Monday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...

[WhiteJC]

West Ham U18s fall to league leaders Fulham

West Ham United Under-18s fell to a 5-1 defeat at U18 Premier League South leaders Fulham on a chilly Saturday morning at Motspur Park.

Kevin Keen's side were perhaps unlucky to be on the end of such a harsh scoreline, with the hosts capitalising on several spells of dominance to clinically take the game beyond their reach.

The junior Hammers started the match with no shortage of energy or enthusiasm having already overcome a tricky opening set of league fixtures, but it was Fulham who took the lead inside ten minutes, striker Jay Stansfield glancing Conor McAvoy's cross into the far corner.

Veron Parkes then twice came close to hitting back for West Ham: his toe-poked finish deflecting wide off goalkeeper George Wickens' legs, before having a dipping shot from range turned around the post.

After 25 minutes, West Ham spurned a great opportunity to draw level when right-back Harrison Ashby surged forwards and won a penalty; Kai Corbett's kick was well struck, but Wickens produced another excellent save to his right to deny the winger an equaliser.

With ten minutes to go until half-time, Fulham began to demonstrate their quality, with Hammers goalkeeper Kristztian Hegyi forced into two fantastic top-corner saves to deny Stansfield's turn and shot and Jonathon Page's hooked volley.

Moments later, however, and the hosts had control of the match, a corner from the right receiving two ricochets on the way to Stansfield at the back post, who had the simple task of converting from merely yards out. The former Exeter front-man would then complete a first-half hat-trick five minutes later, darting between the Hammers' lines before calmly slotting past Hegyi.

Parkes would again threaten from range before the whistle, but to no avail, as West Ham went into half-time with a 3-0 deficit; a harsh reflection, perhaps, on their performance, but also an indication of just how clinical Fulham, and Stansfield in particular, had been.

Keen subsequently switched to a more attacking formation at the interval, and West Ham enjoyed their best spell of the match shortly afterwards, Ashby's mishit cross clipping the bar moments before Veron Parkes flicked home Amadou Diallo's accurate cross from the left.

Despite the Hammers' greater intent, however, Fulham would kill off the game as a contest with 15 minutes remaining when Page's accurate cross found McAvoy at the back post with a free header.

Further gloss was added with four minutes left, when Stansfield pounced on a rebound from close range to claim his fourth, and Fulham's fifth, of the match.

"I think all credit to Fulham – they're the best side we've faced so far this season," West Ham U18s Lead Coach Keen said afterwards. "After they scored their first goal they really grew in confidence and played some good football.

"I emphasised afterwards the fact that we have to keep working together as a team. You can't win football matches as an individual, you have to do your bit for a team, and I just emphasised that that's really important – Fulham did that really well.

"Having said that, our lads kept on going. We tried to get ourselves back in the game by changing formation. I thought our goalkeeper, Hegyi, was outstanding. It wasn't quite our day today, but sometimes you can learn from those days as academy players."



Read more at https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2019/october/06-october/west-ham-u18s-fall-league-leaders-fulham#Voh1c74r7SrbObkO.99

[WhiteJC]

Under-23s Begin Cup Defence With Narrow Fulham Loss

Everton Under-23s began the defence of their Premier League Cup campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat at Fulham on Sunday.

Kyle John levelled for the young Blues in the second half but the Londoners' late winner inflicted a first defeat of the campaign on David Unsworth's team.

Travelling down to the Cottagers' Motspur Park training base, Everton had the game's opening chance as early as the second minute. Anthony Gordon, deployed on the right, won a corner and Ryan Astley powered a header over the bar.

Fulham hit back – Nico Hansen's palms stung by a rasping drive from Ben Davis – as both sides used the early exchanges to prod and probe for openings.

As the half wore on, and with Fulham's rearguard proving its worth, Everton tried their luck from long range, but Magnus Norman, the home keeper, saved comfortably from Beni Baningime and then Gordon.

