Sunday Fulham Stuff - 02/04/23...

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Results

Saturday
Man City	3-1	Liverpool
Arsenal	4-1	Leeds
Bournemouth	2-1	Fulham
Brighton	3-3	Brentford
Palace	2-1	Wolves
Forest	1-1	Wolves
Chelsea	0-2	Villa

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AFC Bournemouth 2-1 Fulham

Marcus Tavernier was playing in just his third match in 2023

Bournemouth leapt out of the Premier League relegation zone with a second-half turnaround as goals from Marcus Tavernier and Dominic Solanke helped them beat Fulham at Vitality Stadium.

Solanke bundled home the hosts' winner in the 79th minute, scoring his first league goal since November.

Earlier, substitute Tavernier had struck a stunning, curling equaliser into the top corner.

Fulham had taken the lead through Andreas Pereira's side-footed effort in the 16th minute.

Goalscorer Tavernier said he believes his Bournemouth side "are here to stay in the division" after victory moved them up to 15th place.

Bournemouth are one point clear of the relegation zone, having started the day in 19th.

"We're full of belief at the moment, in the past two games you can see that," Tavernier told BBC Match of the Day. "If we carry on playing like that we have a good chance."

"I think the team's performance showed that in the second half that we are here to stay in the division."

This was only Bournemouth's third win since November and only the second time since the Premier League returned after the World Cup that they have scored more than once in a match.

When Fulham took an early lead, it seemed Gary O'Neil's side were destined for an 11th loss in 15 games across all competitions.

But they were inspired by midfielder Tavernier, who had not made an appearance for the Cherries since scoring and then aggravating a hamstring injury in a 1-0 win over Wolves on 18 February.

"It's been a tough couple of months for me getting injured and then coming back and getting injured again," Tavernier added.

The Englishman came on for Jaidon Anthony at half-time and made an immediate impact, curling in from range for his fourth goal in five appearances.

It was the lift the hosts needed, with Dango Ouattara having struck the crossbar while standing in an offside position during the first half, and Marcos Senesi seeing a shot blocked on the line by Tim Ream early in the second.

Tavernier continued to haunt Fulham's defenders with two more driven shots that were well saved by Bernd Leno, before Bournemouth's deserved winner finally came, with Solanke tapping home a rebound after the visitors' goalkeeper had kept out Ryan Christie's initial strike.

"It's a game that you need to win," O'Neil told BBC Match of the Day. "They produced one hell of a display.

"We injected some energy with some fresh faces and one of those fresh faces smashed the ball into the top corner from 20 yards out. That helps.

"[Tavernier] is a huge player for us. Let's keep him with us for the rest of the season and he'll play a part."

Fulham lack firepower without Mitrovic
Fulham head coach Marco Silva said his side lacked a "killer instinct" as defeat saw his side lose three consecutive league matches for the first time this season.

They remain ninth in the Premier League table as their European qualification hopes suffered a blow.

They were without key forward Aleksandar Mitrovic and winger Willian, who were both sent off in their FA Cup defeat by Manchester United last time out.

Silva, also dismissed during that tie, was in the dugout after requesting a personal hearing over his Football Association charge, delaying any suspension.

His side raced out of the blocks, Pereira opening the scoring after good play from Manor Solomon and Harrison Reed.

But the visitors were unable to double their lead, with defender Antonee Robinson hitting the bar in the first period, and the Cottagers looked flat in the second half.

"We were so clearly the better team in the first half," Silva told BBC Match of the Day.

"I think we had a little bit [of a] lack of a killer instinct in the second half because we were so much the better team."

The Cottagers are four points behind west London rivals Brentford, who currently sit in a Europa Conference League qualification spot in seventh.

"It was a strong reaction from them and of course, we lost control of the game," added Silva.

"We switched off completely, we were punished by that, it was sloppy."

Silva's side face West Ham at home in their next match next Saturday, with Bournemouth at home to Brighton on Tuesday in their next game.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65073160

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Post-Bournemouth Press Conference

Marco Silva gave an honest assessment of Fulham's 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth, a quintessential game of two halves.

