Last Updated: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:04
Left-back Toni Kallio says Fulham's team spirit was the reason why they achieved results against the big boys last term.
The Finnish defender played in the Cottagers 1-0 win over Arsenal, one of only four Premier League games he featured in, but saw Fulham also claim a late point against Chelsea and beat Manchester United on home turf.
Draws away at Liverpool and Aston Villa also characterised Fulham's fighting spirit according to Kallio.
The 30-year-old told Fulham.com: "Those results, plus the draw at the Emirates not only show how far this team has come but shows that this is a team not to be taken lightly.
"Perhaps in the past the top teams had expected to take points against Fulham, but last season we changed that. We beat some very good teams, and also went away and held the likes of Liverpool and Villa.
"With a couple of minutes left at home to Chelsea we were 2-1 down and then Clint popped up and scored a late equaliser. All these games show just how much character we have to react to the situation.
"The team-spirit at the Club is fantastic and that has helped. It's one of the main reasons why we had such a great season - team-spirit and character go a long way in football. I think it will be the same next season, because it's something that we've worked very hard on."