Ahead of this Saturdays mouth-watering clash against high flying Preston North End, I asked Preston fan Jack (@pnetucker) a few questions about North End’s season so far as well as his prediction for the clash at Craven Cottage tomorrow.
First question, what do you make of Prestons season so far?
“If someone was to tell me at the start of the season that by March we would be sixth and with a good chance of getting to the play-offs, I would’ve snapped your hand off. We (the fans) are happy where we are, but we’re not getting ahead of ourselves, its been a satisfying season so far but we are somewhat fearful we could slip down”
How are you feeling about your play-off ambitions at the moment?
“Optimistic, but skeptical, being aware of the teams around us it makes all these games ‘must wins’ as we need to start distancing ourselves away from Blackburn, Bristol City and Swansea. We haven’t done that yet, however I do believe the squad can grind important results, and it does help that some teams around us haven’t been very good , but it’s all down to whether we can take advantage of that or not.”
What do you make of Alex Neil so far this season?
“I think he’s improved us, he’s started to implement a more expansive, attacking style of play, but he still has his flaws, such as the very late substitutions and reluctance to take certain players out of the team. However, that doesn’t change the fact he’s performed miracles with a squad which is one of the cheapest in the league, and with very little backing from the board”
Do you have a player which Fulham fans should look out for this weekend?
“Daniel Johnson is definitely that player to look out for. His ability to control a game and make something for us is magnificent, and he also has goals to his name, not bad for a player we wanted gone in the summer!”
Finally, can I get your thoughts on tomorrows game and a score prediction?
“This has the potential to be a scrappy game as both teams need the points. Darnell Fisher’s red card being rescinded is a huge boost for us and that gives me hope we could put on a solid defensive display, but its hard to keep a player like Mitrovic quiet. I have no idea which way this is going to go but knowing us we could very much do a smash and grab and nick a win, so I’m going to be confident and go for a Preston win.”
Fulham doubts : Maxime Le Marchand, Joshua Onomah, Harrison Reed, Alfie Mawson and Terence Kongolo
Preston North End Doubts : Josh Harrop, Tom Bayliss, Billy Bodin and Louis Moult
My Fulham XI : Rodak, Odoi, Ream, Hector, Bryan, McDonald, Cairney (C), Decordova-Reid, Cavaleiro, Mitrovic, Kamara
@pnetucker’s score prediction: Fulham 0-1 Preston North End
@FFCSeb’s score prediction: Fulham 1-1 Preston North End