Andreas Pereira had put the Whites 1-0 up in a dominant first-half, but two goals after the break saw the Cherries snatch all three points.

Marco said: "The way we started the game and we controlled all of the first half, we were clearly the better team on the pitch.

"Very good first half, I think we just had a lack of killer instinct to make things much more difficult for them. I think that was one of the reasons we were not winning by more than 1-0 at half-time.

"Second half was completely different and difficult to understand. We prepared the players and we knew that the reaction from them would come.

"We took too much time to start to play football again. First 15 minutes, every time we won the ball, we gave it away. At this level, when this happens, the other team get the momentum."

The gaffer said that while his side won't dwell on the result, they'll learn from it as they look ahead.

"We have to analyse why the things happened because we cannot have two faces like we showed this afternoon.

"Of course, you know that you are playing in the Premier League and other teams, they react, they have quality as well and they are fighting, like us, for the points.

"But we cannot be the one team like we were in the first half and and then second half a completely different team.

"We have so many good things to play for. Ten games left to fight for and to show improvements every single week, this is the main thing for us.

"Of course, after will come the position in the table, but we have to fight of the points and to show the quality, bravery and courage to play football like we showed in the first half."

Carlos Vinicius replaced the suspended Aleksandar Mitrović up top, and played a part in Andreas' opening goal.

"(He had a) good first half, like most of our players. Some good moments, the goal is a good example. The way he linked the play and created that situation down our left-hand side.

"Second half, it was a bit more difficult for him. When you don't provide for your striker and the ball comes direct every time, it's more easy for the defenders to get it."

Fulham will now have a week of preparation ahead of their next test, a home clash with West Ham.

"We have to focus on what we should improve. As always, we are here to improve the players, to make the Club better and to prepare not just for the next game but for the future of the Club as well."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2023/april/01/post-bournemouth-press-conference/

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Bournemouth 2-1 Fulham

Fulham's difficult run of form continued on the South Coast, as Bournemouth overturned our early advantage.

Andreas Pereira got the Whites off to a dream start, finishing off a silky move to see us into half-time ahead, but Marcus Tavernier and then Dominic Solanke reversed the deficit in the second period.

Following on from events at Old Trafford last time out, there were two changes to the team in mint green both coming in attack, as Carlos Vinicius and Manor Solomon replaced the suspended pair of Willian and Aleksandar Mitrović.

The game matched the weather in the opening moments, with neither side being able to quite warm-up to their best. Pereira broke away after winning the ball back on the halfway line, but lost his footing at the vital moment as he looked to wind one up from 25 yards.

10 minutes later and Fulham went ahead with a slick and silky move. Vinicius kicked things off with a lovely ball through to Manor Solomon down the left. He fed it into Harrison Reed, who composed himself and laid it off it to the onrushing Pereira to slot it calmly home. Following a VAR check for a possible Solomon offside, the goal was awarded and the Fulham faithful could celebrate properly.

Marco Silva's men showed no let-up after opening the scoring and almost got a cushion a short while later following continued pressure. After some positive play down the right the ball found its' way to Antonee Robinson, who unleashed an absolute rocket first-time from range onto the crossbar.

The Cherries started to find a slight foothold in the game and went close to a leveller just after the half hour mark had passed. Solanke drove forward and combined with Philip Billing to allow Dango Ouattara an effort on goal, sliding a shot narrowly wide of Bernd Leno's left post to give Fulham a slight scare.

The Whites regained their grip on the game in the run up to half-time and went close to a second through our Brazilian maestro yet again. Bobby De Cordova-Reid teed an inviting ball over the top to Pereira, who took one touch to control before turning full acrobat mode and going for a bicycle kick which wasn't too far away from nestling in the net.

Just before the interval there was another warning sign from Gary O'Niel's team, after Ouattara's close range effort was rifled onto the crossbar, only for the flag to go up for offside swiftly anyway.

The second half start was about as under the cosh as it could get for Fulham as Bournemouth flew out of the traps, and almost got an equaliser through substitute Tavernier if not for a goal-line block from Tim Ream.

