If I have carped at anything this season, it’s the way too many players seek to gull the officials.
Wales’s caretaker manager Rob Page was at Oakwell on Saturday for the Barnsley-Fulham match and will have relished the football skills of Harry Wilson and Neco Williams. Regrettably, this duo still overdo the acting – shock, horror, how can these officials get it so wrong? It is not BAFTA standard yet.
Yes, I know. I’m watching the same team week after week and other clubs are just as guilty. The match had barely started when Barnsley’s keeper clutched his nose in apparent agony after Bobby DeCordova-Reid had challenged him shoulder to shoulder.
Having seen an early attempt blocked Aleksandar Mitrovic offered little threat thereafter. Fulham dominated possession but the attack was below par, achieving only four attempts on target in the entire match. Credit must also be given to the Barnsley defence, marshalled by Michal Helik.
Just before the interval, Carlton Morris surged into the visitors’ penalty area, grappling with Tosin and then falling to the turf. Referee Tim Robinson pointed to the spot, a decision that could well have been corrected through VAR. Unashamed, Morris opened the scoring and nearly doubled the lead soon afterwards, thwarted only by Tim Ream’s amazing goal-line clearance. It rightly led to Tim getting the Man of the Match award.
Anger
Marco Silva was angry with the referee’s performance – certainly the penalty was dubious – but his halftime talk will have concentrated on the overall lacklustre display.
He replaced Jean-Michael Seri with Tom Cairney and saw an immediate improvement. Tom’s shrewd pass put Bobby DeCordova-Reid through, but the finish was wayward.
The final five minutes nearly turned the game on its head. Fabio Carvalho spotted Harry Wilson unmarked on the edge of the penalty area and the Welshman curled his left-footed shot into the far corner of the net. Though it was a superb goal, Silva was furious with the protracted celebration. He wanted three points and moments later Wilson could have delivered when he dived to head Carvalho’s centre. Somehow, he headed wide to allow Barnsley a valuable point.
As I nipped out to the shops after watching the match, I overheard someone remark: “At least we didn’t lose.”
That was my first thought, too. Still, it was something to have played so many consecutive away games without defeat.
Record breaker Mitro
The club shop is selling special a limited-edition jersey celebrating Aleksandar Mitrovic’s record-breaking season. Perhaps a similar design could proclaim the achievements of the whole playing squad and management team.
When West Bromwich Albion visited the Cottage during the Whites’ high-scoring phase they fell to a 3-0 defeat.
The Baggies got their revenge on Tuesday evening by ending the Londoners’ unbeaten away run. I remember a French film from my teenage years entitled Les Heros sont Fatigues and Fulham gave every indication of weariness even if Silva averred: ‘You can’t be tired from the first minute’.
None of his players achieved a single shot on target apart from Rodrigo Muniz, and he did not join the action until the 81st minute.
Fortunately, goalkeeper Marek Rodak was on top form against a very lively West Brom attack. He saved at close range from Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson but could do nothing in the 63rd minute when the same players combined to seize on an Antonee Robinson error and give Albion the lead.
A single goal was enough to secure victory. Tim, Antonee and Callum – those Robinsons cost us dear over two matches.
Records, good and bad, may interest nerds like me but what really matters is that Fulham finish the season with automatic promotion.
Much more importantly, some practical good will ensue from Tuesday’s game. The club had already decided that the players should autograph their jerseys and put them up for auction after the match.
Bids will be accepted up to 2pm on Saturday the 2 April and all proceeds will go the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Congratulations to everyone involved.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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