Any trip to Derby County is likely to conjure up a fair bit of rage for the longstanding Fulham fans. The Whites might have relegated the Rams in 2008 and, after winning at Derby in the regular season, memorably won a play-off semi-final final a decade later thanks to the soaring Denis Odoi, but the memories of Malcolm Macdonald’s side being cheated out of a chance of promotion to the top flight certainly linger. None of that will particularly relevant to Marco Silva’s side, who despite stuttering towards the finishing line with just two wins in their last five fixtures, have a chance of sealing their return to the Premier League at Pride Park tonight.
Derby have already shown they aren’t pushovers this season. Wayne Rooney’s side, who have battled bravely against adversity all campaign, badly need a win to keep their hopes of a miraculous escape alive after their points deductions and financial uncertainty. A mixture of experience and youthful exuberance helped County claim a precious point at Craven Cottage earlier in the campaign, when they held a norovirus-hit Fulham side to a goalless draw. Rooney’s motivational powers and tactical acumen have impressed many – the Rams would be safely ensconced in mid-table had they not been hindered by the EFL’s penalties for Mel Morris’ reckless gambles – and the clutch of homegrown stars who have flourished when thrown into the first team hint at a brighter future.
There does seem to a bit of light at the end of Derby’s annus horribilis, with American software supremo Chris Kirchner finally confirmed as the club’s preferred bidder after an agonising wait at the hands of the administrators. Any successful takeover would likely impose another 15-point handicap next season but Kirchner’s arrival would remove the spectre of liquidation for one of English football’s biggest names. If the club’s academy can continue producing young gems and Rooney remains at helm, then brighter times might just be closer than you might think for one of the game’s sleeping giants.
No Championship club has suffered fewer home defeats than Derby, so the trip to Pride Park will be far from straightforward for Silva’s side. Rooney’s blend of workmanlike knowhow and precocious young talent has inspired plenty of memorable performances against the league’s leading sides this term – and you wouldn’t bet against another act of defiance this evening. They have the fourth best defensive record on home turf in the division with the evergreen Curtis Davies still a miserly presence at the heart of the back four, as demonstrated in a masterful display in SW6 back in November.
Fulham boast the Championship’s most clinical away record, with thirteen wins and 48 goals scored in twenty matches, and they will chomping at the bit to put things right after Sunday’s error-strewn defeat at the hands of Coventry City. Silva could hand fit-again captain Tom Cairney a recall after the Whites were both out-thought and outplayed in the engine room last weekend but wholesale changes after a setback don’t appear to be the placid Portuguese coach’s way. He will seek an uplift in intensity and application against a ferocious opponent and continue to carefully assess who might be able to make the step up from his current squad.
MY FULHAM XI (4-2-3-1): Rodak; Williams, Bryan, Adarabioyo, Ream; Reed, Cairney; Wilson, Kebano, Carvalho; Mitrovic. Subs (not used): Gazzaniga, Tete, Hector, Chalobah, Seri, Decordova-Reid, Muniz.
