Fulham win ‘unbelievably important’ – Jol

Manager Martin Jol described Fulham’s tension-lifting 1-0 victory against Stoke City as being of “unbelievable importance”.

Pressure had been mounting on the Dutchman, as his side had not won in the league since the opening day at Sunderland.

Darren Bent came off the bench to grab a late winner but Jol insisted his team still have much to improve on after former Whites boss Mark Hughes’ side dominated for large periods.

“The win had unbelievable importance,” Jol said.

“I can come up with all the stories and excuses I can, and talk about the spirit and the players being behind me, but if we don’t get three points then everyone is depressed.

“I’m really happy to get three points. We need results. We need to be in a good position. We need to be without pressure.

“When a team is under pressure they are not able to play to their best and you saw that with us today.

“We were lucky. Stoke didn’t have that many chances but [Robert] Huth had two clear headers from set-pieces and we nearly conceded from them.

“Everything is good [after a win] but not for me. We still have to improve.”

Jol, barracked by some fans after the recent home defeat against Cardiff, was applauded off the pitch after his team’s win.

He said he was pleased for the supporters but urged them not to get carried away.

“If you are a club like Fulham you have to be patient,” he explained.

“Three years ago under Mark Hughes they had six points out of eight games so this not a new situation for this club.

“We shouldn’t get carried away. We want to be in the top 10 but it will be big struggle for us to be in there.

“I will still be a manager for years but I want to be here, with my players. Most of these players are here because of me.”

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