Fulham boosted their burgeoning play-off aspirations by edging out Bradford City in a seven-goal thriller at Valley Parade this afternoon.
The Whites could scarcely believe their swift start in Yorkshire as they surged into a three-goal lead inside eighteen minutes. Mark Newson nodded the visitors ahead in the second minute having been left totally unmarked at a corner before Udo Onwere doubled the lead four minutes later with a superb solo strike, beating his marker and lashing a low drive into the corner of the net. Gary Brazil then beautifully chipped Paul Tomlinson after some vintage wing play from John Marshall to send the travelling fans wild.
To their great credit, the Bantams – perhaps stung by the visceral anger of their home fans – bravely battled back. Brian Tinnion got City on the scoresheet from Phil Babb’s pass before heading his second of the afternoon from Lee Duxbury’s cross seven minutes after half time. That prompted Alan Dicks to bring on Kelly Haag for the ineffectual Andrew Cole to stem the tide as the hosts pushed forward for the equaliser and Fulham were able to ruthlessly exploit the gaps Bradford left at the back.
Haag kept his cool to punish a poor backpass to make it 4-2 with fifteen minutes to play and the Cottagers’ defence held firm after Babb headed home Tinnion’s cross with four minutes remaining to set up a grandstand finish.
BRADFORD CITY: Tomlinson; Oliver, Babb, Dowson, Mitchell, James, Tinnion, D. Morgan, Duxbury, Leonard, Torpey.
BOOKED: D. Morgan.
GOALS: Tinnion (31, 52), Babb (86).
FULHAM: Stannard; Eckhardt, G. Thomas, Pike, Marshall, Morgan, Newson, Onwere, Scott, Brazil, Cole (Haag 57). Subs (not used): Cobb.
GOALS: Newson (2), Onwere (6), Brazil (18), Haag (75).
ATTENDANCE: 5,143.
