West Bromwich Albion 1 (0) Fulham 0 (0)
FOUR matches in and West Brom started their season yesterday afternoon, or as Gary Megson had hoped beforehand, his team just stopped “pussy-footing around”. The prophets of doom will be feeling a little less smug this morning, as everyone’s favourites for relegation hauled themselves out of the bottom three.
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Fulham U21 star Zat Knight survives a flying elbow from West Brom striker Lee Hughes
|
|
Darren Moore’s messy go
al after the break was worth more than three points. The fixture computer has certainly not been kind to the newcomers. Three games down (trips to Old Trafford and Highbury, with a visit from Leeds United sandwiched between) and West Brom were seemingly a little punch-drunk.
Yet this was 90 minutes of brutal perspiration and direct, confrontational football. So, the gallows humour can lapse for a while.
“It’s always nice to get your first win, first clean sheet and first points on the board. It should have been more convincing, but you’re thankful for small mercies,” said Megson.
The scoreline was familiar enough. Last season, Albion scratched out 1-0 wins 17 times on the march for promotion.
Fulham looked jaded, not like a side unbeaten in 10 league and cup games.
They had swaggered into Birmingham after Tuesday night’s win in the InterToto Cup. Yesterday was a reality check. Manager Jean Tigana said: “The team was very tired after Tuesday, but Albion have got good organisation, played the ball long and have got two good strikers.”
Lee Hughes, brought in on Friday along with Jason Koumas, helped the manager eclipse the club’s record fee twice in a day with a combined price tag of £5m. Hughes was given a prompt debut and led the line with Jason Roberts.
Junichi Inamoto, the architect of Fulham’s midweek victory with his first professional hat-trick, made a full debut, appearing in a league starting line-up for the first time.
Hughes, who struck 85 times in 177 West Brom appearances before switching to Coventry City, could have added to that tally within 11 minutes but he stroked his shot past the post. He proved a constant menace and caught Andy Melville flat-footed, but his drilled shot was straight at Edwin van der Sar.
| Match Stats |
WBA |
Fulham |
| Goal attempts |
13 |
10 |
| On Target |
7 |
2 |
| Fouls |
17 |
18 |
| Corners |
5 |
7 |
| Off-side |
2 |
0 |
| Yellows |
4 |
4 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: www.sportinglife.com |
Fulham needed a set-piece in the 35th minute for their first attack of any real substance, Sean Davis’s curled free kick dipping meekly into Russell Hoult’s gloves.
The stalemate was broken three minutes after the restart, Moore’s forehead diverting the ball into the bottom left-hand corner and past the stranded Van der Sar, after the goalkeeper had kept out his initial header.
Bob Taylor then tested Van der Sar from behind the half-way line in the dying moments, but the goalkeeper arched back and flipped the ball to safety.
West Brom:
Hoult, Moore, Gilchrist, Wallwork, Balis, Clement, Johnson, Gregan, Marshall (Koumas 52), Roberts (James Chambers 88), Hughes (Taylor 77).
Subs Not Used: Jensen, Dichio.
Booked: Hughes, Moore, Wallwork, Johnson.
Goals: Moore 48.
Fulham:
Van der Sar, Finnan, Brevett, Melville (Malbranque 59), Goma, Inamoto (Knight 60), Boa Morte, Legwinski, Davis, Sava (Saha 60), Marlet.
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Hayles.
Booked: Boa Morte, Davis, Finnan.
Att: 25,461
Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).
Source S. Times by Mark Hodgkinson