A blog of two halves

It has been a tough old road for Grant Hall and his search for first-team football but this season the defender has made his mark.

The Blues stormed to victory in the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night… literally. Hailstones bounced off the Stamford Bridge pitch and lightning flashed as Chelsea ensured the club’s trophy cabinet would get fresh silverware after all.

The Blues stormed to victory in the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night… literally. Hailstones bounced off the Stamford Bridge pitch and lightning flashed as Chelsea ensured the club’s trophy cabinet would get fresh silverware after all.

At the start of April Fulham supporters were openly questioning how an experienced manager like Slavisa Jokanovic , having inherited a reasonable squad, could amass only 11 points from 15 matches. Then - wouldn't you know it? - his team notched three wins in eight days.

After 17 years at Huddersfield Town, Alex Smithies made the journey down south knowing that he had Rob Green standing in his way.

Chelsea’s approach to life, the universe and football remains blurred as the season’s end comes into focus.

Some Chelsea fans didn’t arrive until the second half of last weekend’s game at Swansea after a truck laden with eggs jackknifed on the M4. Before you ask, the air ambulance wasn’t scrambled.

It is splendid to hear that Douglas Jennings will immortalise another Fulham hero George Cohen MBE. The new statue will greet supporters entering by the Hammersmith End.

The worst kept secret in football was let out of bag this week – that Bryan Ferry lookalike Antonio Conte is Chelsea’s new first team head coach.

Chelsea travel to Birmingham at the weekend for Saturday’s early kick-off against doomed Aston Villa.

Sebastian Polter could have been lining up against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League had he not chosen QPR over Wolfsburg last summer.