Last night was the perfect example of that most irritating of footballing cliches.
Blackburn were out of the blocks very quickly indeed and hoped to catch us cold. Had Franco di Santo converted that extremely early chance, they might have tucked away a few more of the opportunities that came their way. Even so, the aerial bombardment was pretty effective. Rovers seemed to have targeted John Pantsil as the front men pulled off Hughes and Hangeland and competed aerially against our right back.
They certainly succeeeded in pinning us back. Blackburn had most of the ball and, when Fulham did get it, passes went astray. Not just from the midfield but our poor full backs had so few options in front of them as the likes of Keith Andrews and David Dunn covered a lot of ground. Just as we were about to settle for the safety of 0-0 at half time, Erik Nevland popped up with a smashing finish.
The second half seemed to suggest one of two things. Either Rovers had shot their bolt too early or the boys were roused by a combination of Nevland’s timely goal or a particularly pointed team-talk from Roy. Come to think of it, it’s far from the first time that a turgid first half has been followed by a much improved second half display. Fulham were much more progressive in the second period, dictating the play more and using the ball effectively. Still, I wouldn’t say the boys played particularly well. Perhaps we’re saving that for Bolton on Saturday.
