Fulham fans copy Leeds United in starting petition against referee Jeremy Simpson after Bristol City win
The referee failed to award a late penalty to the hosts
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Referee Jeremy Simpson (Image: Robbie Stephenson/JMP)
Fulham fans have set up a petition to ban referee Jeremy Simpson following Bristol City's 2-1 win at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The Robins ran out winners after taking a two-goal lead, with Josh Brownhill and Famara Diedhiou finding the net.
Yet Aboubakar's goal four minutes from time set up a nervy finish, and the Cottagers thought they should have had a penalty when Neeskens Kebano went down following a tackle from Callum O'Dowda, but referee Simpson waved play on.
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Tom Cairney remonstrates with referee Jeremy Simpson (Image: Rogan/JMP)
Fulham boss Scott Parker called for VAR in the Championship post-match, and now the fans have launched a petition against Simpson.
Launched on Change.org, the petition says: "Jeremy Simpson has caused danger for Fulham as we drop more significant points.
"He called many fouls against Fulham and even a controversial penalty decision and handing out yellow cards left, right and centre, he couldn't control his own game."
So far, just 90 fans have signed the petition, but some have commented on it, with Vince Newman arguing 'there were too many wrong decisions, including crucial ones that were so straightforward, it is just unbelievable."
Barry Clements said: "Shocking decision for the non-penalty at the end."
The petition also attracted comment on Twitter, with some fans backing it.
Friends of Fulham: Fulham fans, if you were also unimpressed with Jeremy Simpson's performance, then make sure you sign the Jeremy Simpson Out petition.
Henry: Please talk about Jeremy Simpson's shocker at Fulham.
Deborah Gil: We should have VAR, it should be available for all teams, then he can be proved wrong on many of his decisions.
Evan Russell: Not a fan of singling out referees but that was embarrassing.
Graying Sideburns: Jeremy Simpson's performance today was terrible.
The petition was even picked up by Leeds fans, who created their own petition against Simpson last season.
That proved to be even more popular, with over 2,500 people signing it.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-fans-copy-leeds-united-3622200
3 things we clearly learnt about Fulham following their defeat to Bristol City
Fulham's flying form came to a hault in the Championship over the weekend, as Scott Parker's side lost 2-1 to Bristol City.
Parker welcomed the Robins to Craven Cottage on Saturday in what was bound to be an exciting game given Fulham's run of four-straight wins going into the game, and Lee Johnson's side coming off the five-goal thumping of Huddersfield.
The match didn't disappoint the neutral but the home fans were left reeling after less than half-an-hour, when Robins' skipper Josh Brownhill scored his fifth goal of the season.
Famara Diedhiou then made it two with his fifth of the season with fifteen remaining, and Aboubakar Kamara scored what'd be a consolation for Fulham with five left to play.
The win for Johnson's side takes them level on points with Fulham in 3rd but a place behind them on goal difference.
Here we take a look at three things we've learned about Fulham over the weekend:
No Plan B
Fulham just couldn't get going against Bristol on Saturday. The visiting side defended in numbers and stayed compact, not allowing Fulham to play their usual way and subsequently marking top-scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic out of the game.
Parker's side play some wonderful football but when they come up against teams like Bristol City on Saturday, they showed that they don't have a Plan B.
They were passing the ball from flank-to-flank looking for an opening in the Bristol defence before eventually losing possession – Parker needs to come up with a new dynamic for when teams drop so deep as Bristol did, and not always expect to be able to play the football they associate themselves with.
Anthony Knockaert made his first start in three games on Saturday, but probably showed why Parker has dropped him in recent weeks. On two occasions in the first-half he found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and both times he produced a weak attempt on goal.
He looks to be low on confidence and after missing two big opportunities to get his side back in the game against Bristol, will be hugely frustrated.
His overall game-play wasn't great either – he sometimes looks a bit lazy when Fulham aren't in possession and Parker may feel fit to drop him again for the trip to Preston tomorrow night.
Keebano's impact
Having said that, the man who could potentially take Knockaert's place in the starting line-up is Neeskens Kebano. The Congolese winger hasn't played more than ten minutes at a time for Fulham this season and made only his second league appearance of the season on Saturday with nine to go.
But he came on and completely changed the game. He was brought down inside the box and caused a lot of controversy, with referee Jeremy Simpson waving away what seemed a certain penalty. The 27-year-old also hit the bar late on and after that brief but effective cameo appearance, he could well be in Parker plans for Preston tomorrow night.
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/3-things-we-clearly-learnt-about-fulham-following-their-defeat-to-bristol-city/
Games for Mid-week 10/12Yet another evening game, this time we travel to Deepdale to play Preston North End for a 19:45 kick-off.(https://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PrestonFulham.png)
So our winning streak came to end with a home defeat, it had to end some time and in truth we didn't play well enough, even with poor refereeing decisions, against Bristol City.
Neeskens Kebano, when he came on, showed some nice touches and AK47 changed the game, why didn't he start? Away to Preston we'll need to play a lot better and have a better game plan or we'll get nothing out of the game.
Preston also lost at the weekend, they were away to QPR, so they'll be looking to get a result against another "London" team. They've had a pretty consistent season so far being around or above sixth place, we've averaged ninth.
However our record against Preston is a good one, we've won four and drawn two.
COYW's
Games of Interest...
Tuesday 10thBristol City v Millwall
Charlton v Huddersfield
Leeds v Hull
Preston NE v Fulham
Wednesday 11thBirmingham City v QPR
Brentford v Cardiff
Wigan v West Brom
come on over to the forum and join in the discussion...
https://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?board=1.0
https://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=1014
Man of the Match Result(https://ffcw001.azureedge.net/-/media/motm/shutterstock_editorial_10492224bt.jpg?w=622&h=278)
Stefan Johansen has won his second Man of the Match award in three outings for his efforts against Bristol City.
The 28-year-old was Fulham's deepest lying outfield player aside from the centre-backs and Denis Odoi, but was still able to offer a creative outlet from in his own half.
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Two balls over the top created good chances for teammates; when he sent Ivan Cavaleiro in on goal in the first half, before finding Aleksandar Mitrović's chest after the restart.
Johansen's 107 touches of the ball was a game-high. Several Whites players came close to that figure, but City's busiest individual was almost half that number – Jack Hunt, 55.
His 84 accurate passes was also the most managed by anyone on the pitch, dwarfing the figure played by the Robins' best passer Josh Brownhill, who found a teammate on 27 occasions.
Just under half of you voted for Johansen to win Man of the Match, but there was also a lot of love for Neeskens Kebano who claimed 17.7 per cent of the votes.
Kebano only entered the action in the 82nd minute, but still managed to create our goal, hit the crossbar, and draw a foul in the box which sadly went unpunished.
Goal scorer Aboubakar Kamara came in third with 14 per cent.
http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/december/09/man-of-the-match-result
We've Met Before: Fulham Home
Preston North End entertain Fulham at Deepdale for the 33rd time when they play Scott Parker's side on Tuesday night.
This is the 65th league match between the teams overall, with the visitors to Deepdale leading the head-to-head with 29 wins to PNE's 23 and the Cottagers have won their last three trips to PR1 2-1.
North End's last point at home to Fulham came in 2000, when Michael Jackson's early goal was equalised by Davis on the hour mark in Jean Tigana's title-winning season.
Our last home win over them came on 29th November 1997, when the Londoners got off to a great start with Rob Scott's four minute strike, but after that it was the Lee Ashcroft show, as he scored a hat-trick, equalising in the 11th minute, before putting North End ahead with a penalty on 69 minutes and completing his hat-trick with seven minutes to go.
Our first win over Fulham came in our first ever clash with them at Deepdale in March 1913, a 1-0 success, with our biggest home win coming in Sir Tom Finney's final month as a PNE player, in April 1960, when the side triumphed 4-1.