The ball simply wouldn't leave the Fulham half and the team in black and red capitalised on this to get on level terms. Recycling the ball from a corner, Tavernier cut inside onto his left from the right and curled one into the far corner leaving Leno with no chance.

Tavernier was a man on a mission and had another clear sight on goal next, but this time our German international stood firm to keep out a blasted effort from close.

Silva's side managed to reset and go again for the next period of the contest, and returned to being a threat to the Bournemouth back line, with a Vinicius shot on the spin and a Pereira header going close.

With 10 minutes on the clock Bournemouth went ahead. Ryan Christie's initial effort was saved from Leno, before Solanke bundled it over the line on the rebound.

Marco Silva played all his cards with a muiltitude of substitutions, but in the end the Cherries tasted all three points.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2023/april/01/bournemouth-2-1-fulham/

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Bournemouth 2-1 Fulham: Hosts move out of the bottom three with stunning second-half comeback as Dominic Solanke bundles home winner after Marcus Tavernier's stunning curler had cancelled out Andreas Pereira's strike

    Dominic Solanke sealed a stunning turnaround with the winner for Bournemouth
    The striker bundled in his first league goal since November in the 79th minute
    Tavernier equalised with a sublime strike after Pereira fired the visitors ahead

Bournemouth hauled themselves out of the relegation zone after coming from behind to beat Fulham with Dominic Solanke's first goal since Bonfire Night giving them the precious three points.

After starting well and going into an early need without Aleksandar Mitrovic, Fulham crumbled at the beginning of the second half as substitute Marcus Tavernier inspired a fightback from the Cherries.

Tavernier equalised Andreas Pereira's early strike with a wonder goal before Solanke scored his fifth goal of the season 11 minutes from time.

Fulham must wait to see how long they will be without their talismanic striker Mitrovic. He is likely to face a lengthy ban after shoving referee Chris Kavanagh in the FA Cup quarter final at Trafford, but Silva was back in the dugout as he awaits to find out the extent of his looming ban after also being sent off in 90 seconds of madness against Erik Ten Hag's side.

After a quiet start to the game, the Portuguese was left jumping for joy as Fulham scored a brilliant opener.

Joao Palhinha and Manor Solomon were involved in the build-up before Harrison Reed teed up Pereira on the edge of the area and he fired low into the corner. Five minutes later, the Cottagers almost made it two when Pereira's touch found Antonee Robinson and the full-back saw his 20 yard effort thump against the crossbar.

The away end were busy singing in support of Mitrovic throughout but the team certainly didn't miss him in a commanding first-half showing at The Vitality Stadium.

Bournemouth had created nothing before Dango Ouattara dragged a good chance wide of the far post after good work from Solanke and Philip Billing down the left side.

Fulham always looked a threat and Pereira attempted to score with a bicycle kick from Bobby Decordova-Reid's cross when he had plenty of time to try a more conventional finish.

In a crucial match for the Cherries' survival hopes, O'Neil was urging his side on and they responded as Solanke and Billing again exploited space down the left with the balling falling to Ouattara who shot against the crossbar before the linesman raised his flag for offside.

O'Neil wasted no time in making the changes with Tavernier and Ryan Christie coming on at half-time. After a wave of early pressure, Tavernier announced himself in the most spectacular fashion, receiving Bernd Leno's punched clearance from a Bournemouth corner before curling a wonderful 25-yard shot into the top left-hand corner.

It was all Bournemouth at the beginning of the second half with Fulham's back four becoming increasingly dragged out of shape. Tavernier found space on the left again with Leno this time saving his powerful shot with his legs.

Another excellent chance went the way of the home side as Jefferson Lerma chipped the ball into the path of Billing with Leno again coming to the rescue as he raced off his line with Solanke unable to convert the rebound.

Pereira always looked Fulham's most dangerous player and, as his side began to get a foothold in the game again, he headed narrowly wide of the post from Kenny Tete's cross.

