Mark Hughes insists Fulham are tantalisingly close to ending their away-day misery after the Cottagers scrapped to a well-earned point at Newcastle at the weekend.

The Londoners stretched their unenviable record to 25 away games without a win after the St James’ Park 0-0 stalemate.

But boss Hughes sees plenty of encouraging signs to take forward.

He said: “The record is there for everybody to see and it is getting on everyone’s nerves.

“But we are making inroads and it is only a matter of time as far as I am concerned.

“We are not going to places and parking the bus, we are engaging teams and trying to play.

“But there are times where you have to dig in when the momentum shifts and work hard, and this team does that.

“We are frustrated by the amount of draws we have on the road but we are definitely making progress and that is the most important thing.”

The Craven Cottage side were boosted on Saturday as striker Andy Johnson made his first Premier League start in 21 months after suffering a series of injury setbacks.

And the Fulham boss expects the striker to lead a Cottagers goal revival.

Hughes added: “Everyone is absolutely delighted for Andy.

“He has had to work so hard to get back to this level and it is testament to his character.

“He is a real focal point for our attacks and he never gives up on what seems a lost cause.

“He is a real trigger for us and adds a new dimension to our attacking play.”

Fulham’s next three matches: Nov 21 Manchester City (h), 27 Birmingham City (h), Dec 4 Arsenal (a)