However, it was the hosts who broke the deadlock on 36 minutes as Luca de la Torre fired home from close range.

At the break, boss Unsworth introduced John and Manasse Mampala – in place of Dennis Adeniran and Ellis Simms respectively – and the change inspired a much-improved showing from the young Blues.

Indeed, the latter had barely entered the field of play before he fed Matty Foulds down the left and when he crossed for Gordon, hands were on heads as the 18-year-old steered over the bar.

However, Gordon was unperturbed. On the hour, he won a free-kick 25 yards from goal. Taking it himself, the youngster came within a whisker of drawing Everton level, smacking the crossbar with Norman well beaten.

Another dipping effort from a set-piece had Norman scrambling to tip the ball over, but the Toffees finally drew level on 66 minutes.

Mampala squared the ball from the left and John tucked home from a few yards out.

But Fulham snatched victory against the run of play. On 78 minutes, Jaydon Harris was left unmarked and he finished emphatically past Hansen.

Defeat then for Everton, but there is plenty of time to rebuild with five more group stage fixtures to come.



https://www.evertonfc.com/news/1371541/under-23s-begin-cup-defence-with-narrow-fulham-loss

[WhiteJC]

Cottage Talk Post Match Show: Fulham vs. Charlton Athletic

Take a listen to a podcast that focuses on Fulham Football Club.

This is our post match of Fulham's 2-2 draw against Charlton Athletic. We reviewed all the key moments of this match, along with our thoughts on Man Of The Match.


You can also listen to this show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2019/10/6/20901383/cottage-talk-post-match-show-fulham-vs-charlton-athletic

[WhiteJC]

Hilton helps Fulham hand Everton first defeat

Holders beaten 2-1 while Liverpool win and Burnley held

Fulham handed Everton's Under-23s their first defeat of the season as they beat the holders 2-1 in the Premier League Cup.

Luca de la Torre gave the hosts the lead at Motspur Park 10 minutes before half-time.

Everton levelled after the break as half-time substitutes Manasse Mampala and Kyle John combined for the latter to score.

But Fulham recovered to find a winner as Nicolas Santos-Clase squared for Sonny Hilton, pictured, to convert.

Fulham top Group B with Plymouth Argyle and Watford on one point each.



https://www.premierleague.com/news/1364373

[WhiteJC]

Charlton hold Fulham in Craven Cottage Cracker

Fulham 2-2 Charlton

THE early morning kick-off in the championship saw Charlton Athletic travel across London to take on an in-form Fulham side, high on confidence after their thumping midweek win at Reading.

The two London sides contested an entertaining game which saw the south-east Londoners leave Craven Cottage with a deserved 2-2 draw.

Charlton, coming off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Swansea in midweek, started the game in lively fashion with Jonny Williams looking dangerous and regularly finding space in between Fulham's midfield and back line.

In contrast to Charlton's direct approach, Fulham began to impose themselves on the game with their own brand of patient and controlled build-up play, getting plenty of ball to the danger men of Ivan Cavaleiro and Anthony Knockaert, despite the high press of the Addicks midfield.

Both wide men provided a constant threat to the Charlton defence with their pace, trickery and dangerous deliveries into the 18 yard box, but Charlton's centreback duo of Jason Pearce and Tom Lockyer stood up well to most things that came their way.

Both sides showed good attacking intent throughout the first half, but the deadlock was finally broken on 40 minutes when Forster-Caskey delivered a deep cross from the left into the Fulham penalty area which was met with a cushioned header at the back post by Chris Solly, falling into the path of Conor Gallagher who finished clinically from 10 yards out.

The second half saw Cavaleiro and Knockaert switch flanks and it was the on-loan Portuguese winger who levelled for Fulham on 54 minutes following a neat one-two with second half substitute Bobby Decordova-Reid released him behind Charlton defender Naby Sarr.

