Martin Jol saluted Fulham’s professional display after the Whites recorded a rare away win at Wigan Athletic with Hugo Rodallega stealing the show against his former employers.
The Colombian striker headed Fulham in front just after the half hour mark and Damien Duff put the Londoners in complete control with a terrific finish midway through the second half. A late Arouna Kone effort halved Wigan’s arrears but Fulham held on to record a vital victory.
Jol was disappointed that Fulham had to endure something of a nervy finale, but remained pleased with the quality of his side’s performance.
“An away result like that is always positive, especially against a Wigan team that has momentum and is playing well. We knew it would be a difficult game but, if you saw us play the first 30 minutes, I think we deserved everything. After that we gave away the initiative and it made it exciting in extra time because they scored, but overall I think the win was deserved.”
The Fulham boss was delighted that Rodallega justified his faith in selecting the Colombian against his old club by scoring the opening goal.
“I had a feeling and I knew that Rodallega would be motivated to do something. That is exactly what he did and that is nice for him and for us.”