However, our look back today to a specific game came in 1995 and was inspired by a future World star and England captain... none other than David Beckham.
North End were in a seven-way fight for the final Play-Off place, under the stewardship of Gary Peters and had lost just two of 15 games since he had taken over from John Beck and a 20-minute purple patch at the start of the second half helped them win again.
A controversial refereeing decision eventually led to a nail-biter of an ending - where have we heard that before - but despite Kevin Lynch's inability to award the Lilywhites two blatant penalties and send off Terry Agus for punching Mike Conroy in the face - from which he actually eventually gave the Cottagers a spot kick, North End were already 3-1 up and had Andy Fensome's pile-driver not have come back off the post, they would have been out of sight.
But it was North End's 11th game of 1995, nine against teams in the top half - followed next by the hosting of Bury, which inspired by the aforementioned Beckham they went on to win 5-0 - but despite this visually tough looking game, they had only lost once, to Torquay and this victory was the latest example of how well they have stood up against the best.
This wasn't the best performance and nowhere near the levels of the Bury game to come, but nonetheless it was another excellent win. It began with Kevin Magee being denied a spot kick ten minutes in when Duncan Jupp felled him in the box, however, 13 minutes later the Scottish winger was rewarded when Ian Bryson won the ball in midfield and set off down the left before playing the ball on to his fellow Scot, whose low cross was swept into the far corner by Mike Conroy.
Jim Stannard in the visitors' goal was in excellent form to deny Paul Raynor and Simon Davey and in stoppage time in the first half they drew level when Mr Lynch adjudged David Moyes had fouled Nick Cusack and Terry Hurlock teed up Jupp with a cross to hammer right-footed into the corner.
But three minutes after the break Deepdale saw its side back in front as Beckham controlled a bouncing ball with forehead then thigh before hooking it over his shoulder for Conroy, who played a lovely ball through to Raynor, who picked his spot past the advancing Stannard.
And 90 seconds later it was three and this time the future Manchester United and England star was the scorer. Raynor was pulled down ten yards outside the penalty and what was to become a familiar site over the next 15 or so years saw the loanee curl the ball up and over the four-man Cottagers wall and into the corner off the post.
It could so easily have been four when Beckham fed Fensome, who, as previously mentioned, hit the post and saw the ball come back out to the London side's keeper, but it was Fulham who got the fifth goal of the game, Blake converting from the spot from the controversially awarded penalty, but Peters' side held on and took the win.
https://www.pnefc.net/news/2019/december/weve-met-before-fulham-home/
Ticket Information: Fulham Home
For our last midweek evening game of the calendar year, we welcome Scott Parker's Fulham to Deepdale on Tuesday night.
Normal matchday prices apply for this game and you can click here for a full run down of the prices and concession categories on offer for league games at Deepdale.
Tickets are now on general sale from the ticket office at Deepdale, either to be loaded to your member card or via a paper ticket. For more information on member cards and their usage, click here.
We continue to offer print at home tickets, so you can buy online and print our your ticket without needing to collect on the day, click here for more information.
For those still turning up and buying on the day, purchases can be made in person at both the Sir Tom Finney ticket office and also use the Invincibles Pavilion ticket office, which can be used to buy tickets for any part of the ground, not just the Pavilion. The Sir Tom Finney ticket office is open from 9am on a matchday and the Invincibles Pavilion ticket office is open from upm.
Tickets can be purchased at Deepdale from 9am until 5pm on Monday and from 9am until half-time on Tuesday night, both in person and over the ticket hotline – 0344 856 1966.
Paper and print at home tickets can be purchased online at MyPNE.Com 24/7 right up until two hours before kick-off, with collections available from the Sir Tom Finney Stand collections windows, to the left of the ticket office. The online service is now fully responsive on both mobile and tablet. Or, if you have a member card, you can buy right up until kick-off on MyPNE.Com and load your ticket straight to your card!
For Cottagers fans, tickets are available on the night, there will be no increases for matchday purchases and tickets are available for visiting supporters from the away ticket office next to the Bill Shankly Kop on Lowthorpe Road, with cash and card payments accepted, which will open from 6.30pm.
For home fans travelling to the game, the Leyland shuttle bus will be in operation, pick up points and times are as follows: 6.05pm, Leyland Tesco; 6.15pm, Railway Pub Leyland; 6.25pm, Beam and Brycg Pub Bamber Bridge; arrive Deepdale, 6.55pm. Tickets are £3 for a single or £4 return.
https://www.pnefc.net/news/2019/december/ticket-information-fulham-home/
Charlton striker wanted by Newcastle, Leicester and Fulham
Newcastle United, Leicester City and Fulham are all in the hunt to sign highly rated Charlton Athletic striker Macauley Bonne.
The Addicks frontman has made his mark in the Championship after getting the opportunity to start thanks to an injury picked up by fellow forward Lyle Taylor.
He has scored six goals already this term and his prowess in front of goal has led to him being linked to a trio of clubs, including two big names in the Premier League.
According to talkSPORT, the 24-year-old has attracted the attention of the Foxes, the Cottagers and the Magpies, with the latter thought to be leading the race to sign him, owing to the fact he is more likely to get first team football in the north east.
Bonne started his career at Colchester United, spending four years in Essex before leaving in 2017 to join Leyton Orient.
He then went on to score 45 goals in 90 appearances for the O's prompting newly promoted Charlton to sign him earlier this year ahead of their first campaign back in the Championship.
Earlier this year, Bonne revealed to talkSPORT how he struggled to come to terms with the death of former boss Justin Edinburgh.
He said: "Something like that then comes along. I didn't process it for a long time. When you realise someone of his stature has gone it doesn't seem real.
"He made me love football again. I hated playing football at one point. With Orient, he made me fall in love with the game again and made me the player I am today.
"I have the utmost respect for him and I still get emotional talking about it but that's the effect he had on everyone."
https://the72.co.uk/151224/charlton-striker-wanted-by-newcastle-leicester-and-fulham/
Match Officials: Fulham Home
For the first time this season, taking charge of North End as referee on Tuesday night is experienced official Keith Stroud.
Whilst it is his first game of this season, it is his third PNE match of the calendar year, having been referee of our win at Middlesbrough in March and the 1-1 draw with Swansea City back in January, his first game at Deepdale for a number of years.
Whilst this is the first time he sees PNE this campaign, it is already his fourth Fulham match of the season, having officiated their 2-0 opening day win over Blackburn Rovers at Craven Cottage, their 2-2 home draw with Charlton in October and their 3-0 defeat at the Cottage against Hull City last month – but this is his first game refereeing them away from home.
In 2017/18, the Hampshire official took charge of two PNE games, both away from Deepdale, the first at Birmingham City back in September 2017, when goals from Tom Barkhuizen, Daniel Johnson and Jordan Hugill saw the side come from behind at the break to end Harry Redknapp's tenure at St Andrews and the second, the win at Burton Albion in December the same year.
In 2016/17 his only game with the whistle for a PNE game was our loss at Brentford, whilst the previous season he also took charge of another game at Birmingham, as North End came from 2-0 down against what was then Gary Rowett's men, with goals from Alan Browne and Greg Cunningham earning the Lilywhites a point.
That was his second North End game in two months after he took charge of PNE's home win over Sheffield Wednesday in February 2015, as well as PNE's last clash with a steel city side at Deepdale, 2014/15's FA Cup tie with Sheffield United. The win over the Owls was his last visit to Deepdale prior to January.
The official also refereed the Lilywhites Play-Off clash with Rotherham United in May 2014 as well as the previous season's 3-2 home win over Ipswich Town, when Joe Garner scored a second half hat-trick as a substitute to knock the Tractor Boys out of the FA Cup at the fourth round stage.
His two previous league trips to Deepdale prior to that also saw wins, the famous 6-0 triumph over Cardiff City, which led to the Play-Offs in 2009 and a 2-1 win over West Brom the previous year, when the Lilywhites ended the game with nine men after the dismissal of both Youl Mawene and Chris Brown.
