Fulham 3 (Parker 6, Rodellega 12,89) Charlton 0.
Kevin Nolan reports from Craven Cottage.
Caught cold by Fulham’s mustard keen start, depleted Charlton slipped to their second league defeat of the season. After finding themselves two goals down within twelve disastrous minutes, they rallied gamely but were always chasing an already lost cause. It’s distressing but unavoidable to report that not for the first time, their determination to pass, rather than hoof their way from one end to the other, began their downfall. The theory is unimpeachable; the practice includes an all-too human element.
A wildly misplaced header from deputy left back Morgan Fox, which sent Stephen Henderson into desperate retreat to scrape off Hugo Rodellega’s head, had already provided early notice of the Addicks’ carelessness. The warning was overlooked by the trio of defenders, among whom was numbered the normally reliable Chris Solly, who indulged in keep-ball passing near the right touchline but dangerously close to Charlton’s goal. With the line tight to his back and with space diminishing around him, Solly’s uncharacteristically slipshod infield pass was alertly intercepted by Scott Parker. A few seconds was enough for Parker to punish the error.
An all too rare goalscorer, Parker naturally picked on his old club to break a mini- drought. Driving hard into the heart of a wavering defence, his crisply delivered diagonal pass gave Ross McCormack the momentum he needed to outmanouevre Fox and whip in an inviting low cross. Having continued his run in anticipation of the return, the midfield maestro slammed home an unstoppable shot off the underside of the bar. His public celebration was restrained and confined to the home supporters; his private satisfaction in answering the abuse he was receiving from the away end was left to the imagination. This quintessential professional keeps his own counsel and lets his football speak for itself. And in his supposed dotage, what a superb player he remains.
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Still absorbing the damage done by their former alumnus, Charlton fell further behind six minutes later. Barnstorming acceleration by Lasse Vigen Christensen on to McCormack’s pass sent the midfielder clear to cross on the run from the left. An acrobatic attempt to clear by Tal Ben Haim succeeded only in diverting the ball to McCormack, whose quickwitted control with head and thigh set up a ferocious half-volley which Henderson did marvellously well to save at full length. From six yards, Rodellega’s conversion of the rebound was routine.
Swept aside by the opening onslaught, the visitors were in imminent danger of complete collapse. Instead, they picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and painstakingly started all over again. Too late, of course, to make a significant difference in the short term, but important for morale further down the line. A series of scrambles in and around Marcus Bettinelli’s goal followed. Fox’s hard low cross was crucially intercepted by Nikolay Bodurov as George Tucudean closed in dangerously, then it took took the combined efforts of Bodurov and Dan Burn to smother Johnnie Jackson as he sought to convert Solly’s equally menacing centre. The turnaround was encouraging but, in brutal fact, the Cottagers were never in serious trouble.
A surprising second half continued the recovery trend. An overwhelmingly favourable corner count and an increased sense of urgency kept the visitors camped in Fulham’s half. Clearcut chances were admittedly few, the best of them Tucudean’s downward header from Jackson’s corner, which Bettinelli kept out comfortably enough and the crisp drive from Franck Moussa which zipped two feet the wrong side of Bettinelli’s right post. The introduction of Johann Berg Gudmundsson for a largely ineffective Moussa and eager beaver Karlan Ahearne-Grant for a struggling Fox added impetus to the revival but it became painfully clear that an epic recovery was highly unlikely. As if to ram home the point, the Cottagers took the liberty of adding to their lead a minute from time.
Christensen had been a thorn in Charlton’s side with his purposeful running and unquenchable energy. Summoning up a final surge with McCormack to his left and Rodellega making up ground on the right, he chose his moment perfectly to play the latter in to check on to his left foot and curl a beauty inside the far post.
A closing word, in passing, about Charlton’s lurid away strip which has so far been responsible for zero goals and nul points in two nauseating outings. On second thoughts, better forget it. Who needs aggravation from Jean Paul Gaultier and his fashion industry chums? I mean, be fair, there’s probably no truth in the rumour that the colours were mixed in the dark.
Fulham: Bettinelli, Hoogland, Burn, Bodurov, Stafylidis, Kavanagh, Parker, Christensen,, Ruiz (Woodrow 76), Rodallega (Roberts 90), McCormack (Zvevrotic 87). Not used: Kiraly, Hutchinson, Smith, Williams.
Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Ben Haim, Bikey, Fox (Ahearne-Grant 67), Wilson, Bulot (Morrison 77), Cousins, Jackson, Moussa (Gudmundsson 59), Tucudean. Not used: Pope, Harriott, Munns, Thomas.
Referee: K. Stroud. Att: 17,923.
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