This is a guest post by Jack Turner
It’s moments like that header that make you glad you chose Fulham. Rarely in my life was I lost for words but, as I struggled to take in the enormity of that header, I must have been the only one who lifted his hands silently towards the sky and smiled broadly. I sat only a few rows above Dan yesterday afternoon and could see him jumping around like a lunatic, but rest assured once the glorious ‘Who Are Ya?’ chants echoed around the Hammersmith End I joined in.
There’s much to commend about that performance. We battled and worked so hard to contain Chelsea in that first half. Hangeland stepped in and was superb again and you’ve got to credit Murphy and Etuhu, who I’ve seen being slagged off elsewhere but I won’t have it, because they were scrapping away against three Chelsea central midfielders. Konchesky was immense all afternoon and the boy Pantsil might have made himself a hero with that second half rocket.
But, most of all (and I’m not saying anything new here), Clint Dempsey should have well and truly shut up all his doubters. He’s been tried in all sorts of different positions, played under three managers, remains the youngest regular in the team and tries his heart out every time. More than that, he’s surely established himself as a Premier League player now. The first finish was pure poacher’s instinct but the way he took it down showed his quality. The header was sublime – perhaps only Brian McBride could have steered that in – and his celebrations showed just how much it meant.
In the cold light of day, the fact that we’ve gone nine games unbeaten shouldn’t be overlooked. Yes, five of those were draws but look at the calibre of the sides we’ve had to play: Liverpool, Aston Villa, Spurs (never an easy place to go) and now Chelsea. It gives me real confidence for the rest of the season and, for a few more days, we can bask in the glory of that brilliant late equaliser – which, given that I’d pretty much wrote off our chances of recovering anything from that game – felt like a winner.
Brilliant. Until Jack sent this over I’d no idea he was so near to me in the ground. What a day, though, if I nearly froze on the walk along the river.