Two-goal hero Neeksens Kebano says Fulham warmed up for the play-offs in ‘the best way possible’ with a come from behind victory against Sheffield Wednesday.
The DR Congo international scored in both halves to give Fulham three points against one of their play-off rivals at Hillsborough yesterday and believes that the victory will see the Whites head into Saturday’s play-off semi-final second leg with great confidence. He told FulhamFCTV after the final whistle in south Yorkshire:
It’s the best way to finish the regular part of the season. Now we know that the biggest part is just in front of us. so I think we ended in a very good way. Now there is some time to rest, to prepare to be better next week and to try to reach our goal.
We know that we are going to maybe meet them during the play-offs. They are a good team and I think that they did some changes of players today, but they are still a good team and we played seriously. It’s just a very good test for the players.
Kebano was delighted to add further goals to his Fulham tally during what has been a remarkable second half of the season since returning from the African Cup of Nations, but the modest winger was quick to praise his team-mates.
I am happy to have scored these two goals. If you are to reward someone, it is about all of the team. I didn’t play alone, I played with my team-mates and we did a great job. It was a hard victory. Today when people talk about Fulham, they mention first their capacity to keep the ball and the way they are playing. I think the team is most important ahead of individuals.
When you come into the team and it’s been a long time that you didn’t play, it is always tough and you had to find your mark to be good. All my team-mates always help. I don’t know if you can feel it, but always on the field there is a lot of communication and from the bench too, so when you come into this team they make it easy for you. I think there is always a period of adaptation and when it is done, after that it is a bit easier.
He is looking forward to the test of the play-offs and the opportunity to try and reach the Premier League – but was quick to scotch any idea that Fulham had the upper hand over third-placed Reading following that 5-0 win in December.
I hope that everything is going to be good for us. We are going to give everything and I hope that we will be rewarded for how we fought throughout the season, because it was a long season and a tough season as well. I was there for the first game [against Reading], the last game I wasn’t there. The first game it was at home and we won 5-0. We cannot keep that in our mind because now it is a play-off and the play-off is like a Cup game – if you lose, you are out. It’s like that and I think in their mind, they know how we are playing now, they looked at us throughout the season and now it is going to be harder than what it was at Craven Cottage in the first game. We have a great belief in the squad. I have confidence in my team and my team-mates so we can do this.