On Tuesday, Keith will be assisted by Nick Greenhalgh and James Mainwaring, with Ross Joyce acting as the fourth official. It will be Keith's 15th game of the season, having so far issued 38 cautions and no red cards, his last game being West Brom's 5-1 thrashing of Swansea City on Sunday.
https://www.pnefc.net/news/2019/december/match-officials-fulham-home/
West London Derby Sold Out
Tickets for our last home London derby against Fulham are sold out
Tickets for our final ever home league game against Fulham are now SOLD OUT.
We play two home matches this week; we welcome Cardiff City on Wednesday and face Fulham on Saturday, with tickets for that game against The Whites now sold out.
Our Ticket Exchange is open and we are reselling tickets that were returned by Season Ticket Holders. Season Ticket Holders who can't make it this weekend can now return their tickets by login to their account here. Find out more information in our Ticket Exchange how-to guide here.
With the ticket exchange open, tickets are available, buy yours here. Please note: tickets are only available at Adult rates and adult membership discount will not be applied.
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https://www.brentfordfc.com/news/2019/december/fulham-game-sold-out/
Team News: Fulham Home
Preston North End manager Alex Neil welcomed back Andrew Hughes into the starting line-up and club captain Tom Clarke onto the bench at the weekend.
And the Lilywhites gaffer will hope for even more options to be available to him for the visit of Scott Parker's Cottagers on Tuesday night.
Centre halves Patrick Bauer and Ben Davies, along with fellow defender Darnell Fisher have all missed the last few games and they will be given as long as possible in order to recover in time for the clash with the Cottagers.
Paul Gallagher and Daniel Johnson also missed the weekend's trip to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, with the manager saying after the game that the latter continues to be assessed after picking up an injury against West Bromwich Albion.
In their weekend's defeat to Bristol City at Craven Cottage, Scott Parker was without Harry Arter, Harrison Reed, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Maxime Le Marchand.
He, like his opposite number, will give his men as long as possible to try and make themselves available for the midweek trip to the north west, however, if that does not happen he could well stick with the side that almost completed a comeback against the Robins, with Aleksandar Mitrović leading their line.
https://www.pnefc.net/news/2019/december/team-news-fulham-home/
Fulham fans will surely be feeling frustrated after bitterly disappointing weekend
Fulham's four game winning streak was ended in disappointing fashion on Saturday as they went down to Bristol City 2-1 at Craven Cottage.
Josh Brownhill and Famara Diedhiou scored the goals for the visiting side, with Aboubakar Kamara pulling back a consolation for Fulham in the 86th minute.
The comeback was not to be for the Cottagers, as they suffered their first defeat since November 2nd. The result means Scott Parker's side remain in third place, but are now eight points behind Leeds United in the second automatic promotion spot.
Fulham fans will understandably be feeling frustrated after the result, as they could have got something from the game on another day.
The Cottagers had a penalty appeal turned down with minutes remaining on the clock, as Callum O'Dowda appeared to clip substitute Neeskens Kabano in the box, but to no avail.
Kebano made a strong impact in the eight minutes he was on the pitch, as his header from close range also hit the crossbar in the dying minutes.
Fulham fans will feel aggrieved, but will also acknowledge that for the majority of the game, they were not at the level required, and that will be a concern.
Both of Bristol City's goals came from positive attacking play down the flanks, and Scott Parker should be concerned with the second goal that was conceded from a defensive point of view.
Adam Nagy had great feet inside the box to keep hold of the ball, which he squared to Famara Diedhiou at the back post, who tapped in from a yard out.
The Senegalese attacker was left unmarked, and the defence was unable to avert the danger caused by Nagy in the build up to the goal.
Therefore, despite the excellent recent results for the West London side, there are defensive problems that still need to be addressed.
Bristol City are now level on thirty-five points with Fulham. Cottagers supporters will be aware that they cannot afford to drop more points as their play-off place could be under threat.
They take on Preston North End tomorrow evening at Deepdale hoping to bounce back, then have the matter of the West London Derby against Brentford to attend to on Saturday at Griffin Park. Both will be tough tests.
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-fans-will-surely-be-feeling-frustrated-after-bitterly-disappointing-weekend/
Alex Neil Hoping To Get The Balance Back
Preston North End manager Alex Neil is looking forward to the test against Fulham on Tuesday night and is hoping to be able to find a balance to his side that has been hit by injuries in recent games.
The Lilywhites' gaffer spoke to iFollow PNE ahead of the game against Scott Parker's Cottagers and admitted it had been hard to get the team into shape with so many on the sidelines.
"Our last home performance was very good - against West Brom - and we didn't deserve to lose the game," he explained. "I thought, if anything, we deserved to nick something, as we certainly had chances in the second half and it has been a difficult run for us.
"We have had a lot of key players missing, in the same areas and that has made it really tough.
"We want to try and get back to winning ways and Fulham are one of the better teams in the league, so it going to be tough for us, but we have to apply ourselves and play really well.
"It has been difficult to get the balance right and I am asking some lads to go and play in areas that doesn't really suit them, which isn't fair on them. The balance has been really difficult to strike; we have lost two centre backs – albeit the other lads have come in and done fine – but we haven't got the natural balance with a left footer.
"The game before last we had four right footed players right across the back and it is difficult to build, because you do not have the balance; we have also lost two technical builders, who drop out and help us to build play in Gally and DJ and the other lads who come in and take their place are different sorts of players, so it has been difficult to get that balance right to give us a platform to go and play.
"We have gone quite direct in the last few games and you are really relying then on picking up bits, being really aggressive and winning headers and that is not always easy to do. If you are a centre forward up there, you are fighting against two centre halves by yourself, so it has been tough. But having said that, there have been key moments that have gone against us in games with decisions and that certainly hasn't helped.
"In the second half against QPR we were building a head of steam and getting few opportunities, but then the penalty – which I am still not convinced about – took the wind out of our sales in the second half."
It is a while since we last faced the Cottagers, with their year in the Premier League, so what has changed under Parker's spell as manager?
"If it is possible, they probably play even more," continued Alex. "I have looked at their average percentage across the season and they going from 70's into 60's for every game. There are very few games where they have had less possession than the opposition.
"They like to dominate the ball, have good footballers and they have got pedigree and quality all over the pitch, so it is going to be a tough game, but as we showed against West Brom, we can do really against those teams, as long as we do it properly, so it will be another challenge for us.
"It is a game we really need to embrace and go and try and get the points. It will be a tough game; they have got a wide ranging set of players who can do a lot of things – Cairney will drop out and get them playing, they can go long to Mitrovic if they want, they have pace off the sides and they have players who can drop in and play out of the pockets; so they have a little bit of everything and we just need to make sure we restrict what we deem their biggest strengths to be and force them back the other way."
And a win against them would make the gap to them – in third – back to just a point, which shows how tight the division is: "Football is about perspective, isn't it? When you are winning games, you think you are going to win the league, the World Cup and everything else that is coming your way! When you are losing, you can't see the end in sight.
"We have to make sure that we steady the ship a little bit, do everything we can in this game, get some points on the board hopefully and then get on to the next ones and I am quite confident we will have a lot of bodies back as well and that will certainly help us as well," added the PNE manager.
https://www.pnefc.net/news/2019/december/alex-neil-hoping-to-get-the-balance-back/
Aston Villa Date Confirmed(https://ffcw001.azureedge.net/-/media/misc/shutterstock_editorial_9308616ei.jpg?w=622&h=278)
The date of Fulham's Third Round Emirates FA Cup tie against Aston Villa has now been confirmed as Saturday 4th January.
The match will kick-off at 3.01pm, with the delay part of the 'take a minute' initiative which encourages fans to think about looking after their mental health.
