Finally! A thrilling away win and maybe, just maybe we’re not buried yet.
With things so dire recently it almost seemed as though the players had a weight lifted from their shoulders. Gone was the tentative, meek Fulham of recent games. Instead the side swaggered around the Reading turf, spraying balls around at pleasing angles and passing their opponents out of the game. If a midfield of Davies, Bullard, Murphy and Dempsey isn’t going to help much defensively, it can at least be relied upon to offer some attacking threat. All four played a huge part, Davies, in particular, giving his best performance since he single-handedly tore Reading apart at the Cottage earlier in the year.
It was his cross, whipped in first time from the left flank, that gave us the vital early goal. Healy started the move, fed Davies who skimmed a low cross onto the edge of the Reading six yard box. McBride ghosted in from the right flank to divert the ball high and hard over Hahnemann’s right shoulder. 1-0!
Reading rolled up their sleeves and took the game to us, but could find no way through. Doyle should have equalised on half-time, beating Keller to a deft Oster cross, but his header dropped inches wide of the empty net.
The second half began with Healy and McBride, clearly and brilliantly on the same wavelength throughout, combining nicely. McBride headed on to Healy, whose return ball deep into the area was volleyed onto the bar via a slight touch from Hahnemann. It would’ve been a terrific goal. Was this the dreaded Fulham misfortune again?
Fulham continued to probe, the midfield four continuing to run the game. A Bullard corner was met by Hangeland and again the crossbar was battered, and again Hahnemann had got a slight touch. Watching this was exciting as hell, but petrifying too.
It continued: Bullard, well placed, sent a trademark free-kick up, over the wall and, yes, onto the bar. This time Hahnemann was nowhere near it.
But Reading could not capitalise on their fortune. Finally, with the game almost over, we added that vital second goal. Davies to Nevland, Nevland to Davies, Davies with quick feet and an eye for a gap, past an entire team it seemed, then through to Nevland again. The substitute charged through and fired his shot hard into the bottom corner of the net. Elation. The win was secured.
