Fulham fought back from 2-0 down to rescue a point against Walsall on an emotional afternoon at Craven Cottage when both sets of supporters protested against the Fulham Park Rangers proposal that has rocked English football.
Furious fans invaded the pitch at half-time to protest against Fulham chairman David Bulstrode’s plan to put flats on the Cottage and merge the Whites with Queens Park Rangers. The away contingent raised a huge cheer from the home support by bringing their own banners and joining in with the mutinous mood by the banks of the River Thames.
The Saddlers’ generosity even extended to their players as the visitors visibly relaxed after scoring twice in the space of three second half minutes through Trevor Christie and Nicky Cross. A needless push from Andy Dornan on Chris Pike gave Leo Donnellan the chance to halve Fulham’s deficit from the penalty spot and Gary Barnett drew Ray Lewington’s battlers level seven minutes from time. The Fulham player-manager cheekily asked for a pitch invasion every week afterwards to revive his notoriously slow starters.
Walsall, who resume their FA Cup marathon against Watford at Fellows Park on Tuesday, have now gone five Third Division fixtures without a win. Despite being without the injured Kenny Mower, Graeme Forbes and Paul Jones, they created a hatful of chances and should have claimed all three points. David Kelly and Cross correctly had first half goals ruled out for offside before John Vaughan made a magnificent save to prevent Mark Rees opening the scoring.
The lively Kenny Achampong kept Walsall’s centre halves occupied throughout and Barnett probably should have done better than drill an effort against Fred Barber’s feet ten minutes before the break. But Cross was furious with himself for failing to put the Saddlers ahead on the stroke of half time when he slammed a shot straight at Vaughan.
It seemed as if those misses would be forgotten when Walsall broke Fulham’s resistance twenty minutes into the second half. Christie crashed a penalty in off the underside of the crossbar after Cliff Carr had stupidly scythed down Cross and, just three minutes later, it was 2-0. A raking pass from Rees released Kelly down the right and his cross was headed home emphatically by Cross.
Cross then could have wrapped up the points a minute later but was denied by an excellent save from Vaughan, which seemed to give Fulham, who themselves were missing eight first-team regulars, the belief that they were still in the game. Dornan’s dozy foul allowed Donellan to bring the Cottagers back into it – as well as enlivening the home crowd. Pike picked out Barnett with a precise cross from the right and the midfielder fired fantastically into the net to bring Fulham back from the dead. The fans are now praying for a similar off-field revival too.
FULHAM: Vaughan; Hicks, Carr, Cottington, Elkins, Kerrins, Donnellan, Barnett, Achampong, Davies, Pike. Subs (not used): Skinner.
BOOKED: Achampong.
GOALS: Donnellan (pen 74), Barnett (83).
WALSALL: Barber; Dornan, Taylor, Shakespeare, Hawker, Hart, Rees, Cross, Kelly, Christie, Hutchinson. Subs (not used): Childs.
GOALS: Christie (pen 65), Cross (68).
REFEREE: Martin Bodenham (Brighton).
ATTENDANCE: 5,944.