Tickets for this fixture will go on sale to Season Ticket Holders from 10am on Wednesday 11th December, priced at £20 for adults, £15 for juniors and £10 for juniors.
For the full pricing structure and on-sale dates, head over to the match centre.
http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/december/09/aston-villa-date-confirmed
Key figure makes long-awaited return: The Preston XI Neil could name against FulhamAfter such a promising start to the season, things have started to take a turn for the worse for Preston North End recently.Saturday's 2-0 defeat to QPR was their fourth in as many games, meaning Alex Neil's side have now dropped out of the Championship top six for the first time since August.
Next up for Preston is the visit of Fulham to Deepdale on Tuesday night, something which is unlikely to be an easy task for the Lancashire side, with Scott Parker's side looking to hit back after their own defeat to Bristol City on Saturday, which has seen them lose ground on the division's top two sides.
With that in mind, we've taken a look at the starting lineup Neil could name in order to give his side the best possible chance of getting back to winning ways in midweek.
(https://cdn.footballleagueworld.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Predicted-Preston-lineup-v-Fulham-1.png)
One thing that has been a big problem for Preston recently is injuries, with a number of players finding themselves on the sidelines in recent weeks due to fitness problems, something which may once have an impact on Neil's selection calls on Tuesday.
Between the posts, Declan Rudd should at least be fairly certain to continue, having been an ever-present in the league so far this season.
Ahead of him, Andrew Hughes could continue at left-back after making his return from injury at QPR, while club captain Tom Clarke – who hasn't featured since August – may be ready to start after making the bench for Saturday's clash, with Paul Huntington and Joe Rafferty the ones we expect to round out the back four if the likes of Ben Davies, Patrick Bauer and Darnell Fisher are once again unavailable.
The holding midfield positions meanwhile, should once again be taken up by Ben Pearson and Alan Browne, who have been two of Preston's more reliable players fitness-wise so far this season.
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/key-figure-makes-long-awaited-return-the-preston-xi-neil-could-name-against-fulham/
Preston North End Match v Fulham Preview
After controversial penalty decisions, both Tuesday night's sides will go into the game looking to get the rub of the green and the three points.
Fulham felt they should have had a very late penalty in Saturday's home defeat to Bristol City, whilst the Lilywhites have had consecutive decisions go against them in the last two games.
The late defeat to West Brom eight days ago ended the unbeaten home record, but that proud Deepdale run of results will be something Alex Neil and his team hope to return to with a positive result against Scott Parker's side.
The Cottagers, until the weekend's result, had seemed to have found their groove and have a squad still packed full with the majority of their Premier League assembled players of quality, including the likes of Tom Cairney and previous PNE nemesis Aleksandar Mitrović.
Closer to home, the manager will be hoping to be able to recall some of the key members of his squad that have been missing in recent weeks, such as Patrick Bauer, Ben Davies, Darnell Fisher, Paul Gallagher and Daniel Johnson.
For Your Information
Match Details: PNE v Fulham, Deepdale, Tuesday 10th December 2019, kick-off 7.45pm
Competition: EFL Championship (21/46)
PNE colours: Home kit, goalkeeper in green
Click here to buy a ticket
Here's all the coverage accessible on PNE.Com in preview of the game...
Ticket Information: For our last midweek evening game of the calendar year, we welcome Scott Parker's Fulham to Deepdale on Tuesday night. Click here for more information.
Match Officials: For the first time this season, taking charge of North End as referee on Tuesday night is experienced official Keith Stroud. Click here for details of all the officials.
We've Met Before: Preston North End entertain Fulham at Deepdale for the 33rd time when they play Scott Parker's side on Tuesday night. Click here for more details of past battles.
How To Follow The Game: If you can't make the trip to Deepdale for Tuesday night's game, don't worry, we will have full coverage on PNE.Com. Click here for details of how you can follow the match.
The One And Only Issue 13: This Tuesday night's latest edition of The One And Only features the man who has of late been captaining the side, Alan Browne, as the main interviewee. Click here for details.
Team News: Preston North End manager Alex Neil welcomed back Andrew Hughes into the starting line-up and club captain Tom Clarke onto the bench at the weekend. Click here for details of the options.
Alex Neil Hoping To Get The Balance Back: Preston North End manager Alex Neil is looking forward to the test against Fulham on Tuesday night and hoping to be able to find a balance to his side that has been hit by injuries in recent games. Click here for the manager's full interview.
Joe Rafferty Looking For A Swing In Momentum: Preston North End full back Joe Rafferty believes just a goal or a little bit of luck can turnaround the recent run of results. Click here for more from Joe.
https://www.pnefc.net/news/2019/december/preston-north-end-vs-fulham-match-preview/
The Lost Art of Holding an Opinion: Understanding Abou
The problem with opinions is that everyone has one. And as we've seen with the renaissance of Aboubakar Kamara or Scott Parker, we don't always do well at changing them. We either, 1): jump back and forth every single week, to make sure our opinions match the emotional climate of a 3-0 loss to Hull City. Or, 2): we doggedly stick to our guns, reluctant to ever admit our opinions could be wrong, and instead we wait for the wheel of fortune to swing back our way.
1) Blown about by populist sentiment
After losing to Stoke and Hull, there were some very audible mutterings pertaining to "Parker Out". And many of these people will be the first to compliment Scott on a run of four games undefeated. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with either of these opinions by themselves. But it becomes a problem when you jump back and forth between the two, blown about by the wind of populist sentiment. It's a problem if your estimation of a player or manager is so myopic that it only goes back one or two games.
This is not to say that we can't be critical of a performance. Acknowledging that a player is performing below their station is not the same thing as a knee-jerk reaction calling for them to turn in the jersey.
Knee-jerk reaction:
"Tim Ream is now rubbish, he's served us well, but there is no room for sentimentality in football."
.: cue Ream finding form :.
"Ream is one of the best centre backs in the division, calm in possession, a ball playing centre back that allows Fulham to set up and play how we do. God bless him!"
Measured understanding:
"Tim Ream is quality, but he's not in good form. It will be good when Hector comes in and makes Ream work for a starting position."
: cue Ream finding form :.
"That's more like it!"
The lost art isn't having an opinion; Every man and his dog has an opinion. The art is in holding an opinion through blips in form.
2) Opinions that just won't budge.
So, what is the alternative? Holding to an opinion in spite of all the evidence? Studies show that we tend to be inflexible with our views because there is an immense cost in modifying them. Think about what happens if you change your mind about religion, climate change, or politics. It requires wholesale changes to your entire worldview. Because we are so inflexible with the big things, we tend also to be inflexible with the little things as well. But there is nothing noble or intelligent about going down with your ship. We actually do our opinions a disservice when we are unable to recognise the nuance and complexity of a real-world scenario.
Disclaimer: I fall into this camp too readily. I have a hard time verbalising anything negative about Denis Odoi, so I'm first and foremost directing this at myself.
When talking football, there is a perceived need to 'win' the discussion. You see it all the time on Twitter, as someone retweets themselves from last year: "#Kamara is class!" By reposting this, they assume that Abou's recent upturn in form validates the opinion they have held for years, and that they must have a special insight that those around them lack. To quote David Brent's most incorrect platitude, "A good idea, is a good idea forever!"
Not so.
There was nothing 'class' about Kamara's insistence on taking the penalty against Huddersfield, or getting arrested at Motspur Park, or even just backheeling the ball out of play for some reason. Being the youngest of 20 siblings (this is actually true) means he is probably prone to the odd outburst here and there. But just because he is beginning to kill it now, doesn't mean that was true before. A broken clock is right twice a day after all...
Measured, balanced and nuanced.
