Hodgson's side looked set for the Championship when they trailed by two goals to Manchester City on 26th April but an astonishing three-goal comeback helped to ease their fears.

Their survival hopes were given a further boost last weekend when they overcame fellow strugglers Birmingham City 2-0 at Craven Cottage.

Now a win against Portsmouth in their final match on Sunday will ensure their top flight status for another season.

"I wish there were six or seven more games left to play," said Hodgson. "Then I would be feeling really confident that we could pull ourselves out of it.

"I fear we've left it very late but the great thing is we go into the last game with a chance of success.

"I've got to say, three or four weeks ago, our chances of survival looked so slim. But we didn't lose faith and we've always thought we could do what we've done.

"It would be a great achievement by the team and I'm just a part of it.

"We've got an excellent coaching staff and the players have responded magnificently. The longer we've worked, the better they've got.

"I am, first and foremost, a coach. I get out on the field everyday and work on our attacking and defending."

Looking ahead to challenges which face him and his side in the coming days, he added: "I think it will be a great week. There'll be a lot of media attention, there'll be a lot of speculation; 'can they do it?', 'should they do it?', 'are they the right team to do it?'

"That's what we're in the game for. We'll work hard to make certain we're as well prepared as possible to face Portsmouth. Then I'll brace myself for Sunday.

"That might be a great night or it might be a very bad one. I'll have to brace myself for both possibilities."