A sensational strike from Northern Irish midfielder Rodney McAree secured a massive win for Fulham at promotion rivals Carlisle United this afternoon.
The crunch clash did not start well for the Cottagers, who were without first team regulars Mark Blake, Richard Carpenter and Darren Freeman through a combination of injuries and suspension. Carlisle begin the brighter on a cold day with sleet falling and Rory Delap deservedly heads the home side ahead on twenty minutes from a perfectly flighted cross by Steve Hayward. Hayward and the outstanding Warren Aspinall caused the visitors all sorts of problems in midfield. The latter might easily have scored a hat-trick but ended up on the losing start. He spurned a good chance to give Carlisle the lead when one-on-one with Mark Walton and rattled the underside of the crossbar.
Adams’ makeshift Fulham side showed all the grit that their manager has instilled in them to battle back and give their boss a precious win against Mervyn Day, his former Leeds team-mate. They drew level shortly after half-time when a well-worked short corner saw McAree deliver a cross to the far post, where centre back Danny Cullip climbed highest and nodded the ball into the danger zone, before Mike Conroy poached his 23rd goal of the season from barely a yard out.
The 2,000 travelling fans behind Tony Caig’s goal had hardly finished celebrating the equaliser when McAree struck a sweet volley from distance to turn the game completely on its head five minutes later. McAree, who didn’t know he was in the starting line-up until an hour before kick off, strode purposefully onto Christer Warren’s cushioned header and produced a peach of a finish in only his third start of an injury-ravaged campaign. McAree described his match-clinching moment as ‘a sweet strike’ afterwards, but Fulham still had to dig deep to win this crucial six-pointer
Aspinall created chances for Allan Smart and Rod Thomas in the closing stages but the woodwork came to Fulham’s rescue. Mark Blake and Terry Angus held firm at the centre of the visitors’ defence amid a late home onslaught and the final whistle sparked joyous scenes as the Whites moved to within a single point of promotion from the bottom tier, something unthinkable when Adams replaced Ian Branfoot last February with preservation of a place in the Football League the only aim.
CARLISLE UNITED: Caig; Walling, Pounewatchy, Varty; Aspinall, Hayward, Delap, Hopper, Archdeacon; Peacock (Smart 76), Jansen (Thomas 76). Subs (not used): Thorpe.
BOOKED: Archdeacon, Peacock, Peacock, Aspinall, Hayward.
GOAL: Delap (20).
FULHAM: Walton; Lawrence, Watson, Cullip, Angus; Cusack, Cockerill, Morgan, McAree; Conroy (Scott 89), Warren (Thomas 84). Subs (not used): Brooker.
BOOKED: Lawrence, Morgan, Cockerill, Cusack, McAree, Cullip.
GOALS: Conroy (51), McAree (55).
REFEREE: Eddie Wolstenholme (Blackburn).
ATTENDANCE: 9,171.
