Scott Malone has urged Fulham’s senior professionals to use all of their experience to help the rest of the squad manage the pressure of the Championship play-offs.
The Whites entertain Reading at Craven Cottage on Saturday night in the first leg of the play-off semi-final but few of Slavisa Jokanovic’s probable starting line-up have experience of the unique end-of-season format. Scott Parker, Kevin McDonald, David Button and Chris Martin can utilise their past personal knowledge of the play-offs from their lengthy careers in English football and Malone wants them to use those memories as a crucial resource in the run-up to the fixture.
The full-back told Get West London:
This is all new to me, I don’t think I’ve finished above 11th or tenth last tear in the Championship so it’s all pretty new. I think the gaffer touched on it the other day that it’s his first experience too, but we have experience in that dressing room, Scott Parker has been around for years and Kevin McDonald has been in the play-offs a few times too.
There are a lot of people who have been in and around it so their experience is going to help the ones that haven’t been there before and experienced it. I’m not going to fear it, I’m going to look forward to it, it’s an exciting time and the gaffer said it the other day that we have four weeks now to potentially change your life, financially and career wise – it’s a massive opportunity for us.
The 26 year-old defender, who swapped clubs with Jazz Richards last summer, has enjoyed a superb first season with Fulham flying down the left wing in Jokanovic’s attack-minded system. Malone quickly established himself as the first choice left-back, making 40 appearances and scoring six goals.