Just as Bournemouth were fading they found the goal to lift them out of the relegation zone. It came when Lerma picked out Christie whose run and shot was ended by another good save from Leno but this time Solanke made no mistake with the rebound.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11927993/Bournemouth-2-1-Fulham-Hosts-bottom-three-stunning-second-half-comeback.html

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Bournemouth beats Fulham 2-1, moves out of relegation zone

BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) — Dominic Solanke scored the winner after teammate Marcus Tavernier's superb equalizer as Bournemouth moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.

Bournemouth jumped four places to 15th, two points above 18th-place Leicester.

The Cherries looked to be heading for a third defeat in four games when Andreas Pereira gave Fulham a halftime lead. But Tavernier's stunning solo effort and Solanke's 79th-minute winner were enough to give the hosts all the points.

Fulham was without suspended duo Willian and Aleksandar Mitrovic following their red cards in the FA Cup quarterfinal defeat at Manchester United. But the visitors were comfortably the better team in the first half and took just 16 minutes to open the scoring.

Willian's replacement Manor Solomon broke free down the left before cutting the ball back for Harrison Reed to tee up Pereira, who fired home his first league goal since November.

Bournemouth boss Gary O'Neil summoned the fit-again Tavernier and Ryan Christie off the bench at halftime and his team was much improved in the second half.

Tavernier, sidelined by injury since February, took just five minutes to make his mark with a brilliant equalizer.

Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno looked to have got enough distance on his punch away from a corner only for Tavernier to pick up the loose ball before cutting in from the right and curling an unstoppable left-footed shot into the top corner from 20 yards (meters) out.

Bournemouth took a deserved lead 11 minutes from time courtesy of a scruffy strike from Solanke, who has now scored four goals in five career appearances against Fulham.

Defeat leaves Fulham four points off the European places.



https://apnews.com/article/bournemouth-fulham-premier-league-tavernier-8b1f06cd6f414cf06a0ed2a1c1b1af2d

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Silva: 'Fulham completely switched off in second half'
Marco Silva slammed his Fulham side for completely switching off in the second half as Bournemouth came from behind to claim a crucial three points at Dean Court this afternoon.

The Whites looked in complete command when Andreas Pereira finished a flowing move to put them in front on sixteen minutes, but a sloppy start to the second half was compounded by a wonderful leveller from Cherries' substitute Marcus Tavernier before Dominic Solanke stabbed home the winner with ten minutes to go.

A furious Silva told FFCTV after the final whistle:

    "Everything went wrong [in the second half] – that is the answer. We had a good week to prepare, even without players because of internationals. We prepared well, the plan was clear and our first half showed that. The players stuck with the plan. They showed the courage, the braveness and the quality to do it. The first half was so good, it was a lack of killer instinct. When you are so much better than the other time, we should try more and show more desire to score a second goal to give us more confidence and make them more uncomfortable in that moment.

    In the second half, we prepared for a reaction – even with the two changes that we saw they were going to do – and we started by completing switching off. At this level, you cannot do ten or fifteen minutes like we did. Everytime we won the ball, we gave it away. We didn't give the value that we normally do to the ball. We didn't take good questions. When these type of things happen, they start to believe. They start to play around our box every time and a great finish from Tavernier to equalise, but even before they had a big chance.

    After that moment, they get the momentum. We balanced the game a little bit more, but we were not ourselves. We are punished by the way we started the second half, we completely switch off, and the second goal is a good example. The way we were sloppy in that moment: we were punished by that."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2023/04/silva-fulham-completely-switched-off-in-second-half/

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Silva frustrated after Fulham defeat

Fulham boss Marco Silva bemoaned his side's second-half display after relegation-threatened Bournemouth fought back to win 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium.

Silva's side were good value for their 1-0 half-time lead thanks to Andreas Pereira's clinical 15th-minute strike from inside the box.

But Bournemouth dominated after the restart with Marcus Tavernier's stunning strike and Dominic Solanke's bundled effort off Antonee Robinson from close range effort sealing a vital win for Gary O'Neil'side.

Fulham could have wrapped the game up before the break, with Robinson hitting the bar from distance and Pereira almost grabbing a second goal with an overhead kick that flew just wide.

