Saturday Fulham Stuff (19/10/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham U21s 2 Newcastle U21s 2

Fulham Under-21s 2 (Dembele 2)
Newcastle United Under-21s 2 (Campbell, Vuckic)

Haris Vuckic's late equaliser earned Newcastle a share of the Barclays Under-21 Premier League spoils at Craven Cottage on Friday night.

The Slovenian swept home after 80 minutes to extend United's unbeaten run at this level to four matches on a largely positive evening for Willie Donachie and Peter Beardsley's side.

Adam Campbell grabbed his second goal in two matches while Massadio Haidara made his comeback from injury and teenage defender James Morgan made his second-string debut.

French teenager Moussa Dembele, who has been in prolific form for the Cottagers at under-18 level, had given the home side a 21st minute lead with a powerful strike before Campbell notched two minutes into the second half with a neat finish.

But Dembele scored again in the 71st minute for Kit Symons' side only for Vuckic to strike with ten minutes left.

Gael Bigirimana saw a third minute effort hit the bar before forcing Matt Etheridge into a save, but Fulham were already beginning to get on top when they took the lead.

Campbell's goal was followed by good pressure from the visitors as Vuckic and Adam Armstrong both came close but Dembele swung the pendulum back in favour of the West London outfit.

Lyle Della Verde struck the woodwork as Fulham pushed for a third but Vuckic was on target soon afterwards.

Then in the 84th minute, Lasse Christensen's close-range shot was superbly saved by Jak Alnwick, who also denied Dembele three minutes later.



http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/Match/Report/ReservesReport/0,,10278~3501441,00.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 2-2 Newcastle United

Newcastle United Under-21s twice came from behind to claim a point in a 2-2 draw at a chilly Craven Cottage on Friday evening.

Moussa Dembele continued to enhance his rapidly growing reputation with two well taken strikes, but he was twice cancelled out by players who have tasted first team football for the Magpies, firstly Adam Campbell and then Haris Vuckic.

Dembele's first was a fine finish on the spin, while Campbell's equaliser came following an unfortunate slip by Tom Richards. The Frenchman's second showed great elegance to flick the ball in, but Vuckic's header ensured the points would be shared.

The Whites had chances to put the game to bed, and Kit Symons will no doubt want to see a greater cutting edge from his side throughout the remainder of the season.

The first chance of the game fell the way of the hosts inside three minutes. After Ange Freddy Plumain had done well to win a corner down the left, Mananga Jonathan Buatu rose unmarked to meet Chris David's delivery but nodded a yard wide of the far post.

Newcastle responded brightly and their highly rated captain Gael Bigirimana let fly from 20 yards with a ripping effort that beat Neil Etheridge, but thankfully crashed on top of the crossbar before sailing over for a goal kick.

And after Etheridge had kept out a Bigirimana free-kick in the 12th minute, the Whites countered quickly with Plumain who set Richards through on goal but the left-back's effort was easily claimed by Jak Alnwick, who was in action again seconds later to push David's low effort round the post.

With Fulham playing the better football, it came as little surprise when they took the lead on 22 minutes. The Newcastle defenders attempted to intricately play the ball out of their own area but were caught in possession by Dembele who turned cutely before nestling a peach of a shot in the top right hand corner of the net.

The Magpies looked for an immediate response and broke with pace after Lasse Vigen Christensen had overrun the ball, but Vuckic lashed at his effort and it flew comfortably wide of Etheridge's near post.

Both teams were having chances and Muamer Tankovic almost bagged a spectacular goal but his overhead kick whistled an inch over the bar after a scramble in the box following a corner.

A remarkable diagonal pass from David then found Josh Passley who had sprinted into the Newcastle box – unfortunately the defender's effort flashed across the face of goal. David was bossing the game and went close with a free-kick in the 35th minute after Mesca Na Bangna had been felled on the edge of the area.

Three minutes into the second half, Dembele's pace sent him clear of the Magpies' backline. He rounded the keeper coolly but lost his footing at the vital moment and sliced wide of the open goal.

It was a miss that proved to be crucial as Newcastle went straight up the other end and scored when Richards slipped, allowing Campbell to waltz through on goal and confidently slot the ball beyond Etheridge.

