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Thursday Fulham Stuff (08/02/18)...

Started by WhiteJC, February 08, 2018, 07:12:46 AM

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WhiteJC


Fulham youngsters see off plucky Plymouth after extra time
by Dan on February 7, 2018

Fulham's Under 18s survived an almighty scare as they came from behind to finally end Plymouth Argyle's fairtytale FA Youth Cup run at the fifth round stage after extra time at Home Park tonight.

Argyle, who had already knocked out Premier League opposition in the form of Manchester City and Burnley to reach the last sixteen, threatened another upset when striker Klaidi Lolos put them ahead and Kevin Hodges' boys held onto their until deep into the second half when a splendid strike from Nicolas Santos-Clase drew Fulham level. The Cottagers' class told in extra time when strikes from substitute Fabio Carvalho and Jayden Harris in either half set up a quarter final meeting with either Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur.

Fulham travelled safe in the knowledge that the Pilgrims would provide a stern test following their extraordinary exploits in this year's competition but Colin Omogbehin's side were pushed all the way by an Argyle side who showed composure, verve and plenty of technical ability. The evening might have gone smoother for the visitors had Sonny Hilton, who flitted in and out of the contest, sent an early shot inside the far post instead of guiding it wide having fashioned an opening for himself with a lovely bit of skill inside two minutes.

Instead, the home side grew in confidence as their first forays suggested they might catch their opponents cold. Ryan Law drew an early save from Luca Ashby-Hammond and the clever touches of Cameron Sangster, who showed all the class of someone who has already made his senior debut, hinted at brighter things to come. Argyle were temporarily forced back by a couple of barnstorming runs from Steven Sessegnon, whose deployment as a centre back tonight didn't prevent him from storming forward, but the excellent Michael Cooper in the home goal remained untroubled.

Lolos almost put Plymouth in front out of nothing with a ferocious drive from fully 30 yards in the eighteenth minute. The power behind the shot surprised Ashby-Hammond, who reacted sharply to smother his own parry, but Fulham failed to heed the lively striker's warning. Five minutes later, he put Plymouth ahead after Tyrese Francois was stripped of possession in midfield and Tom Purrington threaded a through ball between the Fulham centre halves. It seemed Lolos had dwelt on the ball too long as Ashby-Hammond advanced to avert the danger, but he poked home a low finish to send Home Park wild.

Fulham were rattled and, five minutes after going behind, they were very fortunate not to be 2-0 down. Ashby-Hammond made an ill-advised dash from his goalline to try and reach a long ball before Lolos but Greek forward skipped around the goalkeeper's desperate challenge and curled an effort agonisingly wide of the far post from the right wing position. It was a moment of magic that deserved a goal – and a frail Fulham side somehow escaped unharmed.

Law almost doubled the lead just before the break but Ashby-Hammond made a smart reaction save at his near post, whilst at the other end, Fulham saw plenty of the ball but lacked penetration in the final third. The closest the young Whites came to an equaliser was actually courtesy of Harry Downing, who almost diverted a Joe Felix cross into his own net as he attempted to clear the danger ahead of Timmy Abraham. It was no surprise when the Londoners stepped up the pace after half time – after which Abraham didn't reappear – with brave blocks denying both Djed Spence and Harris in quick succession.

Omogbehin introduced Portuguese attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho, who scored a hat-trick against Reading at the weekend, for Hilton and that enlivened a rather slovenly Fulham attack. The equaliser came through birthday boy Niclas Santos-Clase, who reprised his match-winning role at Swansea in the previous round, firing a low shot from the edge of the box beyond Cooper, who was rooted to the spot. Santos-Clase then went close with a powerful drive that flew right across the face of goal and, in a tense finale, Cooper made superb saves to first thwart Ryan de Havailland and then Felix.

The young goalkeeper, who made his senior debut at Gillingham earlier this season, showed his big match temperament with a world-class double save in stoppage time when Santos-Clase looked odds on to break Argyle hearts as he was played in on goal by a beautiful pass from de Havailland. Instead, we had extra time and Fulham's superior fitness was suddenly beginning to tell. Cooper made another excellent stop to deny Chris Kelly, but was eventually beaten by Carvalho two minutes before the end of the first period of extra time.