If you had asked me this summer whether I wanted Abou back at Fulham, I would have said no. I have no issue with admitting that, because at the time, he had done enough in my eyes to make me believe he was a negative influence on the dressing room. I also have no issue admitting that he is beginning to prove me wrong. Only beginning, mind you. Three admirable performances does not a player make. But if after another month or so of good performances, mature post match interviews and good-natured interactions with the rest of the squad, I'll need to admit I was wrong. He is no longer the villain. And that is not to say he must be the hero. The truth is probably somewhere in between and will continue to shift and change as time goes by. This kind of reductive thinking where we need to fit people in neat binaries leads us farther from the truth then we might realise.
In short, we need to be measured and longitudinal in the way we understand football. But that doesn't excuse planting a flag somewhere and refusing to hear anything to the contrary.
Or as the astrophysicist Carl Sagan stole from somebody else, "keep an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out."
https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2019-12-09-the-lost-art-of-holding-an-opinion-understanding-abou/
Preston North End v FulhamTUE 10 Dec 2019 Championship
Venue: Deepdale(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/E976/production/_110066795_mitrovic.jpg)
Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored 15 goals in 19 Championship appearances this season
Preston could welcome back forward Paul Gallagher as the Lilywhites look to end a run of four straight defeats.
Defenders Darnell Fisher, Patrick Bauer and Ben Davies are close to returning, but Louis Moult and Josh Ginnelly remain sidelined.
Fulham will continue to assess forward Bobby Decordova-Reid (hamstring).
Defender Maxime Le Marchand and midfielders Harry Arter (calf) and Harrison Reed continue their respective rehabilitations from injury.
Match facts Preston are winless in seven league meetings with Fulham (D3 L4), a run stretching back to December 2000.
Fulham's last three league visits to Preston have all ended 2-1 to the Cottagers, their best-ever away winning run against the Lilywhites.
Having lost just three of their opening 16 Championship games this season, Preston have now lost their past four in a row, failing to score each time.
After a run of four straight league wins, Fulham lost their last Championship match against Bristol City at the weekend. They've not lost back-to-back games in a season at this level since November 2017.
No side has won more points at home in the Championship this season than Preston (23).
The Championship's leading scorer this season Aleksandar Mitrovic (15 goals) has netted 10 goals in his past 10 appearances for Fulham.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50639234
Alex Neil offers update on Paul Gallagher's situation ahead of Preston v Fulham
Preston take on Fulham tomorrow night, but will seemingly be without Paul Gallagher again.
Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers means it's four defeats in a row for Preston, who have slipped from second to seventh in the Championship table.
With no goals in the last four games, North End are struggling. An injury crisis goes some way to explaining the dip, with a real lack of creativity in the side.
Daniel Johnson is out for a few weeks yet, whilst Paul Gallagher hasn't played in the last two games. After playing 90 minutes at Hull, Gallagher missed the fixtures with West Brom and QPR.
The 34-year-old takes on a big workload with North End, so the odd niggle isn't a huge shock. Now, boss Alex Neil has offered an update on Gallagher's situation ahead of Tuesday's clash with Fulham.
Neil highlighted that Gallagher's Achilles is the problem, so Preston are waiting for that to calm down. Neil couldn't put a timeframe on Gallagher's return, saying it could be a few days or a week, so it seems safe to say that Gallagher will miss tomorrow's game.
Preston miss Gallagher's composure, creativity and set pieces when he's not in the side, so hopefully he will return to action sooner rather than later, without being rushed.
https://www.deepdaledigest.com/news/alex-neil-offers-update-on-paul-gallaghers-situation-ahead-of-preston-v-fulham/
Preston North End manager Alex Neil looking to piece together the right balance against Fulham
Alex Neil admits putting the Preston North End side together at the moment is like 'doing a jigsaw with pieces missing'.
The Lilywhites will be out to halt a run of four defeats when they host Fulham at Deepdale tonight (7.45pm).
With the visitors sitting third in the table and having one of the strongest squads in the Championship, it looks a tough assignment for PNE.
Neil is confident that his side can get back on an even keel, a cause which would be helped if he could get some of his injured players back.
"This is a difficult spell for us, we know that," said the North End manager.
"I did say a few times before this spell that we'd had to change and tinker the side quite a lot this season.
"The balance is a bit of an issue and that is something we are having to work on.
"We have missed two of our technical midfielders who give us that extra link in the middle.
"Our ball-playing central defender Ben Davies has been missing which means we haven't been able to build.
"Ben gives us pace and he covers the flank down his side too which he is great at.
"Darnell Fisher hasn't been there so we've had to flip full-backs.
"We've only just been able to move Joe Rafferty back to the right after he's been playing at left-back.
"Andrew Hughes is only just back in after being out for a lot of the season."
Neil was keeping his cards close to his chest as to the fitness or otherwise of those who have missed games of late.
While changes in defence and midfield have been enforced ones over the last fortnight, Neil could voluntarily switch things round going forward tonight in the search for points.
David Nugent and Billy Bodin both gave the front line a boost when they came on as substitutes at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
Josh Harrop is another attacking option in midfield or out wide.
As North End look to find their form, Neil says the good results which took them to the top of the table shouldn't be forgotten.
"Throughout a season it is not always going to be plain sailing," said Neil.
"Until four games ago, everything was going in our favour and we produced some great results and football.
"We need to get ourselves off the negative momentum as quickly as possible, return to the positive momentum we had until recently."
https://www.lep.co.uk/sport/football/preston-north-end/pne-news/preston-north-end-manager-alex-neil-looking-to-piece-together-the-right-balance-against-fulham-1-10146161
Match Preview: Preston North End vs. Fulham
North End return to Deepdale on Tuesday night to face Fulham under the lights. With a quick turnaround from Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Loftus Road, Alex Neil will be looking for a reaction from his players, in the hope of avoiding a fifth consecutive league defeat for the Lilywhites for the first time since January 18th, 2003. That stat took a lot more scrolling than I expected it to!
After recent games, we find ourselves outside of the playoff positions for the first time since the end of August and facing the task of reclaiming the place in the dogfight for promotion, which we have worked so hard and so well to earn, as soon as possible as the pack at the top of the table begins to break up.
The international break, as we here at From The Finney have alluded to often, has been far more a curse than a blessing in recent years. However, the most recent one appears to have had a longer lasting effect this time around than it had previously, contributing to our recent downturn in form.
That being said, Fulham are a good side, but not infallible, as Bristol City proved at the weekend. This could be a good opportunity for the squad to buck up and show what we fans know they are really made of.
Taking a positive result from the team currently sat 3rd in the table would certainly be a good statement to make after recent events.
Recent Form
The form of the two sides could hardly be more contrasting, with PNE on the aforementioned 4 game losing streak. Fulham did taste defeat themselves on Saturday, at the hands of Bristol City, but had been on a 4 game winning run prior to the weekend which had propelled them up to 3rd place in the table.
Victories over Derby and QPR helped with their upward trajectory and their final win of that run, a 2-1 victory at Swansea, was also impressive. They took a two-goal lead into half time and managed to hold onto it against a Swansea side that did threaten to claw their way back in the second period.
A mixture of attacking flair and defensive resolve has been just the ticket for Scott Parker's side and, until fairly recently, it was something North End shared with them.
I don't think it's unfair to say that the spark has been somewhat dampened in recent weeks at Deepdale although, as has been the case for the last couple of years now, it's hard to look beyond an injury crisis as the culprit.
We have been trying to muddle through with a makeshift back 4 for the last few games and it has certainly taken its toll.
Those deputising did sterling work when facing league leaders West Brom, particularly after what happened in the game prior, and were unlucky to be robbed of what would have been a deserved point by a refereeing decision which has been condemned almost universally (in the football world at least) as extremely poor.
The cracks showed themselves again at QPR on Saturday though, particularly for the first goal (with the second being another penalty awarded by a more than questionable decision) and the problem of scoring, or more specifically, not scoring goals reared its head again and it has now been over 6 hours since we last found the back of the net.
As modern-day Preston fan favourite, Aiden McGeady once said in an interview following an Old Firm derby during his days with Celtic; "If you don't score goals then you won't win titles."
