Fulham have another chance to clinch promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt this evening when Preston North End head to Craven Cottage. The rather hysterical reaction to the way Marco Silva’s side wilted when in a winning position at Derby County on Friday night has given way to some foreboding amongst sections of the support that the Whites might yet be bottling their big chance of lifting the Championship trophy – although, as I wrote over the weekend, I don’t subscribe to such a view.
The second half display at Pride Park on Good Friday was well below the levels that Fulham have set this season. It followed the second of two disappointing defeats at the hands of Coventry City. But it is inherently possibly to be displeased with that pair of performances and yet recognise that this is an exceptional Fulham side, full of verve, flair and invention, who have restored some adventure after the soporific Scott Parker years. Silva’s commitment to all-out-attack has produced a side that could still finish the season with a points total in the high nineties and the Portuguese head coach has completely transformed the club’s philosophy and mentality in the space of nine months.
The limp concession of a golden chance to confirm promotion at Derby does leave several questions lingering. Silva will probably need to be more pragmatic to achieve Premier League survival – a feat Fulham’s last three managers have failed to muster – but he will have been dismayed by the failure of plenty of fringe players to play themselves into contention for the challenge. The head coach’s selection and substitutions on Friday night were questionable, but there was a distinct lack of desire from the troops once Derby demonstrated their own never-say-die attitude. It was almost as if the players felt promotion was a foregone conclusion – and that’s unacceptable.
Those two defeats were Fulham’s first back-to-back league reverses since Silva succeeded Parker in July. He will expect a reaction this evening, even if he has urged his charges to stick to the ninety minutes in front of them rather than the ramifications of victory. Preston have proven a tough nut to crack once this season and now have one of the country’s most underrated managers plotting the revival of one of English football’s sleeping giants. Ryan Lowe, who guided Plymouth Argyle to promotion from League One and had them on course for another ascension before decamping to Deepdale, is enjoying the emergence of a possession-based style of play from his new charges and North End have taken seven points from their last three matches – beating Blackpool, ending QPR’s promotion hopes and drawing with Millwall.
Lowe’s impact since taking over from Frankie McAvoy has been immediate, with Preston beaten just four times in 21 league matches. He may be without key striker Emil Riis at the Cottage tonight as the Danish striker faces a late fitness test on a hamstring problem picked up against the Lions, whilst Alan Browne could also miss out after injuring his glute on Friday. The combined creativity of Izzy Brown, Tom Barkhuizen and Ryan Ledson will all certainly be missing, with Ali McCann primed to return to the starting line-up and Ched Evans, who made a real difference when he came on in November’s 1-1 draw, could come back into contention after a cameo role from the bench against Millwall. Fulham fans of a certain vintage might remember how Ricky Heppolette ruined the promotion party in May 1971 – and might be wary of a repeat this evening.
Silva has no new injury worries to contend with but may well look to freshen things up following the false dawn at Derby. Antonee Robinson should replace Joe Bryan at left back and I’d favour another opportunity for Jean Michael Seri in central midfield. Neeskens Kebano deserves to displace Bobby Decordova-Reid if he’s fully fit now, whilst Aleksandar Mitrovic will want to end an unfathomable run of 180 minutes without a goal in his most prolific campaign to date. The prize of promotion is so close we can all almost touch it – but the much-maligned Craven Cottage atmosphere might need to be cranked out to ensure an unforgettable night this evening. Be loud, proud and drink it all in – as it is unlikely you’ll see as complete a Fulham side as this again in a very long time.
MY FULHAM XI (4-2-3-1): Rodak; Williams, A. Robinson, Adarabioyo, Ream; Reed, Seri; Wilson, Kebano, Carvalho; Mitrovic. Subs (not used): Gazzaniga, Tete, Hector, Chalobah, Cairney, Decordova-Reid, Muniz.