The two substitutes combined with de Havailland somehow squeezing a pass through to Carvalho when he appeared to be crowded out by Plymouth defenders. The classy midfielder kept his composure as Cooper advanced off his line and dinked a finish into the far corner. It may have been a mishit and appeared more than a little scruffy, but that mattered not to the delirious Fulham players. The Whites wrapped up victory five minutes into the second half when Harris capped a surging run from midfield but slipping an unerring finish beyond Cooper.

Plymouth certainly didn't throw in the towel in the time that remained. Sangster kept driving his team forward and it was rather unkind that the peerless playmaker missed the penalty that offered a late route back into the match after Carvalho had felled Law just inside the box. Sangster's weak effort from twelve yards was pushed away by Ashby-Hammond, who has history in the Cup this season after his penalty heroics at Huddersfield, and Fulham were left to reflect on the great resolves of character they showed to come through a real test in the south west.

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE U18s (4-2-3-1): Cooper; Hodges, Law, Downing, Crawford; Purrington, Ward (Garside 115); Craske (Gouty 73), Jephcott, Sangster; Lolos (Peck 110). Subs (not used): Childs, Burn.

GOAL: Lolos (23).

FULHAM U18s (4-2-3-1): L. Ashby-Hammond; Spence, Felix, Mundle-Smith, S. Sessegnon; Harris, Francois; Kelly (York 118), Santos-Clase, Hilton (Carvalho 68); Abraham (de Havailland 45). Subs (not used): Schwarzer, Martin.

BOOKED: Harris.

GOALS: Santos-Clase (69), Carvalho (103), Harris (109).

REFEREE: Alex Blake.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/02/fulham-youngsters-see-off-plucky-plymouth-after-extra-time/

WhiteJC

 
Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon and Slavisa Jokanovic nominated for Player and Manager of the Month awards

The pair are up for the awards after a perfect January saw Fulham break into the Play-offs with a 100% record

Fulham could pick up both the Player and Manager of the Month awards with Ryan Sessegnon and Slavisa Jokanovic nominated for the January gongs.

A faultless January saw Fulham break into the Play-off places, with victories against Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough, Burton Albion and Barnsley making it four from four for the Craven Cottage outfit.

And Sessegnon has been nominated for the Player of the Month award after he bagged himself six goals in those four games, including three braces.

He'll go up against Daniel Ayala of Middlesbrough, Scott Hogan of Aston Villa and James Maddison of Norwich.

Meanwhile, Jokanovic has also been nominated for the Manager of the Month award after overseeing those four wins in January, which included a thumping 6-0 victory over Burton at the Cottage.

That form has seen Fulham rise into the play-off places with a 14-2 goal differential for the month of January.

He faces competition from Steve Bruce of Villa, Steve Cotterill of Birmingham and Daniel Farke of Norwich, with the winners for both award being announced on Friday morning.



https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulhams-ryan-sessegnon-slavisa-jokanovic-14251721

WhiteJC

 
Double Nomination

Slaviša Jokanović and Ryan Sessegnon have been nominated for Sky Bet Championship Manager and Player of the Month, respectively.

January was a perfect month for Fulham in the league, as Jokanović led his side to victory in all four matches – two at home, two away – conceding only twice and scoring a prolific 14 times.

Six of those goals came from Sessegnon, who has deservedly earned his first nomination in this category following a hat-trick of braces against Ipswich Town, Burton Albion and Barnsley.

Aston Villa's Steve Bruce also ended the month with a 100 per cent record and has been duly nominated, as has second city rival Steve Cotterill after Birmingham City climbed off the foot of the table. Daniel Farke is the final nominee after guiding Norwich City to three wins from four.

Sessegnon's rivals for the player accolade were all amongst the goals in January, although not to the same extent as the 17-year-old.

Villa's Scott Hogan ended the month with a goal a game record, centre-back Daniel Ayala scored three times for Middlesbrough from corners, and James Maddison of Norwich hit winners in three fixtures.

The winners of each award will be announced at 6am on Friday.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/february/08/double-nomination


WhiteJC


Fast and furious – how Ryan Fredericks became a Fulham favourite
by alandrewett on February 8, 2018

We've come to love Ryan Fredericks down at Craven Cottage because of two things. His awesome pace that takes him past opposing full backs in the blink of an eye – and a passion that refuses to accept the possibility of coming second. With that blistering speed, it isn't surprising that Fredericks was a district 100m and triple jump schoolboy athletics champion, but that searing pace also caused serious problems as his early days in professional football – after coming through the Tottenham academy – were ravaged by a succession of injuries.

