Paul Moody backed a brace as Fulham hammered Plymouth Argyle 4-1 at Home Park this afternoon to give their promotion hopes a real boost.
That the Whites were successful despite going behind suggested that the days of Ray Wilkins’ big-spenders being a soft touch on the road might be in the past. The visitors had to show serious reserves of character when Martin Barlow’s whipped free-kick evaded everyone in the penalty area and crept into the far corner of the net past an unsighted Maik Taylor.
But the visitors levelled within thirteen minutes when Moody turned in from Matt Lawrence’s cross after Argyle had failed to deal with a Steve Hayward corner. It took until just after the hour mark for the Londoners to hit the front. Richard Carpenter hung up a left-wing cross to the back post, where Moody nodded the ball down brilliantly for Hayward to volley emphatically into the bottom corner.
Paul Trollope made it three, firing home from thirteen yards out after excellent play down the right wing by the marauding Lawrence, and Moody rounded off the scoring with five minutes to play by firing home at the second attempt after seeing a powerful first effort well saved by Jon Sheffield in the Argyle goal. Wilkins professed himself ‘delighted’ with Fulham’s first win in 61 years at Home Park.
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE (4-4-2): Sheffield; Wiliams, Collins, Logan, Rowbotham; Saunders (Mauge 67), Barlow, Hodges, Billy (Littlejohn 67); O’Hagan (Jean 67), Corazzin.
BOOKED: Collins.
GOAL: Barlow (5).
FULHAM (4-4-2): Taylor; Lawrence, Herrera, Neilson, Coleman; Bracewell, Hayward, Smith, Trollope; Peschisolido, Moody. Subs (not used): Cullip, Carpenter, Trollope.
BOOKED: Lawrence.
GOALS: Moody (18, 80), Hayward (63), Trollope (75).
REFEREE: Mick Fletcher (Worcestershire).
ATTENDANCE: 9,469.
