West Ham United 0-2 Fulham
After three disappointing results, Fulham needed a stimulus and defender Timothy Castagne found it in the list of the six remaining fixtures.
West Ham still nursing their European ambitions. Crystal Palace and Brentford both anxious to show their true worth. Luton battling against relegation, and most significantly, Liverpool and Manchester City striving for the highest honours.
As Timothy said: ‘It would be nice to maybe change the course of the fight at the top’.
And nice to win at the London Stadium too. Yet Fulham fans must have felt apprehensive last Sunday when West Ham made such a lively start. First Vladimir Coufal penetrated the Whites’ defence and it took a brave intervention from Bernd Leno to halt him.
Then Mihail Antonio wasted the rebound. There were further misses by Mohammed Kudus, Nayef Aguerd and Lukas Paqueta, all in the first eight minutes.
Alex Iwobi dramatically turned the tide with a long through-ball in the direction of Rodrigo Muniz and Andreas Pereira. Konstantinos Mavropanos fumbled a clearance and allowed Pereira to score his second goal of the season, simple but performed with style. The Brazilian was back to his best form, and with his compatriots Willian and Rodrigo Muniz, he kept Lukasz Fabianski busy.
West Ham had their chances too and after the interval they looked more dangerous, but the match was settled in the 72nd minute.
Just as the BBC’s Simon Brotherton was hailing Paqueta as ‘Twinkle Toes’, the player dallied with the ball too long and was dispossessed by the cosmic force known as Joao Palhinha. Pereira and Muniz moved the play up field and Alex Iwobi crossed for Andreas to double his tally.
This ensured a fine victory with the visitors notching ten shots on target. No goals for Muniz alas, though we enjoyed his cheeky back heel.
The only unfortunate note in a fine victory was the serious head injury sustained by West Ham substitute George Earthy in a collision with team-mate Edson Alvarez. Fulham’s medical team rushed over offering additional help and the teenager was taken to hospital. He was soon back home and his club will of course follow the current guidelines for such injuries. We hope he will be back in action soon.
Can you help us uncover Fulham’s early history?
St Andrew’s Church Fulham Fields, where Fulham Football Club originated, will celebrate its 150th anniversary this summer.
When first constructed it was surrounded by market gardens and smallholdings, hence the name, but almost immediately the district underwent a rapid change as more and more workers arrived in search of employment.
Homes were needed, and schools too. Star Lane School at the end of Greyhound Road was scheduled to move into a brand-new building in January 1880. Legend has it that a patch of market garden opposite the church was flattened for use as a builders’ yard. As the bricks and timber were used for building they left a rectangular space, which morphed into an unofficial playground, the Mud Pond. There (perhaps) Fulham St Andrew’s FC came into being.
This version of the football club’s origin is based entirely on the narrative of Henry Shrimpton published in 1950.
One fact is certain. The open space did not last long, as an attractive terrace was soon built there.
Alex White, the official Fulham FC historian, tells me that he recently encountered the present owner of one of those properties, who has relevant paperwork dating back to the 1880s.
He would be very grateful if she could contact him via Facebook. Naturally Alex and I would also be keen to hear from anyone else with information on the Greyhound Road houses opposite St Andrew’s - as it may give us fresh insight into the Mud Pond.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
