Symons hopes for help from his friend

If Kit Symons thinks that his friendship with Chris Coleman will give the Fulham manager an extra incentive to defeat Norwich on Sunday then he is mistaken.

Coleman regards Symons, the Palace No2 whom he played alongside for both Fulham and Wales, as one of his closest allies in football. But the Fulham manager insists that climbing up the Premiership and not helping his former club's survival hopes will be the sole motivation for trying to pick up three points against Norwich.

"I talk to Kit every week - he's one of my best friends," said Coleman. "But he knows we have got a job to do. We will be concentrating on what we can get out of the game, not what the outcome will be for anyone else if we win.

"I don't think we can do Palace a favour to be honest because Palace have not done us any favours and they're not there to do anybody else favours - I don't look at it like that."

Norwich will enjoy another season in the Premiership if they beat Fulham, however, a defeat or draw could open the door for Palace, Southampton or West Brom.

Coleman, though, dismissed the suggestion that it will be just Fulham's fault if the 7,000 fans following Nigel Worthington's team to Craven Cottage go home in tears.