Friday Fulham Stuff (15/04/16)...

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Brighton & Hove Albion v Fulham

BBC coverage
How to follow:
Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website

TEAM NEWS
Brighton & Hove Albion forward Sam Baldock has been passed fit (hamstring) but veteran striker Bobby Zamora has been ruled out (hip).

Defender Uwe Hunemeier (groin) and midfielder Solly March (knee) are also sidelined.

Fulham will be without Rohan Ince against Brighton as the midfielder is ineligible against his parent club.

Midfielders Tom Cairney (leg) and Sakari Mattila (back) are ruled out, as is defender Michael Madl (calf).

MATCH FACTS
Brighton have won each of the last two encounters with the Whites, with Tomer Hemed sealing a 2-1 victory in August with a 90th-minute penalty.
However, Fulham are unbeaten in two visits to Brighton (W1 D1), winning on their most recent visit to the Amex.
Brighton have won six and lost none of their last nine league matches.
After going six games without a win, Fulham have won three in a row for the first time since March 2012 in the Premier League.
Fulham have conceded 10 goals via the penalty spot this season, six more than any other team.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35994191

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Fulham stopper eager to best Brighton's David Stockdale

The Whites goalkeeper eyes reunion with old team-mate in Amex Stadium clash


Shock: Marcus Bettinelli wants to inflict defeat on David Stockdale

Marcus Bettinelli is relishing Fulham's clash with Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday night as he shapes up to face former mentor David Stockdale.

The former England U21 international goalkeeper credits his Brighton counterpart for his development into becoming the Whites' first choice stopper.

And ahead of their meeting at the Amex Stadium , the 23-year-old is keen to go head-to-head with his old friend.

He said: "Obviously when I was younger, Stocko was in the first team and he taught me a lot.

"We're still great friends now, I owe him a lot now, obviously teaching me a lot of things when I was younger.

"At the time there was him and Mark Schwarzer, and Mark was playing a lot and was an amazing person to work under.

"I probably moulded my game off Mark, and Stocko offered me something different that Mark didn't do in terms of kicking and stuff like that.

"It was the perfect combination to have Mark there and Stocko. It was amazing to learn off both of them.

"It was something I will never forget working with two really really good goalkeepers and I'm glad that Stocko is doing so well this season.


Gunning for Stockdale: Marcus Bettinelli

"He's having a great season, which he deserves because he's a top lad and has a great family. I keep in touch with him a lot and it will be great to see him next week."

The Whites travel to third-placed Brighton on Friday night looking to secure a fourth consecutive win.

Another victory could see Slavisa Jokanovic's men secure Championship safety with four matches remaining against Chris Hughton's side.

But Bettinelli is under no illusions about the challenge ahead.

He added: "Brighton are a great team - especially this season, they're having a really really good season. I'm looking forward to going there again.

"We will have to go there with the same attitude that we have adopted the last two or three games.

"We have been that real hard to beat side, I think we have conceded four goals the last four games or something like that - it's a lot better than what we have been doing.

"Hopefully we can go to Brighton and keep a clean sheet. I think we're all dying for one, we all deserve one definitely."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-stopper-eager-best-brightons-11188171?

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Hughton Targets Another Three Fulham Points

Manager Chris Hughton has spoken of his desire to see Brighton take another three points from Fulham in this weekend's fixture.

With Brighton sitting in third place and still in with a shout of making the automatic promotion spots if Middlesbrough or Burnley slip up and we maintain the pace, Hughton has now previewed Friday evening's clash against Fulham and he feels that with home advantage against the free scoring but struggling side, we can take another valuable win.

Speaking to the Official Site in his pre game press conference, the usual topics were covered by the gaffer.

Beginning with team news, he explained.

'Sam Baldock trained on Wednesday and will be available for Friday but Bobby Zamora remains out due to an ongoing hip problem. Bobby has done great for us all season and we knew how to manage him and I feel we have got the best out of him when he does plays.'

Hosting the side at the Amex Stadium for the game, Hughton went on to say that he felt it was another fantastic opportunity for three points and a win and to put pressure on those two sides ahead of us in the table.

Taking the win Friday evening would of course push us one point ahead of Burnley.

'Every game is an opportunity to get three points and we now have a great chance to get some early points on the board due to the fixture rearrangements. The home games mean a lot, even though we have done well on the road. For most teams, when playing at home there is more of a pressure to win, the game has changed and away teams tend to get good results.'