Now, we're not quite pushing for a title yet, but the point remains that something is missing upfront, something from the early parts of the season that it would be best to rediscover sooner rather than later.
Potential Dangers
When thinking of Fulham and the dangers in their squad, it's hard to look anywhere other than directly at the imposing figure that is Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The big Serbian striker is in stellar form, with 7 goals from his last 7 league games, so now is as horrible a time to face the former Newcastle man as ever.
Particularly when you take into account our current defensive frailties and the fact Mitrovic has scored 6 goals in his 4 appearances against North End in recent years. In fact, we are the club Mitrovic has netted the most times against during his professional career.
When Mitrovic isn't scoring, his partner in crime Aboubakar Kamara is finding the net in just as prolific a fashion. He himself bagged a double in their recent victory against QPR and is a just as viable, albeit slightly different type of, threat.
The quality of Ivan Cavaleiro and Anthony Knockaert on the flanks can't be ignored either. Perhaps unlucky to not be playing in the Premier League, both of them have tremendous ability and can unlock defences in the blink of an eye.
Opposition View
This week, our opposition view comes to you from Jack Collins. Jack is a Fulham fan and is a part of the Fulhamish; a Fulham fan podcast. You can find and follow Jack on twitter here – @jackjcollins. Also, Fulhamish are on twitter too – @FulhamishPod.
If you'd have told us we'd have been sitting in third place in December, I think many of us would have bitten your hand off.
Whilst the rest of the world chatted away about Fulham's squad – Knockaert, Cavaleiro, Mitrovic, Cairney are all, on paper, absolute world-beaters in this division – those of us immersed in this funny old club were worried sick about the lack of cover at the back, about the age-old full-back questions, about a manager with no real experience, and about how it would all gel together.
We went off to Oakwell on the first day of the campaign and duly lost 2-0 to a Barnsley side who have failed to pick up almost any wins since, and the worrying intensified. Fulham have improved vastly since then, but there's still a sense that this side are yet to hit any semblance of the form that they should be capable of. Flashes, yes – beating Millwall 4-0 at the Cottage, a brilliant first half against Derby, the demolition job at Reading – but nothing consistent.
A four-game winning streak was brutally ended by Bristol City on our own patch on Saturday, in a game mired in refereeing controversy but in truth, one which we deserved nothing from.
The fact that we're third is a huge positive with all this considered, and the man that has put Fulham onto his broad shoulders and carried us through is Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is the division's leading scorer because he is, simply put, the best striker in the division.
He creates havoc for opposition defenders, wins balls he has no right to win and finishes most chances with aplomb. Tom Cairney has been mostly good from the middle of the park too, and the return of the mercurial Aboubakar Kamara has coincided with an upturn in recent goalscoring threat and putting away games, whilst Cardiff loanee Bobby Decordova-Reid has been immense at linking play.
There are questions still though, especially in the left handed defensive channel of Tim Ream and Joe Bryan. Ream, our player of the season when we were promoted two seasons ago, is still a classy defender but has lost a yard of pace, and Bryan, whilst a fan favourite and an excellent crosser of the ball, often leaves his defensive channel vacant, and teams have been quick to punish.
Anthony Knockaert has also flattered to deceive at times, whilst our midfield corps is heavily injury-hit as we speak. However, Deepdale is a ground that holds a lot of happy memories for Fulham, and in stark contrast to Bristol City, who are our bogey team in many respects, we have a surprisingly good recent record in Lancashire.
The last-minute heroics of two years ago are still fresh in the memory, whilst Dembele and McCormack gave us a deeply undeserved win at your place two seasons prior when wins were rare and away wins were like gold dust.
Parker has been at his best this season whilst learning from his mistakes, and with your Lilywhites in a bit of a rut themselves, will be seeing this as an opportunity to bounce back quickly from the weekend's disappointment before a local derby against Brentford next up.
Expected XI: Rodak; Odoi, Mawson, Ream, Bryan; Cairney, Johansen; Kamara, Decordova-Reid, Cavaleiro; Mitrovic.
Score Prediction: 2-1 to Fulham. Two for Mitrovic and one for Seani Maguire.
Predictions
This is a tricky one. As optimistic as I want to be it's hard to look past the injury crisis at the back, as well as our newfound issues at the other end of the pitch too. Despite this, I hope I'll avoid tempting fate when I say I still think we're a good side and luck has certainly not been on our side recently.
I think we'll break our scoring duck and take a point on Tuesday night. Of course, Mitrovic is probably going to score for Fulham so my shout is 1-1.
As for an XI prediction, I think I will leave this one. It's anyone's guess as to who may or may not start tomorrow with the injuries we have at the moment.
Obviously there'll be the usual faces in Ben Pearson, Declan Rudd, Joe Rafferty, Alan Browne, Tom Barkhuizen and presumably Andrew Hughes, provided they've not picked up any injuries since Saturday. But as for the rest, let's wait and see if there are any surprises.
https://www.fromthefinney.co.uk/match-preview/preston-north-end-vs-fulham/
Fulham take another look at AFC Sudbury Academy star Harry Critchley following his West Ham United trial
Highly-rated AFC Sudbury Academy left-back Harry Critchley is currently in high demand, after being invited to spend a second week at Championship club Fulham.
The second-year scholar, who burst on to the first-team scene at the Yellows this season, went to over to west London on the back of completing a trial at Premier League club West Ham United at the end of last month.
He did enough to be invited back for a second week successive week at Fulham, which accounted for his absence from the senior sides on Saturday.
In the summer AFC Sudbury manager Mark Morsley described him as 'one of the brightest prospects I have seen in a long while' and of his trials said: "Fair play to him. It is a watch this space situation."
Critchley was one of the standout players on the academy's USA Tour in the summer, where they won the Albion Las Vegas Memorial Day Cup.
With fellow left-sided academy talent Ross Crane unexpectedly leaving the club for rivals Bury Town, it led Morsley to promote him into his first-team squad in pre-season before putting him in for his debut in their BetVictor Isthmian League North Division opener at Coggeshall Town.
He went on to play eight of AFC's opening nine games before a broken wrist put him out until making his first-team return in the Buildbase FA Trophy 2-1 defeat at higher-league Kingstonian on November 23.
He will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Tyler French, who became the academy's first graduate to sign a professional contract at a Football League club, on sealing a move from Sudbury to Sky Bet League Two Bradford City in the summer.
https://www.suffolkfreepress.co.uk/sport/isthmian-league-extended-fulham-trial-for-afc-sudbury-academy-star-9092971/
David Prutton share's his prediction for Preston North End's clash with Fulham
David Prutton has backed Preston North End to secure a point against Fulham on Tuesday evening.
The Lilywhites made an excellent start to the Championship season but have fallen off the pace in dramatic fashion in recent weeks.
Alex Neil's side are currently on a run of four defeats in a row, meaning that a positive result would be well overdue.
For Fulham, things continue to get better as the season unfolds.
An inconsistent start has been followed up by a string of good results which has propelled them up to third in the Championship.
While there's a significant gap between the Cottagers and the top two, they'll be hopeful that a good result at Deepdale can continue their good form – something which David Prutton says could continue in Lancashire.
Writing for Sky Sports, he said: "The fortunes of these two are heading in separate directions at the moment and it's not looking great for Preston.
"They were right up there at the start, but are dropping away at pace and haven't been able to score for love or money over this last month.
"When Fulham were promoted in 2018, they started to pick up pace in the latter half of the season, but Scott Parker's men look to be reaching similar levels already.
"Will it be enough to help them towards the automatic places?"
David Prutton's prediction: Preston North End 2 – 2 Fulham
The verdict
It's a clash that could have everything.
Preston's positive start to the season has faded away, while Fulham are going great guns as they look to build a push for the automatic promotion spots.
It could be an exciting game and a huge three points for the winner.
