Fulham’s man of the moment, Sone Aluko, says the side are aiming high after two consecutive wins put the Whites right back in the Championship promotion picture.
Slavisa Jokanovic’s side sit just two points off the play-off places going into the international break after back-to-back victories over Huddersfield and Brentford and Aluko believes that the confidence generated by two convincing wins will carry Fulham into another tough set of fixtures in good heart.
We’re a team that’s looking up now at who we can catch, who we can chase. Wins breed confidence and we’re very confident going into the next game. Our home form is hopefully improving, our away form has always been good, so things are looking up for the club and, like I said, the team’s very confident.
Aluko eluded to a slight tweak of Jokanovic’s favoured system, which has seen him star in the eye-catching victories over Huddersfield and the Bees, that has allowed Fulham to place greater emphasis on their talents in the final third after shoring up defensive weaknesses that had plagued their previous attempts at progression in the Championship.
We’ve changed our style a little bit and that’s helped us. We’re very much a front foot team now, our energy’s showing, we’re very good on the break. So there’s little things we’re adjusting, and it’s paying dividends.
The Nigerian forward got the goal his energetic display against Huddersfield deserved at Griffin Park on Friday night – although he freely acknowledged afterwards that he might well have added to his tally.
I remember Stef[an Johansen] cutting it back behind the defenders. I came onto it and I just wanted to keep it down. My thought process was keep it on target, keep it down, and then I followed it in. Luckily it came back to me and when that happened I knew I’d score from that distance, and I just rolled it in again.
It’s good to get back to back wins. It was an evening game, a derby, Friday night on Sky, these are the games that you enjoy as a player. But you only enjoy it if you win the game, so we’re all very pleased.
Aluko was delighted to send Fulham’s travelling fans home with the local bragging rights that were secured with Tom Cairney’s stoppage-time clincher.
It helps create that atmosphere. All through the game they were good and thoroughly behind us, and as players that’s what you want, that’s what you enjoy. I enjoyed that game, I enjoy derbies, and I’m keen for more of the same.