Looking to the opposition more specifically, their form in front of goal and their ability to concede goals, Hughton knew we couldn't underestimate them as it would be a tough game with the threats they carry.

'Fulham are a team in very good form and we have got used to playing teams like that. It seems that in many of our fixtures, our opponents have been on the back of good form. They are on the back of three wins and they have great quality in the squad with great options on the bench, like ourselves. They arguably have one of the best top two in the league with Ross McCormack and Moussa Dembele. McCormack will continue to score goals and Dembele is a really good young talent. You can see why they score goals, but we`re at home and are on a decent run.'

With few games remaining in the 2015/16 Championship campaign, the gaffer also said he expected a few more twists and turns in the battle for the top spots, so it was just important that Brighton gave themselves the best opportunity possible to capitalise on any slip ups.

'Every week there is a late drama and good teams always find a way of winning and that goes for the Premier League too. The top English teams down the years have always got a late goal in them because that`s the quality they have. It wasn`t a surprise on Tuesday (Middlesbrough beat Reading) but it would have been nice if they didn`t score.'

For us, we proved that admirably against Nottingham Forest with the late winner.

'I hope Steve Sidwell`s goal proves to be a catalyst for us. At this stage of the season you can see what late goals mean to the teams, like ours against Forest, Middlesbrough`s against Reading, and Burnley`s against us.'

He also discussed competition in the group at this stage of the year.

'We wanted to have this competition in the squad at this stage of the season. Players returning from long-term injuries have really helped and our signings in January have also given us really good options. Jiri Skalak has been excellent since signing for the club and his delivery on set-pieces has been fantastic recently, and that gives us another dimension to our game. We have a new way of scoring goals because we haven`t scored many from set-pieces this season.'



Read more: http://www.bha.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=565049#ixzz45sVRM5EH

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Scotland striker Ross McCormack nominated for top award in English Championship

Scotland striker Ross McCormack has been nominated for the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Year award following an eye-catching season with Fulham.

The 29-year-old, who impressed on his return to the national side in last month's win in the Czech Republic, has scored a total of 23 goals for the London club so far this season, and is also credited with eight assists.

Rangers and Motherwell marksman McCormack, who joined Fulham in a £11 million switch from Leeds in summer 2014, is up against Burnley forward Andre Gray and Brentford midfielder Alan Judge for the award.

The winner will be announced at Sunday's Football League awards ceremony.

McCormack, speaking to fulhamfc.com, said: "I'm very humbled to have been shortlisted for the Player of the Year award.

"It's not been the season we were all hoping for but hopefully we've turned a corner now and I can continue to contribute in the remaining five matches.

"Many thanks to all the fans for supporting me and the rest of the team through thick and thin this year."


http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2016/04/14/scotland-striker-ross-mccormack-nominated-top-award-english-championship/?

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Brighton Factfile

Fulham will be looking to put a dent in Brighton & Hove Albion's quest for automatic promotion when they meet at the Amex Stadium on Friday night (7.45pm).


The opposition

A fantastic season for Brighton sees them still firmly in contention for a top-two spot with five games to go, as they currently sit just two points behind Burnley, and four adrift of current league leaders Middlesbrough.

It looked as though the wheels may have come off around the turn of the year when they suffered a seven game slump where they picked up just three points, but they recovered in some style by going on to win four on the bounce.

They haven't lost since a 4-1 defeat at the Cardiff City Stadium back in February, taking 21 points from a possible 27 in their fixtures since. They were most recently in action on Monday, when a stoppage time strike by former Fulham favourite Steve Sidwell secured a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

Team news

Chris Hughton has mixed news up front as Sam Baldock is back available, but the game comes too soon for ex-Whites man Bobby Zamora.

Tickets

Tickets can only be bought by ringing Brighton direct on 0844 327 1901 (option 1). You will then need to collect them from the Amex.

Weather

Showers are expected in Brighton during parts of the day. Temperatures will be around the 10 degree mark come kick-off.

How to get there

Trains from London Victoria to Brighton take just over an hour, and then it's just a 10-minute connection to Falmer station, which the stadium is adjacent to. The last train home is at 12.10am.

Pre-match

If you're there early enough, Brighton has an abundance of watering holes to choose from. Next to the train station, The Prince Albert on Trafalgar Street is known to cater to both home and away supporters.

