Coleman out to get last laugh

Former Wales team-mates Chris Coleman and Gary Speed will renew a rivalry at Bolton tomorrow that has been running for more than 25 years, though it is the Fulham manager who goes in search of revenge.

"We go back a long, long way," said Coleman, regarding his friendship with the Bolton midfielder.

"We have played against each other since we were nine years old. I was playing for Swansea schoolboys under-10's and he was playing for Deeside in North Wales, and they beat us in the Welsh Cup Final 3-1.

"It still hurts and he still lets me know - I think Gary got man-of-the-match in both games and he's not let me forget!

"He probably never thought I was going to be a manager and I certainly didn't look at Gary in that way. I would like him to go into management because maybe he would stop calling me up and saying how easy it must be!"

Coleman, though, has a much bigger incentive to secure a victory over highflying Bolton.

Fulham are now six points clear of the relegation zone after last Sunday's victory against Portsmouth and the Welshman believes that one more win could bring safety. He added: "The whole club has worked very, very hard in the last five or six years to get where they are now and so the responsibility on us not to get relegated is absolutely massive.

"We have got to make sure that we never ever let that happen."

Coleman, who insists that he enjoys the continued backing of Mohammed Fayed, is set to keep faith with the team that finished against Portsmouth.

It means that Brian McBride, who was influential after appearing as a substitute last Sunday, is likely to start. Sylvain Legwinski and Papa Bouba Diop are still out injured.