I was gazing wistfully at the sign outside Craven Cottage saying: ‘Next home match Tottenham Hotspur’. This appetising prospect was of course marred by the words below: ‘BEHIND CLOSED DOORS’.
A passer-by stopped to give me some cheer. He confessed to being a Wolves fan and he was fairly sure that his team would do Fulham a favour at the week-end by beating Newcastle. If he is proved correct, the Whites could move out of the bottom three by winning at Crystal Palace. He was half correct in his prediction – the Wolves’ game ended in a draw – but Fulham victory still had the chance to narrow the gap to a single point.
Scott Parker’s strategy has earned him a lot of kudos in recent weeks and he would need a good reason to change it.
Fulham’s predictable caution in the first half at Crystal Palace was surpassed by the chariness of the home side. The BBC commentators struggled to talk up the match and eventually conceded that it was ‘flat’. Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had only one save to make – and that was from his teammate Joachim Andersen’s rather fierce header.
After the interval, the Whites took the initiative with Josh Maja in particular coming to life. His long-range effort was optimistic, but he was clearly hunting for goals. Parker sent on Ivan Cavaleiro and the substitute almost immediately provided a glorious chance for Maja, whose header was brilliantly saved by Vicente Guaita. Surely someone could break the deadlock?
Though the manager subsequently introduced Aleksandar Mitrovic, it was Ruben Loftus-Cheek who came as close as anybody to scoring. Somehow the impetus had gone, and the match ended in yet another goalless draw. Fulham’s superiority was emphasised by the number of attempts at goal – 14 compared with Palace’s puny three – but only four of the Whites’ efforts were judged to be on target.
Spurs for a draw?
This match, that Fulham should have won, was followed on Thursday evening by a game that should have ended in a draw. Unperturbed by the presence of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min and Gareth Bale, the home side made a confident start, only marred by erratic marksmanship.
Spurs went ahead in the 19th minute after a clever interchange between Son and Alli. A quick replay showed that Alli’s shot would have missed the goal but for a deflection. Luck, as not infrequently, was on the side of the big battalion.
The visitors turned on the pressure, but the defence proved resilient. Antonee Robinson even performed a mazy run that bettered any contribution from Gareth Bale. At halftime the score remained 0-1.
Parker’s tactical changes seemed to transform his team. For the first time Hugo Lloris needed to be on guard to thwart Andersen and Tosin, and around the hour mark he was beaten by Maja’s expertly placed shot. VAR spared Tottenham’s blushes and it was no consolation to Fulham fans that a brilliant goal was correctly disallowed because of the latest handball regulations.
Spurs were fortunate to leave with three points, but it is fruitless to complain. Scott Parker has assembled a squad of talented and committed players – his substitutions made no difference to the overall performance for better or worse – but they do let themselves down in the opponents’ penalty area.
Final match to decide it?
Increasingly it looks as if the final match of the season (Fulham v Newcastle) will be a historic one, attended by a handful of people, or a few thousand members, or (wouldn’t that be great?) a full house representing both teams.
The size of the crowd will depend on the success of the campaign against the virus. Professor Van-Tam is another man who prefers caution: “It’s a bit like being 3-0 up in a game and thinking “Well, we can’t possibly lose this now” but how many times have you seen the other side take it 4-3?”
His question, though rhetorical, must have had football fans scratching their heads.
FA Cup and the professor?
My mind went back 65 years to a fourth round tie when the FA Cup holders descended on the Cottage. The visitors lived up to their reputation by scoring three goals in 10 minutes, but Fulham boldly chipped away at their lead.
The irrepressible Tosh Chamberlain, who passed away very recently, scored a hat-trick on his Cup debut and Jimmy Hill put the home side ahead. This prompted a reverse of social distancing as total strangers embraced in celebration.
Sadly, the story did not quite fit the professor’s model. The Cup-holders fashioned two more goals and won 5-4.
I remember Fulham’s forward line that day, all of them outstanding servants of the club: Jimmy Hill, Bobby Robson, Bedford Jezzard, Johnny Haynes and Tosh Chamberlain. What I cannot recall is the name of the winning side, but they wore vertical black and white stripes and one of the scorers was known as ‘Wor Jackie’.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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