Coral match odds

Brighton: 8/13

Draw: 11/4

Fulham: 4/1

Last time we met

A controversial 94th-minute penalty secured Brighton victory at Craven Cottage in our first home game of the season. The visitors had taken the lead when Sam Baldock slotted in, but Fulham levelled through Tom Cairney's curling effort that flew in via the crossbar. Matt Smith was denied by the post and then a superb David Stockdale save, but the Seagulls were given the chance to snatch it when Kazenga LuaLua was felled by Shaun Hutchinson. Replays showed that the contact was outside the area, making Tomer Hemed's successful spot-kick difficult to stomach.

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/15/brighton-factfile?

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Vital Pre-Match - Brighton v Fulham

Brighton or Fulham to win as the Championship continues on Friday at the Amex Stadium?

Then again, which is more than possible of course, it could be a draw!

An injury-time goal from Steve Sidwell on Monday saw Brighton to a win over Nottingham Forest to keep up with Burnley and Middlesbrough.

Victory against Fulham would see Albion up to second, albeit temporarily, after this 7:45pm kick-off tonight.

The priority would for us to get his though as we've got the chance to ensure we remain up with the pacesetters whatever they do to follow up, any slips and we'll be close to (if not already in) a position to keep the seasons outcome in our own hands as we're currently unable to say that.

The fixtures are.

Friday 15th April 2016
Brighton v Fulham 19:45
Hull v Wolves 19:45

Saturday 16th April 2016
Bolton v Middlesbrough 12:30
Birmingham v Burnley 15:00
Blackburn v Huddersfield 15:00
Brentford v Bristol City 15:00
Cardiff v QPR 15:00
Charlton v Derby 15:00
Leeds v Reading 15:00
Preston v MK Dons 15:00
Rotherham v Nottm Forest 15:00
Sheff Wed v Ipswich 15:00

Fulham come into this having found a good run of form, which has moved them clear of relegation trouble, so they'll be confident of getting something but Albion pretty much know this (as the home side too) is a match we need to win.

But will this happen?



Read more: http://www.bha.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=565058#ixzz45tenxd6R

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Lasse: Keep The Momentum

Lasse Vigen Christensen wants Fulham to play with freedom when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion at their Amex Stadium on Friday night.

Now sitting 10 points clear of the relegation places, mathematical safety for the Whites could potentially be confirmed this weekend, while the Seagulls are still fighting hard for automatic promotion.

They're currently two points off the pace following their win at Nottingham Forest on Monday, and Christensen hopes to use that level of expectation against them.

"Obviously they have a lot of pressure on them," he told fulhamfc.com. "They need to keep up with the teams at the top.

"So them being at home and us coming off the back of a few good wins, I think we can almost go out there and play with a bit of freedom compared to them, which will be a little bit different to what we've had to do in a long while now.

"Hopefully we can keep the momentum we had, especially from the second half against Cardiff, and keep that going into Brighton."

The Amex holds good memories for Christensen, as he provided a memorable assist before notching the winner in Fulham's 2-1 victory there last term.

"It was a good day," he smiled. "It seems like so long ago now, but that was a great away game last season.

"We put in a very strong performance there so we've got some good memories and hopefully it will be the same this time, although we know it's going to be a tough game.

"It's a big pitch and if we don't come out and take the ball away from them it will be even tougher, so we're really focused on getting the tactics right and going on to perform like we have done for a few games now."

Each of the Whites' three recent victories have been by the odd goal, and they've had to react to the disappointment of conceding either the opener or an equaliser.

But the resilience shown by the side to keep their heads up has proven crucial in the resurgence, something that Christensen is delighted to see.

"It shows that we have that in the changing room, that fight and spirit," he said. "Obviously we would have loved to have shown it over a bit more of the season, but at least now at the business end of the campaign we've really shown in the last few games that we're there to compete and we can grind these wins out, so that's really positive."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/15/lasse-vigen-christensen-keep-the-momentum?

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Match Preview – Brighton v Fulham

Fulham – the past...
The wonderfully named Cottagers had been a regular staple of the Premier League over the last decade, even reaching the Europa League Final as recently as 2010 where they lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid. While Atletico have gone from strength to strength since that night in Hamburg including reaching a Champions League final and knocking out Barcelona in the quarter finals earlier in the week, Fulham tore down the Michael Jackson statue outside Craven Cottage and suffered relegation to the Championship in 2014.

