Felix Magath certain Fulham will avoid Premier League relegation

New Fulham boss Felix Magath insists he will keep the Cottagers up despite being denied victory in his opening game by a late West Brom equaliser.

The 1-1 draw means Fulham stay bottom of the Premier League, four points from safety with 11 games remaining.

Asked if he was certain Fulham would survive, Magath said: "I was sure before the game and I am sure now.

"We were close to winning against West Brom and the next game we will win - it is only against Chelsea!"

Goal-line technology confirmed West Brom's equaliser had crossed the line before Fulham goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg could retrieve it

Magath, who was never relegated in 20 years as a manager in Germany, replaced Rene Meulensteen as head coach at Craven Cottage on February 14 and set his new side a target of six wins to stay in the top flight.

Ashkan Dejagah fired Fulham ahead and they were within five minutes of achieving the first of those victories when Matej Vydra's strike finally made the Baggies' pressure count.

The Cottagers had dominated in the first half, however, and Magath, a lover of discipline and hard work, saw enough from his side's spirited show to give him hope they can climb out of the relegation zone.

"I am disappointed and the players are disappointed too," Magath added. "They were close to the three points and had played a good game.

"It was a typical game between two teams battling against relegation. There was a lot of fight, which is what I want my team to do. So I was very satisfied, especially with the first half.

"I saw some encouraging things for the rest of the season. We as a team were really close together and fought really well. We looked like a team but without enough confidence to perform how we wanted over 90 minutes.

"Sure, I would have preferred to have won but a point is quite good and we will have to do it step by step."