A furious Ray Lewington kept his players locked in the dressing room for an hour after Fulham went out of the FA Cup at the hands of fourth division Colchester United at Craven Cottage this afternoon.
Defeat against a team who currently sit 90th in the English football pyramid meant that the Whites have exited the world’s oldest club cup competition in the very first round nine times in the fourteen seasons since Alec Stock’s side reached the final in 1975.
Lewington savaged his side as ‘absolutely terrible’ when he did finally come out to speak the press after this desperate defeat. Fulham were distinctly second best in the first twenty minutes – when Colchester scored the only goal of the game and could easily have had two more – and it hardly got better after that. The visitors dominated possession throughout, although Fulham’s two man central midfielder of Peter Scott and Robert Wilson could hardly been blamed as they were outnumbered from the outset.
Striker Mario Walsh scored the only goal – outmuscling Gary Peters – to beat Jim Stannard after excellent play by Dale Tempest and Fulham offered precious little in response. Winger Clive Walker was the Whites’ likeliest source of a leveller but the visitors defended well, heading away countless crosses and even veteran striker Gordon Davies, given fifteen minutes off the bench to rescue the situation, was unable to fashion a late chance.
Colchester could quite easily have won by a far more convincing margin as Gary Peters and John Marshall pushed forward and left Lewington’s lowly side exposed to the possibility of a counter-attack.
FULHAM: Stannard; Marshall, Peters (Gore 70), Eckhardt, Thomas, Scott, Wilson, G. Barnett, Walker, Gordon (Davies 75), Sayer.
COLCHESTER UNITED: Coombe; Hedman, Hill, Hicks, Bedford, English, Kelly, Radford, D. Barnett, Walsh, Tempest. Subs (not used): Daniels, Bennett.
GOAL: Walsh (10).
REFEREE: John Moules (Kent).
ATTENDANCE: 4,481.
