You wouldn’t have known Bobby De Cordova-Reid had bagged the winner – or that Fulham had even beaten Everton on the opening day of the season – if you listened to his words following the final whistle at Goodison Park. “We’ll continue to build, we’ve still got a lot of room for improvement, and we’ll get on the training pitch and we’ll do that.” The Whites’ match winner was modest about his decisive moment, preferring to admonish himself for failing score a second shortly afterwards having arrived late at the back post again. “I probably should have gone with my head,” he said ruefully, backing himself to find the target next time.

Those comments underline why Fulham’s unassuming Reggae Boy has become one of Marco Silva’s favourites. The Bristol boy, who became his career as a highly-rated attacking midfielder with the Robins, finally established himself as a hard-working midfielder at Ashton Gate after gaining senior experience on loan at Plymouth Argyle and Oldham Athletic. He made 27 appearances, scoring twice, as City cemented their place in the Championship before boyhood Fulham fan Lee Johnson persuaded a reluctant Decordova-Reid to play up front in the summer of 2017.

That tactical switch proved a masterstroke. Decordova-Reid scored 21 goals in 52 appearances as Johnson’s side stunned top flight opposition in the shape of Watford, Stoke City, Crystal Palace and, famously, Manchester United on their way to the semi-finals of the League Cup, where he scored in a 5-3 aggregate defeat against eventual winners Manchester City. The cup exploits ultimately gave City too much to do in the race for the play-off spots, but Decordova-Reid did earn a top flight move after what he called ‘a crazy season’. He joined Cardiff City for £10m – and it was then that he decided to change his name by deed poll to honour ‘all the hard work’ his mother had put in for his family.

Decordova-Reid’s tireless work ethic should come as little surprise. His family has experience of fighting through adversity to achieve their ambitions. He had a footballing role model in the shape of his cousin, the former Watford, Swindon and Norwich midfielder Anthony McNamee, and a big sister, Marsha, who has overcome being born with nystagmus to become the member of parliament for Battersea. His family were delighted when Decordova-Reid realised his dream of playing in the Premier League, although we were less enamoured with his first top-flight goal – which came in a 4-2 defeat of Slavisa Jokanovic’s side at Cardiff City Stadium in October 2018.

A brace against AFC Bournemouth marked both the forward’s 26th birthday and the first fixture since the disappearance of Emiliano Sala but, despite scoring five goals in 30 appearances, Decordova-Reid never really fitted in Neil Warnock’s plans. He jumped at the chance of moving to London, becoming a regular in Scott Parker’s team that won promotion via the play-offs before really coming into his own as one of the bright spots in an ultimately forgettable relegation campaign the following year. He first demonstrated his versatility, playing at wing-back as Parker tried to tighten things up, but still getting forward to good effect – scoring seven goals in 37 appearances.

Decordova-Reid’s dependability often leads to his technical skills being underrated but he quickly impressed Silva once the Portuguese succeeded Parker in the summer of 2022. The willing runner provided a hat-trick of assists on Fulham’s first away day in the Championship – a 5-1 thumping of Huddersfield where the Whites survived the second half dismissal of Harry Wilson – and filled in across a number of positions after Silva’s side returned to the top flight, memorably scoring four goals in forty games, as Fulham finished tenth.

The mere numbers don’t show you what Decordova-Reid does best. He rivals Harrison Reed for the amount of ground covered across ninety minutes, but he does the unglamorous work of tracking back to cover his full back when deployed out wide and became Fulham’s stand-in right back ahead of new signing Kevin Mbabu when Kenny Tete was injured, scoring from that position at Leeds last year. That defensive diligence would have been one of the reasons Silva sent him on against Everton last weekend after a first half where the Whites looked all at sea at the back – and Decordova-Reid repaid his manager’s faith with a brilliant run to lose Nathan Patterson and finish a flowing move to the delight of the travelling fans.

Decordova-Reid’s enduring excellence isn’t just confined to club football – he has made a name for himself in the international arena since accepting an invitation to represent Jamaica in 2019. The 30 year-old scored on his debut for the Reggae Boyz in 6-0 thumping of Antigua and Barbuda, scored a stunning strike against Surinam in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup only to better it with a brilliant strike to stun Mexico earlier this year that was christened ‘the goal of the century’.

Plenty of people scoffed when Fulham opted to turn Decordova-Reid’s loan from Cardiff into a permanent move for a reported £9.5m but the 30 year-old’s enduring reliability across a range of positions makes that look like a bargain, especially given the inflated fees paid for players during this transfer window. He’ll never be glamorous but every team needs a Bobby Decordova-Reid. It is Fulham’s fortune that he’s wearing the black and white with such distinction.