"We started the game well and controlled the first half and were clearly the better team," Silva said.

"We were very good but just lacked the killer instinct to score the second goal to make it so much more difficult for them. But the second half was completely different and hard to understand.

"We prepared the players for what was coming. We knew there would be a reaction and we had to start strong in the second half and it was clear we took too much time to play football.

"The other team got the momentum and in that situation that started to win corners and play around our box and led to a brilliant goal from Tavernier.

"But the second goal we conceded reflects our second-half performance. It was so sloppy and you cannot do that at this level. In the second half we were a completely different team."

Harrison Reed went off midway through the second half after picking up a knock.

But Silva insisted: "He's OK. It's nothing serious."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/silva-frustrated-by-fulhams-second-half-display-and-gives-update-on-reed-injury

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Jay Stansfield stretchered off with serious looking injury

The Fulham loanee was stretchered off midway through the second half after it seemed his studs got caught in the turf during the 2-2 draw at Fleetwood Town.

Exeter City are waiting to find out the extent of what seemed to be a nasty looking knee injury to Jay Stansfield. The Fulham loanee was stretchered off midway through the second half after it seemed his studs got caught in the turf during the 2-2 draw at Fleetwood Town.

The 20-year-old was clearly in pain having gone down with no-one around him. How serious the injury is remains to be seen at this stage.

The Grecians at the time were 2-1 down against the Cod Army. Two goals from Jack Marriott, either side of a Kevin McDonald goal, had put Fleetwood ahead. But Pierce Sweeney rescued a point for City in stoppage-time to make it three unbeaten.

"It looked awkward the way he went down," manager Gary Caldwell said. "We don't know to what extent he has hurt himself but it didn't look great and he is in a bit of pain, but we will see how he is over the next 48 hours.

"He is phenomenal and keeps going, and everyone kept going today and gave everything for the cause. Fingers crossed it is not too bad, but we will assess it over the coming days."

Skipper Sweeney added: "He is a young kid and reminds me of the Kyle Taylor injury, but we don't know if it is anywhere near as bad as that. He is devastated and has tears in his eyes, so it's up to us to support him and wait for the scan results and hope it is not too bad."



https://www.devonlive.com/sport/football/football-news/jay-stansfield-stretchered-serious-looking-8315146

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Feeble Fulham fold rather than fight
If you were anything like me, the early part of the English summer was spent fretting about the fixture list. Scarred by three recent relegations from the top flight, I frantically circled the matches where the Whites might be able to pick up points. It got so bad that I had a purchase a second calendar as the first quickly looked like a primary school exercise book as it was covered in red ink. Nobody could have conceived that Marco Silva's side would be safe ahead of the trip to Bournemouth at the start of April. That simultaneously shows what a great job the Portuguese head coach has done and makes yesterday's meek capitulation from a winning position so maddening.

Fulham's superb season – because it has been better than any of us dared to expect – has been forged by a combination of hard graft and a sense of adventure. The first is a non-negotiable for a successful side and the second has been a breath of fresh air after years of bland, safety first football under a manager whose name doesn't need to be mentioned these days. Some of the football has been sublime. It looked promising yesterday as the Whites moved the ball intelligently and some of the interplay was breathtaking. The goal was a thing of beauty. Andreas Pereira popped up in the penalty area to fire Fulham in front after starting a lovely move on the left wing that saw Carlos Vinicius, Manor Solomon and Harrison Reed progress the ball into a shooting position.

The visitors could – and should – have had a couple more before the break. Antonee Robinson clipped the crossbar with a rising drive and Pereira's confidence was such that he attempted an insane overhead kick. It nearly went in. Fulham looked levels above Bournemouth, who looked cowed by the enormity of the contest. What followed the half-time break almost felt like a different game between different sides. Silva was right to assert that his side didn't turn up for the second half. Bournemouth, transformed a pair of changes, swarmed all over their visitors and could have levelled before Marcus Tavernier's exquisite equaliser. The less said about Dominic Solanke's winner, the better. Shambolic.

