WITH just three days to go until our FA Cup clash with Fulham, everyone is fully focused on the task that lies ahead of us.

We have all enjoyed a relaxing few days in Portugal and will hopefully be back fully refreshed and ready for the battle when we return to training at Gawthorpe tomorrow morning.

The training conditions have been great out here and it has been very good for us to get away from the wet pitches down at Gawthorpe.

But that is not to say we have all been lying around in baking hot sun. In fact we have only had about an hour or so of sun each day so it is not likely we will be flashing our tans at Loftus Road.

The main aim has been to get a break together ahead of some very tough matches that lie ahead, starting with the Cup clash. The lads who played so well at Coventry have renewed the belief we can still achieve things this season and having had a few days away, we now have to build on it.

We are all hoping that the mini-break will have done the trick and got us in the right frame of mind for the run-in to the season.

None of the injured lads, including myself, have been working too hard out here because we have just concentrated on a bit of light work, doing a bit of running and fairly gentle exercise.

Because the weather has not been the best there has been a bit of sitting around, drinking coffee but it has been a really nice, relaxing break. Some of the lads have played a bit of golf and it has been good to get away.

I was not right for the Coventry game but am still hoping that I will be okay to take on Fulham. The acid test will come tomorrow when we start the really hard training back home tomorrow. We will be at full pelt on Saturday as well before travelling down for the game and that will tell the manager who is ready for the big one and who is still short.

What we do know is that it is a game that everyone wants to be involved in. We all know that they have got a lot of good players, like the striker Louis Saha, and they will start favourites.

But that was the case when we played against Spurs last November and we all know what happened there. Also, they had good players when we last played them and we managed to win that one at Turf Moor the season they won the first division.

We know there will be a lot of fans down there, getting right behind us, and it is up to us to put on a good show and do them proud, whoever plays.

The FA Cup is special and the chance to make the quarter-finals is enough incentive for anyone.

We may not win, anything can happen in the Cup, but I can guarantee we will be giving it our very best shot.

THERE is one Fulham player I am looking forward to seeing, my old mate Steve Finnan.

We used to live around the corner from each other.

Steve has done really well for club and country and he is a threat coming forward as well as being solid at the back.

We always have a laugh together after any game. I am hoping there will be a few people for me to meet up with. I always have a good few friends and family come to any match back home "darn sarf!"