There was a key moment in Sunday’s game, that if we do stay up, may go down as a turning point in the season. It only took 30 seconds, and involved 6 players who took 29 touches and made 11 passes. That might be the moment we all realized that the pendulum had swung the opposite direction, finally!
But that single moment was actually the culmination of many smaller moments seen since our new manager took over. Hodgson has not come into the team with grandiose ideas, he’s too seasoned for that. He doesn’t say we’re staying up or that he will save the team. He just says we’ve got to fight like cats and dogs.
When he got the job, Hodgson, being a wise man, may have sensed a team that had been a bit beaten down and trodden upon. The manager – who has been around the block a few times – quickly said that he had a good team at Fulham. The caveat: good players but too many of the same type of player; that a few changes needed to me made, not a lot. He told us we needed a defensive midfielder and central defender with some size. Wihtout changing personnel, the changes were starting be noticed in the FA cup replay against Bristol Rovers. It was a disappointing game but we kept a clean sheet, the first one since October 20th against Derby.
The next fixture was Bolton away. This was the first game for some of our new signings, and though we were sorely lacking in the final third, our midfield looked better than it had all year. The addition of newly acquired defensive midfielder Leon Andreasen allowed our team to play a different style and shape than they had been afforded all season. Andreasen – a very modern defensive midfielder in his style and approach – played end to end and managed some stinging shots at goal. This allowed the combination of Bullard, Dempsey and Davies to attack while Danny Murphy held back with Andreason.
All of these changes led to those 30 seconds in last week’s Villa game. A goal kick which was played around by both teams until Murphy picked it up and held the ball as he turned, passing to Davies. Expectation grew with the passes that followed, something special seemed likely to follow. Then it came: the ball was played between 6 players down the right side of the field, a total of 11 successful passes. The second to the last ball came from Murphy again to Bullard who’d placed himself in a spot where he had some time and space to turn towards goal and look up. Bullard saw an on-racing Simon Davies and drove the ball low, perfect for Davies to flick on towards Villa keeper Scott Carson, who, given the pace and placement of the shot, could do nothing to stop it.
What also made this goal special is that it was a come from behind goal. We could have gotten down after creating our own misery with an own goal. But the team kept the faith and persisted, not only with the goal from Davies but a continued attack at Villa that eventually led to the winning goal, a fantastic free-kick by Jimmy Bullard. If we can keep this momentum going, those 30 seconds may be remembered as the time when the tides started turning for Fulham.
