Roy Hodgson’s Fulham have been warned their FA Cup anguish against League One battlers Bristol Rovers has only just begun.
Booed off the field by disenchanted home fans despite twice coming from behind to draw 2-2 with their west country visitors on Sunday, Fulham now face the daunting prospect of a third-round replay next Tuesday at the Memorial Stadium in Bristol.
“The Mem”, which holds less than 12,000 fans, is due for demolition next summer to make way for a new 18,500-capacity all-seater. It will leave Rovers, managed by ex-Fulham midfielder Paul Trollope, needing to temporarily ground-share again, this time with Cheltenham.
Locals, including Bristol-born Danny Coles, the defender who scored Rovers’ first goal after less than three minutes at Craven Cottage, describe the current amenities as “a little bit basic” and he added: “Hopefully, Fulham will come and look at the facilities and the pitch and stuff and not fancy it too much.
“And if that is the case then it will be up to us to take advantage.
“We know the job is not done yet. Some people might say the hard part is done but the last thing we need is complacency.
“Although we had to defend a lot we still passed it well when we could and we were delighted with our performance at Craven Cottage.
“We still can’t help thinking we could have won it on the day but now we have got to get over it and think positively about the replay. I would think Fulham are still favourites.”
