performance merited three points.
"We need to be able to play like this whoever we meet in the Premier League. That's what we're doing, and that gives me a lot of comfort.
"There are a lot of games to play. I can continue to hope these performances can get us into the top half of the table.
"My perception is that I think I've got a very good football team and they showed it today. I'm entitled to have faith in this team and believe that they should be less concerned about the teams below them."
Michael Holland is a reporter with over two decades of journalism experience. A Bolton fan, Michael often writes football articles, as well as having a strong knowledge of golf, cricket and Australian sports.
