Furious Fulham manager Micky Adams warned his underperforming players that they might have futures at the club after the Whites slumped to a 2-0 defeat against second-bottom Cambridge United at Craven Cottage this afternoon.
Cambridge hadn’t mustered a league win since Boxing Day but strolled serenely to success in SW6 without breaking too much sweat. An angry Adams, who had promised changes to his starting eleven after the Whites had been beaten at Hartlepool, said: “I thought we were abysmal without putting too fine a point on it. They wanted it more than us. Maybe the players think they have done enough – they haven’t. If they think they have, they will not be at this club. I won’t accept performances like that.
I know what I’m doing and I know what I’m preaching. If they do not want to come along, I will make changes. The league table never lies and it shows we are not good enough. We have to get better players”.
Fulham never looked like to bounce back from the Hartlepool defeat in the sort of style that Adams demanded – especially after conceding another early goal. It came in the seventh minute when the Fulham defence failed to deal with a hopeful high ball from Paul Raynor. Tony Richards capitalised on hesitation from goalkeeper Tony Lange to head it across the box, where Matthew Bell was able to head home his first Cambridge goal.
Raynor rifled a 20-yard drive against the post as the visitors pushed for a second goal. Nick Cusack did stretch Cambridge keeper Scott Barrett at the other end and had a header cleared off the line by Jody Craddock, but the home side were fortunate to go in only a goal down as the away side had two goals disallowed. Craig Middleton’s effort was ruled out because Raynor was offside, whilst Paul Wanless was penalised for pushing Duncan Jupp before Middleton again thought he had scored.
Cambridge didn’t have to wait long to double their lead at the start of the second half. Canadian international Carlo Corazzin made the most of a free header to guide in Raynor’s free kick. Adams had introduced three substitutes by the 67th minute but the home side never looked like finding a way back into the contest with skipper Simon Morgan, substitute Carl Williams and Cusack failing to beat Barrett in the closing stages.
FULHAM: Lange; Jupp, Herrera, Morgan, Cusack, Blake, Thomas (Williams 67), Marshall (Brooker 52), Barber (Angus 52), Conroy, Scott.
ATTENDANCE: 3,872.