The equaliser buoyed the visitors and Vuckic made sure Etheridge was alert with a bending strike from range, before Adam Armstrong dipped a curling shot just beyond the angle of post and crossbar. Fulham responded with a drilled effort by Tankovic, but it only found the sidenetting, with Na Bangna doing likewise minutes later.

A loose ball fell to Tankovic in the 64th minute and the Sweden youth international neatly shifted it away from the advancing defender but blasted his shot high over Alnwick's crossbar.

Fulham rustled the net once more four minutes later but, again, it was the wrong side – this time it was Vigen Christensen who was guilty of missing the target after some good footwork from Na Bangna had seen him played in down the right.

The game was very tight but it was the Whites who got their noses in front, with Dembele again the scorer. A quick break from Passley eventually saw the ball worked out to Na Bangna on the right who played in a square cross which Dembele outrageously flicked into the back of the net.

With the Geordies rattled, Fulham went close to extending the lead through substitute Lyle Della Verde, but his powerful effort crashed back off the crossbar. Dembele then saw a shot from distance deflect wide, before David bent a ball over the top as the home side looked to kill the contest.

A great chance to do just that fell to Vigen Christensen with 10 minutes remaining after good work from David. The Dutchman found the Fulham captain but he dragged his shot wide.

And for the second time in the game, the Whites were made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal as Vuckic headed in at the other end just a minute later.

It looked as though Vigen Christensen had put his side back in front in the 86th minute, though, but Alnwick pulled off a brilliant stop from close range to deny the Denmark Under-21 international, before he was on hand to prevent Dembele bagging his hat-trick moments later as the game's final chance went begging.

Fulham: Etheridge; Passley, Arthurworrey, Buatu, Richards; Na Bangna, Vigen Christensen, David, Plumain (Della Verde, 56 mins); Tankovic (Minkwitz, 76 mins); Dembele

Substitutes: Joronen, Minkwitz, O'Reilly, Della Verde, Islamovic

Newcastle: Alnwick; Morgan, Streete, Gillesphey, Haidara (Aird, 61 mins); Aarons, Kemen (Quinn, 61 mins), Bigirimana, Vuckic; Campbell, Armstrong (Roberts, 71 mins)

Substitutes: Pearson, Aird, Quinn, Roberts


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/october/18/fulham-2-2-newcastle?

[WhiteJC]

 
Palace v Fulham

Story so far
Crystal Palace could not find the performance necessary to halt a very strong Liverpool outfit during the last round, as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at Anfield.

Despite Dwight Gayle grabbing a second-half consolation goal Palace were unable to contain a Liverpool side full of attacking intent and bolstered by Luis Suarez on his return to Anfield. Jason Puncheon has been a smart acquisition for Palace following his arrival on loan from Southampton. So far this season he's racked up 113 successful passes in the opponent's half, the highest total of any Palace player.

He's also been Palace's most effective attacker, compiling a squad-leading total of 18 attacking contributions (assists, crosses, dribbles, shots on goal). Puncheon is 4/1 to score at any time this weekend with 888sport.com.

Mile Jedinak was once again the defensive stalwart for Palace last weekend, as he has been for much of the season to this point. Only Aaron Ramsey has attempted more tackles that the Australian this season (43) and even he cannot match Jedinak's impressive success rate of 74.4%.

However, even Jedinak cannot compete with Danny Gabbidon's physical commitment to the cause, leading the Hammers squad as he does for blocks with 10 which also places him second on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

A vital goal from Darren Bent secured all three points for Fulham and relieved the pressure on embattled manager Martin Jol, as they produced a 1-0 home win over Stoke. Fulham fans will be hoping that this is the turning of the tide and will be looking for Jol's men to capitalise on their newfound momentum against Palace this weekend.

Adel Taarabt continues to impress when give the chance this season, boasting the best accuracy rate in front of goal of any Fulham player this season with 80% of his 5 attempts on goal testing the opposition goalkeeper. Taarabt is 4/1 with 888sport.com to score at any time against Palace.

Martin Jol will be hoping that last weekend's clean sheet will be the first of many to come, especially with David Stockdale currently sitting as the third busiest 'keeper in the league with 27 saves according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

Captain Bred Hangleand continues to lead from the front in defence this season, the giant centre-half racking up a squad-leading 69 defensive contributions. He will looking to improve his current tackle success rate though, 44.4% from 9 attempted challenges representing far too low a rate for a defender of his quality.