Having signed his first professional contract with Spurs back in 2010, Fredericks found his development hindered by spells in the treatment room and, despite impressing in European outings for Tottenham, had to go out on loan to find regular first-team football. He credits his loan spells with Brentford, Millwall and Bristol City as being crucial in helping him cut his teeth in the cut-throat world of the professional game – and his unquenchable thirst for winning made him a popular member of all three sides. Fulham swooped in to acquire his services when Fredericks became homesick after just 26 days at Ashton Gate and the full back's pace, agility and desire to beat his man quickly established as a fans' favourite.

Fredericks has seen plenty of changes during his time by the Thames but the one thing that hasn't altered has been his place in the first team. He saw off the challenge of Jazz Richards to make the right back spot his own under Slavisa Jokanovic and worked hard with the Serbian's fitness team to rid himself of the fitness issues that had limited his effectiveness at times. A lively presence down the right, Fredericks is now an integral part of Fulham's fluid football that wowed so many as the Whites went so close to promotion through the play-offs last season. His partnership with Sone Aluko was a joy to behold and a pivotal part of Fulham's surreal charge into the top six as last winter gave way to spring. Together, the pair put fear into so many defences as they ran riot throughout that memorable season.

There were once questions asked about Fredericks' end product, both in terms of his crossing and the lack of return considering how much time he spends bombing up and down the right flank. His recent displays should have banished any of the doubts. He created the two goals in quick succession that saw Burton Albion cave in at the Cottage last month and supplied a simply sublime assist for Ryan Sessegnon at Barnsley that included two nutmegs at the end of a trademark lung-busting run into the penalty area. Had his initial shot gone in rather than rebounding off the near post it would have been a genuine contender for goal of the season, which might have gone some way to making up for the disappointment of having his first goal for the club – a rasping drive that set Fulham on the road to victory at QPR – taken away by the dubious goals panel.

That overwhelming win over Burton also contained, for my money, Fredericks' most complete performance of the season so far. He was a threat all afternoon down the right side – making Nigel Clough's 5-3-2 system designed to nullify Fulham's attacking instincts appear horribly unbalanced – having a hand in four of the six goals as the Whites registered their biggest win since 2011, when Queens Park Rangers were also hit for six on a sunkissed afternoon at the Cottage.

Fulham fans fretted for most of January about the prospect of Fredericks finishing his Fulham career prematurely in favour of a tilt at the Premier League, with Swansea City, Stoke City and Southampton all linked with interest in his services. While Jokanovic got most of his what he wanted by the end of the transfer window, tying down Fulham's formidable full back – who adds an extra dimension in the final third as a truly modern right back – to a long-term contract remains unfinished business. Fulham's trump card, should the negotiations need to continue, might be that – for the first time in a while – the Whites are well placed to provide Fredericks with the opportunity of realising every footballer's dream of proving themselves at the highest level possible. Let's hope he'll be lining up in the famous white shirt as Fulham return to the top flight come August.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/02/fast-and-furious-how-ryan-fredericks-became-a-fulham-favourite/

WhiteJC


Jokanovic and Sessegnon up for Championship awards
by Dan on February 8, 2018

Fulham's teenage sensation Ryan Sessegnon and head coach Slavisa Jokanovic are in the running for further recognition after being nominated for January's Championship player and manager of the month awards.

The nominations are a fitting reward for Fulham's flawless month as the Whites moved up to fifth in the table after winning all four of their January fixtures. Jokanovic's side were the month's entertainers – scoring fourteen goals,  including ten in two home matches against Ipswich Town and Burton Albion – whilst keeping things tight at the back, keeping three clean sheets. Jokanovic will face fierce competition for the award from Aston Villa's Steve Bruce, who also held a 100% per cent record last month, Birmingham City's Steve Cotterill and Norwich City boss Daniel Farke.

Sessegnon, who won the public won to be named the PFA Championship player of the month yesterday, flawlessly switched to an attacking left wing role last month after the arrival of Matt Targett on loan from Southampton. He scored six goals – two more than anyone else in the division – and also laid on a goal during Fulham's second half fightback against Ipswich at the start of the month. The 17 year-old is nominated alongside Aston Villa's Scott Hogan, Middlesbrough defender Daniel Ayala and Norwich's free-scoring midfielder James Maddison.

The winners will be announced on Friday morning.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/02/jokanovic-and-sessegnon-up-for-championship-awards/