The pacey winger cut inside onto his left foot and unleashed an unstoppable strike from the edge of the box into the top right-hand corner of Dillon Phillips's net, despite the goalkeeper getting finger tips to it.

There was only parity for two minutes however as the west Londoners failed to clear a Charlton short corner, despite a couple of attempts.

The ball eventually ended up at the feet of Darren Pratley at the edge of the penalty area, who clipped in a cross towards the six yard box where Macauley Bonne rose higher than his marker, Aleksandar Mitrovic, to flick the ball over Bettinelli and into the Fulham net.

Fulham, now searching for their second equaliser of the game, hit the crossbar twice in quick succession – firstly from a perceived mis-hit cross from Joe Bryan and shortly afterwards, on 61 minutes, a Mitrovic shot cannoned off the bar following good work down the left from Knockaert.

However, Mitrovic did not have to wait too much longer for his goal, after the impressive substitute Decordova-Reid delivered a delicious in-swinging cross into the box which was met with a thumping header by Tom Cairney.

The Charlton keeper did well to prevent the Fulham captain from scoring, but the smart save with his feet fell straight to Mitrovic who used his sheer strength to outmuscle Sarr and Solly before scooping the ball high into the Charlton net from three yards out.

The final 25 minutes saw Fulham pile on the pressure with Decordova-Reid having a 90th minute shot from inside the six yard box saved brilliantly by Phillips, following another impressive run and cross from Cavaleiro.

That would have almost certainly won the game for Fulham, but as things stood, a draw was fair reward for a Charlton side who showed grit and determination against a well oiled and dangerous Fulham team.



https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/s/charlton-hold-fulham-craven-cottage-cracker

[WhiteJC]

Charlton stopper Dillon Phillips pleased he could help the team after fine save preserves point at Fulham

Charlton earned a deserved point on the road at Fulham – although the draw would have been snatched away from them in added time but for a fine save from Dillon Phillips.

The hosts had twice come from behind in the game as Lee Bowyer's Addicks impressed throughout but they nearly had nothing to show for their efforts.

Cottagers substitute Bobby Reid must have thought he had won the game for his side as he powered a deep cross towards goal but Phillips scrambled across his line to make the block and preserve his side's well-earned point.

"Once that cross goes to the back-post and you know you can't get there, it's just about moving your feet quickly and getting across your goal and making yourself big," explained the Charlton stopper, who has started every league game so far this season.

"He's given me half a chance with it and I've kept it out. Over the moon.

"It was a good game for the neutral to watch. I think we really stamped our mark on them in the first-half. That's probably one of the most difficult 45 minutes they've had at home. That's what we set out to do. I didn't really have anything to do in the first-half. A couple of bits at the end of the second-half. The boys have been great in front of me all year, I haven't had much to do in any of the games. It's nice to be able to help them out."

Bowyer had switched to a back-three from the off to try and stifle Fulham's potent attack – a move that paid off as the South Londoners enjoyed the better of the openings in the first-half.

Conor Gallagher's goal meant that Charlton led at the break, before Ivan Cavaleiro levelled up for the hosts ten minutes after the restart. Macauley Bonne headed the Addicks back into the lead immediately but the lead was wiped out as Aleksandar Mitrovic scored from close-range – albeit coming back from an offside position.

"I heard it might be offside," added Phillips.

"You're going to get that. You're going to get some and you're going to lose some with the officials. It is what it is. You can't change that now. It's a good point for us and it could have been more.

"[The formation change] definitely worked. I think they might have made a couple of changes in the second-half just to try and counteract what we were doing and it took us ten minutes to get used to that. I thought we were excellent all over the park.

"I think we would have taken eighteen points after eleven games at the start of the season. There's still things that we could improve on – we've lost a few games from set-plays. We didn't concede from one today but we're working on that all the time on the training pitch and trying to put things right. "



https://www.londonnewsonline.co.uk/charlton-stopper-dillon-phillips-pleased-he-could-help-the-team-after-fine-save-preserves-point-at-fulham/