Sean Farrell celebrates with the travelling fans after scoring a late winner to boost Fulham’s promotion hopes at Brisbane Road
Sean Farrell’s second half header clinched a vital victory as Fulham’s promotion push gathered pace with a derby win at Leyton Orient this afternoon.
Farrell nodded home with fifteen minutes remaining after Gary Brazil’s shot had rattled the Orient crossbar with one of their rare chances as the Whites made the most of the home side’s failure to take their chances. Don Mackay’s side defended diligently, soaked up plenty of pressure and then scored with one of their only attacks of note in the whole contest.
The home side began brightly with Kenny Achampong a real threat to his former employers, initially as a creative force when he chipped a clever ball towards the dangerous Ricky Otto – with Mark Newson reading the danger and heading away in the nick of time. The Cottagers had to wait fifteen minutes for their first sight of goal when Jeff Eckhardt headed straight at Chris Turner from Brazil’s bright ball.
Mackay’s men definitely rode their luck in a first half that brought a flurry of Orient chances. Otto should have done better than snatch at a chance when Fulham failed to clear Wayne Burnett’s corner. Jim Stannard saved smartly from Kevin Hales when the former Chelsea midfielder pulled the trigger from long range before improvising to deny Bob Taylor after more unselfish centre forward play by Achampong.
Taylor was the source of Orient’s first chance after the interval when his strong run was stopped by a cynical Simon Morgan foul, before Burnett’s deflected drive from the ensuing free-kick dropped just over Stannard’s crossbar. The experienced striker was becoming more influential and shrugged off the attentions of Eckhardt to shot straight at Stannard and the amount of pressure that the away defence was having to resist you felt Fulham would be happy to leave Brisbane Road with a point.
But, suddenly, Fulham conjured up a goal from nowhere. Brazil beat Turner all ends up with a terrific shot that thundered off the bar, but the ball broke kindly for Farrell, who nodded into the empty net from the edge of the box. The away fans sung defiantly about the Whites going up – and it doesn’t look so fanciful after they held on to claim a crucial three points.
LEYTON ORIENT: Turner; Howard, Zoricich, Whitbread, Wilder, Burnett, Castle, Hales, Otto, Achampong, Taylor. Subs (not used): Jones, Roeder.
FULHAM: Stannard; Eckhardt, G. Thomas, Pike, Morgan, Newson, Scott, Hails, Brazil, Farrell (Onwere 85), Haag. Subs (not used): Tucker.
GOAL: Farrell (71).
ATTENDANCE: 7,094.