The goals have not flowed as easily as Martin Jol would have hoped at the beginning of this season, but his players must start getting more attempts on goal away if this is to improve. So far no Fulham player has broken into double-figures for total attempts on goal according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars at fantasy.premierleague.com or with FIFA Ultimate Team for FIFA 14.



Team news
Eagles winger Yannick Bolasie could make his first start of the season after impressing off the bench at Liverpool before the international break.

Left-back Jonathan Parr is back in training after recovering from his ankle ligament injury, while Paddy McCarthy is stepping up his training routine after his long-term groin problem.

Fulham midfielder Scott Parker should make a return after overcoming a calf problem. Defender Aaron Hughes may feature as he gets over a thigh injury, while Adel Taarabt fit after returning from international duty.

Quotes
Ian Holloway

"It's in the past now [about Darren Bent snubbing Palace]. Fulham did very well to get him, so well done to Martin. We had a couple of discussions about it and I thought he was turning up at our training ground, but you've never got them in your keep net until they're there.

"At the time I got a camera shoved in my face 30 seconds after finding out he had signed for Fulham. I do apologise to Martin and didn't realise they hadn't announced it at the time.

"We know we need to get a win and there is nothing wrong at Palace that a good three points will put right. We have to face up that what we have been doing is not good enough, although a lot of it has not been far off. I thought we played really well at Liverpool and showed all sorts of character, but we need points on the board.

"Paddy is well on the way to getting back. I hope he will be ready in about three weeks. It was always going to be a gamble including him in our 25, as to whether he would be ready or not before January.

"We felt Paddy would have more influence in the dressing room than Florian Marange [left out of 25-man squad], and we thought he might be fit a little earlier.

"But whether or not he is fit, we need his type of people. His attitude has been sensational. He always believes we are going to get better and stronger. He has had a couple of breakdowns in training, and now I hope there won't be any more."

Steve Parish

"We always get a good atmosphere at Selhurst Park and we do need to try and win our home games. We have had more away games so far, so this week is a chance to try and get our season back on track. We are looking forward to the game, like we do every game, with Fulham and Arsenal both coming up.

"They will be difficult games and Arsenal especially will be tough, but in an ideal world we want to be aiming for four points from those two games. That is what we will be targeting.

"I think we have done better on the pitch than the results suggest so far. When you look at the games, there have been some big turning points and decisions that have gone against us.

"We have had three penalties against us and you could argue that they have been quite harsh. The one against Spurs was harsh and the one at Manchester United was outside the box – they say that they even themselves out so hopefully our luck will change with that."

Darren Bent

"There was a lot of talk [about Palace]. I spoke to Ian Holloway but I always knew Fulham was the place for me. I am here now and I am delighted to be here.

"No disrespect to Crystal Palace or Ian Holloway, it is a fantastic football club and he is a fantastic manager. I could only ever see myself coming to Fulham."

Martin Jol

"It's not easy to go away from home and play against these teams. If you saw Crystal Palace away against Liverpool, in the second half they could have scored more goals than one. Of course, it was 3-0 [to Liverpool] going into the second half but they could have scored two or three.

"They're a strong team and it will be difficult but I think we've got the qualities and the players to get a result. It's the Premier League, so it will be difficult, but hopefully we'll get the points."

Last meeting
Fulham 3-1 Palace

Saturday January 01 2005

Fulham: Van der Sar, Volz (Rosenior, 76), Knight, Rehman, Bocanegra, Malbranque (Clark, 82), Pembridge, Diop, Boa Morte (John, 89), Radzinski, Cole

Subs not used: Crossley, McBride

Bookings: Knight

Goals: Cole 4, Cole 60, Radzinski 73

Palace: Kiraly, Butterfield, Popovic, Hall, Granville, Routledge, Riihilahti (Torghelle, 65), Soares, Lakis (Andrews, 79), Johnson, Hughes (Leigertwood, 64)

Subs not used: Speroni, Boyce

Bookings: Butterfield, Popovic, Soares

Goals: Johnson 35 (pen)




http://www.holmesdale.net/page.php?id=82&story=5879