Craven Cottage Newsround

After 10 minutes of bedlam Fulham pulled a rabbit from the hat, scored two quick goals, took control, gave it back and held on with all the certainty of Julian Clary on a rugby pitch.

In a deeply frustrating night we saw all that’s good about this Fulham team, as well as some of the things that drive us mad. The defending in that opening spell was chaotic, the restored Niemi having an early blinder. Then Franck knocked forward to Volz, whose run into the box ended with a fall. Helguson, who battled like a mad thing throughout, struck the kick home firmly for an undeserved 1-0 lead. Then it was 2, Radzinski finding McBride who found the bottom corner from 20 yards. Boro were out of the game at that point and Fulham began to put together one of the better halves we’ve seen this season. Wayne Routledge, long supported on these pages, really started to show what he can do, with Brown and Volz in the middle of the park bossing things with energy and strength. This was definitely my favourite centre-midfield pairing of the season.

After the break Boro pushed on but the game lost its shape. Fulham seemed to be happy to hold on at 2-0, and Coleman withdrew Radzinski, bringing on Bocanegra to hold. Seconds later a poor Niemi kick was headed into Viduka’s path, and the Australian’s finish just eluded Phillippe Christenval’s late lunge. 2-1, a joke of a goal.

This set up a mad last few minutes as Fulham tried to run down the clock and Boro piled on pressure. It was awful to see, but the lads held out and will take great heart at taking all the points in such a vital match. As discussed earlier in the week, these games are going to shape our season, and to avoid the looming 2-2 draw was massive. We can take on West Ham on Saturday in good heart.

The players again had decent individual matches, Niemi making a string of good saves, Phillippe Christenval was quietly superb all game, and Zat Knight put himself in important positions time and again. They look like a terrific pairing, Christenval in particular playing with such sureness and aptitude that one wonders if he’s destined for bigger things. He even pinged a 40 yard ball over a full-back and into Liam’s stride late on. Wonderful player. Franck had a rusty return, full of effort and rubber-man interventions, but his radar was miles off when he had the ball. The midfield wasn’t perfect but Michael Brown showed why he’s so important to the team, covering the pitch and harrassing anyone who dared to linger on the ball, no matter where they were. Volz was a willing companion, and it was great to see these honest pros working tirelessly in unison. Helguson and McBride were as hard-working as you would expect.

And so to West Ham, which on this evidence is eminently winnable. More tomorrow, but bed beckons for we early risers. COYW!