Paul Moody scored twice as Fulham paid a fitting tribute to the memories of Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana by beating Plymouth Argyle 2-0 on a sombre evening at Craven Cottage.
The 6ft 3in striker chose a poignant occasion to score his first goals for the Whites since his £200,000 move from Oxford United. Moody broke Plymouth’s stubborn resistance twelve minutes after the interval as the hosts were rewarded for their domination of proceedings. He pounced to sweep home from six yards after Simon Morgan had outjumped Argyle keeper Jon Sheffield to knock down Robbie Herrera’s cross to the far post.
Moody made sure of all three points with a superb curling finish into the far corner from nineteen yards after collecting a clever pass from Steve Hayward. The defeat left the Pilgrims into the relegation zone, on just four points from their first six fixtures, whilst Micky Adams’ Fulham look like they belong at this level only months after winning an unexpected promotion from Division Three.
It wasn’t really about the football this evening as both sets of supporters paid a solemn tribute to Mohamed Al-Fayed’s son and the Princess of Wales, whose deaths in a Paris car crash had so shocked the nation last week. A lone piper played a moving lament before kick-off in the Fulham chairman’s first public appearance since Diana’s Westminster Abbey funeral at the weekend.
FULHAM: Walton; Lawrence, Cullip, Blake; Smith (Carpenter 89), Herrera, Morgan, Hayward, Brooker (Cockerill 88); Moody, Newhouse (Scott 81).
BOOKED: Blake, Cullip.
GOALS: Moody (57, 77).
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE: Sheffield; Heathcote, Williams, Logan; Mauge, Barlow, Billy, Wotton, Littlejohn; Illman (Wilson 66), Jean (Collins 66). Subs (not used): Anthony.
BOOKED: Logan.
REFEREE: Steve Baines.
ATTENDANCE: 8,951.