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/david-prutton-shares-his-prediction-for-preston-north-ends-clash-with-fulham/
All the latest Fulham injury news right here
Fulham travel to Preston North End in the Championship tonight, as Scott Parker's side look to bounce back from their weekend defeat.
It was Bristol City who ended Fulham's four-game winning streak, and took themselves level on points with 3rd-place Fulham.
Goals either side from Josh Brownhill and Famara Diedhiou were enough to see Lee Johnson's side to victory, with Aboubakar Kamara scoring a late consolation.
The defeat leaves just three points between Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday in the final play-off spot, and Parker's side now eight points off Leeds United in 2nd.
They head up north to face a Preston side who've finally slipped out of the top-six with their fourth-straight defeat to nil at the weekend, giving QPR their first win in seven and first clean sheet of the season.
Unavailable for the trip to Deepdale are three first-team players for Fulham: Harry Arter, Maxime Le Marchland and Bobby Reid.
Arter, on-loan from Bournemouth, hasn't been named in a matchday squad since mid-October and his return date is unknown.
Frenchman Le Marchland has also been absent from recent matchday squads after sustaining a muscle injury in his side's 1-0 win at Birmingham City last month.
Arguably Fulham's biggest miss of the three is Reid. The Jamaican international finally got off the mark for the club against Derby County last month but came off after less than an hour, and hasn't featured since.
The 26-year-old is thought to have a slight muscle injury and to be available for selection again before the New Year.
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/all-the-latest-fulham-injury-news-right-here/
Can Preston North End keep Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic quiet at Deepdale?
Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is a man in form which isn't exactly music to the ears of Preston North End.
The Serbia international has found the net 23 times in 24 games this season for club and country.
In campaigns gone by, the powerful frontman found a liking for scoring against PNE.
He's struck six goals in his last four meetings with North End in the colours of Newcastle United and the Cottagers.
Four of those goals came in the space of five days in October 2016. Mitrovic struck twice in Newcastle's 6-0 thrashing of PNE in the League Cup at St James' Park.
The Magpies then visited Deepdale in a Championship game later that week and he scored both goals in a 2-0 win.
In March 2018, by now sporting Fulham colours, Mitrovic netted both goals in the London club's 2-1 win over Preston at Deepdale.
He was on loan then before making his move to Fulham a full-time one in July 2018 in a £22m move from Newcastle.
Mitrovic netted 11 times in the top flight but his goals dried up in the second-half of the season.
Fulham holding on to him after relegation has proved important, with him scoring 15 goals so far this campaign.
The 25-year-old has got eight for Serbia too, helping them reach the Euro 2020 play-offs.
https://www.lep.co.uk/sport/football/preston-north-end/pne-news/can-preston-north-end-keep-fulham-striker-aleksandar-mitrovic-quiet-at-deepdale-1-10146170
Fulham have some star quality says Preston North End manager Alex Neil
Preston manager Alex Neil thinks Fulham's squad is one of the strongest in the Championship.
The Cottagers, managed by Scott Parker, make the trip to Deepdale tonight (7.45pm) in third place and looking for a return to the Premier League at the first attempt.
Neil says they invested well in the summer, as well as keeping hold of some of those who had played in the top-flight last season.
The £25m sale of Ryan Sessegnon to Tottenham helped balance the books.
Fulham's incoming business in the main was done in the loan market, with Harry Arter, Harrison Reed, Anthony Knockaert, Bobby Reid and Ivan Cavaleiro arriving for temporary stays - five of them from Premier League clubs.
Neil said: "Fulham are a good side and have spent a hell of a lot of money to try and get straight back up.
"They have got guys who they have retained from the Premier League who are used to playing at that level.
"I think what Fulham have shown is that when they are at it, they can beat any team in this league."
Fulham's run of four straight wins came to an end on Saturday when they were beaten 2-1 at Craven Cottage by Bristol City.
The Robins went into a 2-0 lead, before substitute Aboubakar Kamara came off the bench to reduce the deficit and set-up a thrilling finale. But an equaliser eluded them.
https://www.lep.co.uk/sport/football/preston-north-end/pne-news/fulham-have-some-star-quality-says-preston-north-end-manager-alex-neil-1-10146167
Half Season Subscription(https://ffcw001.azureedge.net/-/media/misc/ffcvbcfc.jpg?w=622&h=278)
If you're struggling to think of a Christmas present for the Fulham fan in your life, then look no further than a half-season subscription to the official programme!
This season's programmes have gone down a storm with supporters, with each edition jam-packed with interviews, features and all the latest news from Craven Cottage, and the easiest way to get your copy during the all-important run-in each week is to subscribe and ensure it drops through your letterbox in pristine condition.
The half-season deal includes all home league and FA Cup fixtures from Boxing Day, right up until the end of the season.
Prices start at just £65 which includes UK delivery, and they can be shipped worldwide regardless of where you follow Scott Parker's men.
Subscriptions can be bought via ProgrammeMaster's online store now or over the phone at 020 7121 5000.
http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/december/10/half-season-subscription
'Should be looking elsewhere' – Fulham weigh up move for Championship striker: The verdict
This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer has a battle on his hands in January if he wants to hold onto striker Macauley Bonne, with Fulham just one of a number of clubs keen on the 24-year-old, according to a report on talkSPORT.
Bonne arrived at the Valley in the summer from Leyton Orient and has scored six goals in 14 league appearances so far this season, having been given his opportunity following injury to team-mate Lyle Taylor.
So is Bonne good enough to make the grade at Fulham and would he fit in?
We discuss........
Ned Holmes
"I think this could be a really smart signing from Fulham.
"They have two strong forward options in Kamara and Mitrovic but they're both big, physical strikers and Bonne offers different talents.
"West Brom and Leeds have started to pull away at the top of the Championship, so you feel Fulham will need to add more quality in January to try and keep up.
"Bonne is only 24 and should improve over the next few years, so he could be a good long-term option for the London club, particularly as you feel Mitrovic may leave if they don't go up."
Josh Cole
"If Fulham are able to convince Bonne to make the move across London in January, his presence at Craven Cottage may help them with their promotion charge.
"One of Charlton's stand-out performers in recent weeks, the forward has already found the back of the net on six occasions in the Championship and thus has seemingly adapted to this division after a slow start to life at the Valley.
"Whilst Fulham already have a plethora of attacking options to choose from due to the presence of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Bobby Reid and Aboubakar Kamara, there is no reason why they shouldn't swoop for Bonne.
"If the former Leyton Orient man can hit the ground running at Craven Cottage, he could potentially play a key role in the club's push for a return to the Premier League next May."
George Harbey
"I think Fulham should be looking elsewhere in January to be quite honest.
"They already have so much firepower going forward – Aleksandar Mitrovic has been exceptional and has scored so many goals this season, and Aboubakar Kamara has also impressed when called upon.
"They also have Bobby Reid who is able to play up top on his own, so it's not as if Fulham are short of options in the final third.
"Bonne has been impressive in the Championship with Charlton this term, and he has exceeded my expectations as I thought the step-up was too much for him to be honest.
"But I wouldn't want to leave Charlton for Fulham if I were him – Lee Bowyer clearly rates him as a player, and he is settled at The Valley."
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/should-be-looking-elsewhere-fulham-weigh-up-move-for-championship-striker-the-verdict/
'Amazing' – These Fulham fans feel another star is coming through
Fulham fans have reacted to a video of academy player Jay Stansfield scoring his first goal for the development squad against West Ham United in the Premier League 2.
Stansfield is a name that's being banded around Craven Cottage this season. A striker who's scored 18 in 11 games for the U18 side this season was called up to the Fulham U23 and on his debut, against PL2 leaders West Ham, scored his first goal after coming off the bench.
The 18-year-old almost scored just four minutes after coming on but soon found the net after 11 minutes, driving a fierce shot into the back of the net from the edge of the penalty box:
It's heightened interest in the striker at the club and plenty of fans want to see him in action for the first-team.
