The Cottagers went into their 31st competitive match of season with added impetus after they exited the Europa League in midweek. Martin Jol's side squandered a two-goal lead to eventually draw 2-2 with Odense on Wednesday night, but there was no repeat of such frailty against Bolton. Clint Dempsey and Bryan Ruiz scored the goals in a 66-second spell in the first half as the home side easily saw off the Premier League's bottom side. "It was a fantastic win for us and the perfect response to the disappointment in midweek," Stockdale told the club's official website. "We needed to turn it around a little bit and we did just that. "At 2-0, I think a few possibly thought back to the Odense game, but we kept things tight and showed a lot of character. From front to back there were some great performances. "When they play like that it makes my job that bit more easier. The boys up front will be happy with their goals, but us at the back will be equally pleased with the clean sheet too - all round we were very strong." Stockdale put in an assured performance in his first Fulham appearance of the season. The 26-year-old was recalled from a loan spell at Ipswich this week after a spinal injury ruled Mark Schwarzer out for up to six weeks. "It's good to be back and playing at Craven Cottage again," Stockdale said. "I like to think that I showed what I could do last season and hopefully I can do well in Mark's absence. "I enjoyed my time at Ipswich and it was great to see that they won today too, so it was a good day all round. I'm sure I'll get a few texts off the lads there saying that they don't need me. "I love it at Fulham and I just want to repay the faith that they have shown in me." Stockdale and his team-mates have a tough run of matches coming up over the next few weeks, including games against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. The latter visit Craven Cottage on Wednesday and Stockdale is quietly confident of getting something from the reigning champions after beating Bolton. "It will be difficult [to get some momentum] because Manchester United are up next, but there are a lot of positives to take," he said. "We can build on this performance now. "We knew the league was tight and three points makes tonight's table look a lot better. Make no mistake, this was a massive win for us and now we just want to kick on. "We've done well against United in the past, so hopefully that will be the case again." While Fulham showed no signs of a European hangover, Bolton looked devoid of confidence. The Trotters failed to seriously threaten and left west London nursing a 13th league defeat of the season, leaving manager Owen Coyle in apologetic mood. "We created a number of chances, but sometimes when confidence is low a player can snatch at those," he said. "The players hit the target, but to be fair David Stockdale dealt with them comfortably. "We could have worked him harder and we never capitalised on those goalscoring positions. There's no doubt that we have to go to Blackburn on Tuesday and play Newcastle and Wolves after Christmas and take points. "If we do that it will give us a foothold back into those five or six teams."