Fulham – the present...
They haven't found it easy in the second tier either, sitting in 17th position currently. If it weren't for the general ineptitutde of the bottom three of already doomed Bolton, Charlton and McDons they could have had a real battle on their hands. That is a case of massive underachivement when you look through their squad. Tony Gale upset some of our more precious fans recently by saying he felt Fulham's squad was better than the Albion's and although it may have been stretching the point a little, quite how a side featuring the likes of Marcus Bettinelli, Chris Baird, Scott Parker, Matt Smith, Moussa Dembele and Ross McCormack is that low in the table beggars belief.

Familiar names...
Rohan Ince is currently on-loan with the Cottagers but will not be allowed to play tonight while Smith regenerated from Time Lord into professional footballer although he only has one goal to his name so far this season.

A useful match fact...
We haven't beaten Fulham at home since 1994, a 2-0 victory at the Goldstone in which Paul Dickov netted twice.

A useless match fact...
There probably will not be a Match Review of this game as we tend to get too drunk at Friday night matches to remember what is going on.

Fulham is famous for...
Being the starting point for the boat race. Being posh. And it was famous for the already mentioned Michael Jackson until it was scandalously torn down.

How to blend in with the visitors...
The locals we met wandering to Craven Cottage back in August were delighted to have signed Lewis Dunk to the point they were actually rubbing our noses in it. So why not turn up wearing a Fulham shirt with "Dunk 5" on the back. Oh wait...

Where is the WeAreBrighton.com money going...
Jiri Skalak tends not to start home games so you can rule out goals from centre backs from set pieces unfortunately. We'd recommend having a bet with these online bookmakers at football-bookmakers.com and lumping on Anthony Knockaert to score anytime which is a best priced 11/4. -


See more at: http://wearebrighton.com/blog/2016/04/match-preview-brighton-v-fulham/?#sthash.MDEfxaJF.dpuf

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Why isn't Brighton vs Fulham on Sky Sports? Seagulls kick off the weekend...but it's not televised

Boro and Burnley fans will only have eyes for one result tonight

The automatic promotion race resumes tonight as Brighton host Fulham at the Amex Stadium.

Boro and Burnley fans will no doubt be watching closely as Chris Hughton's side face a tricky test at the Amex, against a Fulham side who are the Championship's second highest scorers.

However, the game will not be shown on TV - with Hull City's home match with Wolves instead being broadcast live on Sky Sports.

The Seagulls' home game with Fulham has been moved forward 24 hours due to the planned Brighton Marathon, to be held on Sunday.

The course will be under construction tomorrow, meaning Brighton's game will be played tonight instead of 3pm tomorrow.

Brighton will move back up to second in the Championship table with a win over Fulham, but head into the game four points behind Boro.

Aitor Karanka's side will then have the chance to turn the screw on their promotion rivals with a win in tomorrow's early kick-off against Bolton, before Burnley head to Birmingham at 3pm.


http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/isnt-brighton-vs-fulham-sky-11190101?

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Under-18s Host Toffees

Fulham Under-18s will be looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats when they welcome Everton to Motspur Park on Saturday (11am).

The Toffees finished second behind Manchester City in the northern section earlier in the season, and currently sit one place and two points above the Whites in the final phase.

In their four games so far they've beaten Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers, but were defeated by Reading and Liverpool.

Steve Wigley's boys will be looking to find their form again after losing both league matches since returning from the Dallas Cup; 5-1 against Liverpool, and 2-0 versus local rivals Chelsea last time out.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/15/under-18s-host-toffees?

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Arsenal and Liverpool locked in transfer battle for Fulham wonderkid Ryan Sessegnon

The Gunners tried to rush through a £3m deal on the last deadline day, but Jurgen Klopp has now entered the race


Target: Sessegnon is attracting interest from Arsenal and Liverpool

Arsene Wenger is locked in a transfer battle with Jurgen Klopp for Fulham wonder kid Ryan Sessegnon.

Liverpool have entered the race for 15-year-old Sessegnon who is regarded as one of the best prospects in the country after being compared to a young Gareth Bale.

That has upset Arsenal's hopes of signing Sessegnon and they know they will have to move quickly and pay big money to sign the teenager.