He certainly looks a talent and one that could well feature in Scott Parker's first-team depending on their January business.
Take a look below at what Fulham fans are saying about Stansfield's goal:
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/amazing-these-fulham-fans-feel-another-star-is-coming-through/
Three words that sum up Scott Parker's spell as Fulham manager so far
Fulham will be eager to ensure that their stay in the Championship is a short one and that Premier League football will soon be returning.
And it is a case of so far so good for Scott Parker in his first full season in management. With 20 games played, the Whites sit in third place in the Championship, eight points behind the top-two.
So, with the half-way point in the campaign approaching, we take a look at THREE words which sum-up his time at Craven Cottage so far...
Attacking
It is very clear which element of the game Parker has put more emphasis on since taking over permanently at Craven Cottage.
The summer saw him bring in the likes of Anthony Knockaert, Bobby Reid, Ivan Cavaleiro and Josh Onomah as well as give Aleksandar Mitrovic a bumper new deal, whilst only one defender was signed.
It is far from a bad thing, with the Whites often managing to blow away teams with their attacking prowess and it has led to some brilliantly entertaining displays so far.
Stubborn
It is clear that Parker has one way he wants to play and is determined to perfect it.
Anyone who has been to Craven Cottage this season will tell you how is insistance on playing out from the back can regularly frustrate the fans, with Alfie Mawson and Tim Ream often completeing seven or eight consecutive passes between eachother.
When it works, it looks brilliant. But when it doesn't, it perhaps exposes Parker's failure to instill a plan B in his side just yet, which is something he needs to work on.
Admirable
This is perhaps more aimed at the Fulham board.
It was admirable of them to give Parker the job full-time in the summer. Some viewed it as a cheap or lazy option but I think they saw after their spell in the Premier League that they needed a galvanising figure in the dug-out.
And, slowly but surely, Parker is proving himself to be that man. Whilst there continue to be slip-ups, it is hard to deny that his side are continuing to improve over the course of the campaign.
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/three-words-that-sum-up-scott-parkers-spell-as-fulham-manager-so-far/
Is this Fulham man's starting spot at Craven Cottage at risk after latest performance? Comment
Fulham's winning streak came to an untimely halt at the weekend, and it brought to light the slight demise of one player.
Looking for a fifth-straight win at home to Bristol City at the weekend, Scott Parker's side were brought back down to earth by Lee Johnson's.
The Robins came to Craven Cottage on the back of a 5-2 win over Huddersfield Town and left deserved of the win. Goals either side of half-time from Josh Brownhill and Famara Diedhiou was enough to see them home, with Aboubakar Kamara netting a late consolation goal.
Fulham were frustrated on Saturday as they kept pressing and pressing at the Bristol City back-line with no luck – Aleksandar Mitrovic was marked out of the game, and the likes of Ivan Cavaleiro and particularly Anthony Knockaert failed to have an impact.
Another man who's performance was below par on Saturday was that of left-back Joe Bryan. Bryan is one of those full-backs who's consistently consistent – he rarely comes under the spotlight. But he was the weak link in the Fulham defence against his former club at the weekend, and it's not the first time that he has been this season.
A quality left-back on this day, capable of both defending and attacking to great effect, Bryan hasn't fully settle back into the Championship. He like so many others at the club had a torrid time in the Premier League last season and maybe the hangover from that has carried on into this?
At 26-years-old he's soon to enter the 'prime' of his career but as his form looks to be stalling, is his first-team spot at Fulham at risk?
Maxime Le Marchland is the first name that springs to mind when doubting Bryan's spot in the starting line-up. The Frenchman replaced him early on in last months defeat to Hull City and started the next with Bryan injured, but picked up an injury himself that game and hasn't featured since.
Another candidate to potentially fulfil the role is Cyrus Christie. A right-back by trade, and another name who will want to forget last season, Christie is yet to start a league game this term. He's a player with good Championship experience and though his cameos have been brief, he still looks a decent enough player.
Competition is good in any squad and maybe it's time that Bryan saw some of his own. He's not the only name in the Fulham defence that's been questioned this season but his form has certainly been regressing, and he's well overdue a solid performance against Preston tonight.
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/is-this-fulham-mans-starting-spot-at-craven-cottage-at-risk-after-latest-performance-comment/
3 tweaks Parker must consider for Fulham ahead of Preston clash
Fulham travel to Preston on Tuesday night looking to get back to winning ways after facing defeat to Lee Johnson's Bristol City last Saturday
It was a game that they would have hoped to have at least have gotten a draw out of having been the home side in the fixture.
However, the Cottagers weren't able to do so and that meant that they fell behind in the race for automatic-promotion in the Championship as both Leeds and West Brom found victories.
Here are THREE tweaks that Scott Parker should consider making ahead of Fulham's clash at Preston...
Start Aboubakar Kamara
The forward has been in fine form, and when he steppe din for the suspended Aleksandar Mitrovic he was superb and managed to lead the front line really well. He deserves another opportunity from the start, and his link-up play with the other attackers could cause Preston all sorts of problems.
Kamara has the ability to play anywhere across the frontline which means that Parker can still have option of playing some of the attackers who deserve to stay in the lineup for the next match.
More defensive width
The full-backs are good and like to get forward a lot, but Fulham could do with Denis Odoi staying in a better shape and to use him in his actual position as a centre-back.
They have a very capable player in Cyrus Christie who can play in that position and although certain aspects of his defensive game haven't been to the standard of Odoi, he can push them up the pitch with his athleticism.
Make substitutions earlier
If it's not going right for the side the manager has to be able to make substations at an earlier stage in the fixture, it didn't feel like Fulham were ever going to score until then and when he came on and then Neeskens Kebano, the Cottagers looked much more lively around the opposition penalty area.
It should be interesting to see how Parker approaches the game and to see what he decides to do if things are going wrong for his Fulham side.
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/3-tweaks-parker-must-consider-for-fulham-ahead-of-preston-clash/
Alex Neil issues claim over trying to rectify Preston North End's form
Preston North End will look to end a run of four successive defeats when they travel to Fulham on Tuesday with manager Alex Neil openly admitted his side are in a difficult spell.
A run of four straight defeats have seen the Lilywhites slip from second to seventh in the Championship table and face another tough test when they host third placed Fulham on Tuesday evening.
North End lost their first home game last time out at Deepdale and will be looking to turn their form around when the Cottagers arrive in Lancashire on Tuesday evening.
Speaking to the Lancashire Evening Post, Neil said: "This is a difficult spell for us, we know that, I did say a few times before this spell that we'd had to change and tinker the side quite a lot this season."
"There has been a lot of tinkering in there, sometimes it has worked and sometimes it hasn't like at the moment," Neil continued.
The Preston boss revealed that there are some issues he is struggling to get right at the moment and injuries are not helping his current predicament.
"We have missed two of our technical midfielders who give us that extra link in the middle, our ball-playing central defender Ben Davies has been missing which means we haven't been able to build," he told the Lancashire Evening Post.
Discussing the impact of certain players missing, Neil said: "Ben gives us pace and he covers the flank down his side too which he is great at, Darnell Fisher hasn't been there so we've had to flip full-backs and we've only just been able to move Joe Rafferty back to the right after he's been playing at left-back."
North End could move back up into the play-off places with a victory if results also go their way, before hosting Luton Town on Saturday.
The Verdict
There is no coincidence that North End's form has tailed off as their injury crisis has worsened, but have however faced tough trips to Hull City and QPR as well as West Bromwich Albion at home.
Tuesday night will be another tough test as Fulham head to Deepdale looking for a third successive away win, and the pressure mounting on the Lilywhites to end their difficult run.
A draw may be a satisfying result for Neil as he continues to ponder on his side's balance, whereas another defeat could set potential alarm bells ringing.
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/alex-neil-issues-claim-over-trying-to-rectify-preston-north-ends-form/