A defeat like that prompts plenty of questions but the pressing one is: why? Did Fulham, as Dan suggested in yesterday's match report, leave all their fight at Old Trafford? Were the players convinced that they only had to turn up for the second 45 minutes because the first half was so easy? Or do they think that reaching 39 points by the middle of March means the job is done? There are more technical concerns, too. Fulham usually put a heavy premium on possession but they could barely string a pair of passes together in a sloppy second half.

For a side who have been streetwise for much of the season, some of the defending was reminiscent of the teams who have gone down with a whimper in the recent past. Did nobody think it was a good idea to try and close down Tavernier after Bernd Leno's punch? Precisely what was Robinson doing when the German goalkeeper blocked Ryan Christie's shot? The American full back was in the perfect position to clear the danger but allowed Solanke to bundle in the winner. The goals weren't the only time it went a bit keystone cops at the back, with Tim Ream having to clear off the line right after the restart. That should have been a real warning sign, but nobody heeded the alarm bells.

Silva's substitutions, not for the first time, were scattergun – suggesting that there wasn't really a considered plan to respond to the way his side had folded at the very first pressure point. Fulham used all five but only Tom Cairney, who has regularly displayed his class in cameos from the bench, appeared to have the invention to try and turn things round. The silver lining from this setback – and you really have to search to find it – is that it shows how threadbare Fulham's first team squad remains. Without Aleksandar Mitrovic and Willian yesterday, the Whites went from bossing the game to a ragged rabble who had little in the way of industry or a focal point. The tame nature of recent reverses should prompt some serious spending in the summer, but the fact that such a strong season seems set to fizzle out should still rankle.

We've been talking about the requirement for a response to several setbacks for almost a month now. That Fulham will likely have to be find one without Silva and Mitrovic only makes things harder. The supposed siege mentality that has dominated conversations since Manchester United looked as feeble as Fulham's second half showing. The players will have to put that right – and fast.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2023/04/feeble-fulham-fold-rather-than-fight/

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Fulham 'in contact' with Ziyech over summer switch
Fulham have been in touch with Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech over a possible move across SW6, according to reports from France.

Jeunes Footeux reveals that the Whites are monitoring the Moroccan international's availability, especially after the 30 year-old's lack of first-team minutes at Stamford Bridge following his outstanding performances for his country at the World Cup. Ziyech is out of favour with Blues boss Graham Potter and has made just nineteen appearances this season.

The former Ajax wide man is 'determined' to move on in the close season, having been frustrated that a potential move to Paris Saint-Germain in January was scuppered by an administrative error. Fulham, buoyed by a brilliant first season back in the top flight, have made contact with the winger's representatives and the Cottagers are believed to be interested in either a permanent transfer or a loan with an option to buy.

The two hurdles to a potential deal will be Ziyech's more than £6m yearly salary and the interest from other potential suitors after the experienced performer shone on the world stage as Morocco made the last four of the World Cup in Qatar.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2023/04/fulham-in-contact-with-ziyech-over-summer-switch/

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Stansfield stretchered off with serious injury
On-loan Fulham forward Jay Stansfield was stretchered off for Exeter City yesterday as his studs seemed to get stuck in the turf in the Grecians' draw at Fleetwood.

The Tiverton-born striker, who was in a rich vein after scoring twice in his last two appearances for his boyhood club, looked in a great deal of pain after going down with nobody else around him midway through the second half. Stansfield had to carried off the pitch in tears after lengthy treatment – with manager Gary Caldwell admitting in his post-match press conference that it was still to tell to assess the nature of the problem.

    "It looked awkward the way he went down. We don't know to what extent he has hurt himself but it didn't look great and he is in a bit of pain, but we will see how he is over the next 48 hours. He is phenomenal and keeps going, and everyone kept going today and gave everything for the cause. Fingers crossed it is not too bad, but we will assess it over the coming days."

Exeter, who were 2-1 down at the time of Stansfield's exit, rescued a point at the death through skipper Pierce Sweeney in stoppage time. Former Fulham midfielder Kevin McDonald had earlier scored his third City goal in nine games with the Devon club.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2023/04/stansfield-stretchered-off-with-serious-injury/