Arsenal tried to rush through a £3m deal on the last deadline day and even offered Serge Gnabry on loan as part of the package.

Target: Sessegnon is attracting interest from Arsenal and Liverpool

Arsene Wenger is locked in a transfer battle with Jurgen Klopp for Fulham wonder kid Ryan Sessegnon.

Liverpool have entered the race for 15-year-old Sessegnon who is regarded as one of the best prospects in the country after being compared to a young Gareth Bale.

That has upset Arsenal's hopes of signing Sessegnon and they know they will have to move quickly and pay big money to sign the teenager.

Arsenal tried to rush through a £3m deal on the last deadline day and even offered Serge Gnabry on loan as part of the package.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-liverpool-locked-transfer-battle-7762012?

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Manager confident of holding onto prolific Tottenham target for one more season

Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has told GetWestLondon that he feels that he can persuade Tottenham Hotspur target Moussa Dembele to stay for one more year.

The 19-year-old striker nearly moved to White Hart Lane in the January transfer window, but the prospective move broke down at the last minute, according to GetWestLondon.

Dembele's contract at Craven Cottage expires in June. It is unclear whether Tottenham will return for him, but there would nevertheless be suitors for a kid with his scoring record.

The Frenchman has forged a dangerous forward partnership with Ross McCormack this season, scoring 14 goals in the Championship to help the Cottagers steer clear of relegation.

But Jokanovic seems to be confident that he can convince Dembele to stay at Fulham for another season, where his development will be aided by the guarantee of regular football.

"I believe there is a possibility to get Moussa to stay," he is quoted by GetWestLondon as saying.

"I know it's his decision; his agent's and his family around him. He's a very clever guy; he's very young, and 100 per cent he has a future in front of him.

"What Fulham can offer him can be the best way for him.

"He has a career which is 16 years more, and he has to make a choice as to how he travels these 16 years. He needs to be very clever and choose what's best for him."

"What's best for him, is best for us too, and so he can play a season more in the club," Jokanovic added. "Moussa is a Fulham boy and Fulham gave him many things.

"I'm not so sentimental about this. But he can decide to give us something and we will give him something back. It's still better here for him here in the future."

Should Tottenham indeed make a second swoop for Dembele, it would be foolish for the teenage striker to turn down the opportunity to work with Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine has taken Tottenham to within touch of the Premier League title, all while giving young players such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier prominent first-team roles.


http://www.caughtoffside.com/2016/04/15/manager-confident-of-holding-onto-prolific-tottenham-target-for-one-more-season/?

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Liverpool to Pursue "Next Bale" According to Report

Fulham left back Ryan Sessegnon is a rumored Liverpool target for the summer.

One of the most striking differences between Jürgen Klopp and his recent predecessors at Liverpool is the ability to evaluate talent -- Klopp has a record of success that lends trust to his personnel choices in a way that others did not.

The success stories are almost endless -- Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus are just a few names that Klopp brought to Dortmund when he was a manager of the German club. It's not just his evaluation skills that are impressive, either. Even at Liverpool he has shown an innate ability to get the best out of players, quickly developing Emre Can, Dejan Lovren and Divock Origi among others since he took charge midseason.

So when he is linked to a 15-year-old "wonder kid" like Ryan Sessegnon, as the Mirror reports, it makes one pay especially close attention.

Sessegnon, who is a left back prospect for Fulham, has already captained the England under-16 side and scored three goals in seven matches. Hence the Mirror's comparison to former Tottenham attacking superstar Gareth Bale, who also got his start as a roadrunner down the left wing, playing a level of football far beyond his years.

To be clear, Sessegnon is not Bale and transfers rarely pan out, especially when they are made for super prospects still far away from first-team action.

Still, Arsenal reportedly pushed hard for him during the January transfer window, offering £3m and Serge Gnabry on loan. They were rebuffed by Fulham, but their interest speaks well to the youngster's ability. The Gunners are also well-known for their own evaluation skills when it comes to teenage talent.

In the end, signing prospects that Klopp believes in for a minimal fee is always encouraging, even if they don't always pan out. While it's unclear how interested Liverpool are in Sessegnon, he is now someone to keep an eye on.


http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-transfer-news/2016/4/15/11438764/liverpool-to-pursue-next-bale-according-to-report-ryan-sessegnon-arsenal-battle