Fulham slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Charlton Athletic at Craven Cottage in their final pre-season friendly of the summer on Saturday afternoon.
The Whites dominated the first half and went in front after just five minutes through Damien Duff.
But the Addicks hit back in the second period to snatch the win after efforts from Johnnie Jackson and Yann Kermorgant.
In the behind-closed-doors friendly, Martin Jol named a strong starting line-up against Championship Charlton, perhaps hinting at the XI that will take to the field against Norwich City next weekend in Fulham’s opening game of the 2012/13 Barclays Premier League season.
With Aaron Hughes absent through injury, Chris Baird partnered Brede Hangeland at centre-half, with Sascha Reither and John Arne Riise taking up the full-back positions. Mark Schwarzer was between the sticks.
The midfield comprised of Duff, Mahamadou Diarra, Mousa Dembele and Alex Kacaniklic, with Bryan Ruiz tucking in behind the Mladen Petric.
Duff was denied an early claim for a penalty when he tumbled under a challenge from Rhoys Wiggins with just two minutes on the clock.
But Duff was to make his mark on five minutes when he started the move that led to Fulham going in front.
The Irishman picked up the ball in the middle of the park, before playing in Kacaniklic down the left. The young Swede got to the byline and pulled the ball back to Duff, who sidefooted home from eight yards.
At the other end, Michael Morrison headed over on 23 minutes when he met a Jackson corner, before Diarra nodded just wide from Duff’s set-piece delivery on 33.
The first chance of the second half came on 50 minutes, Kacaniklic latching onto a floated pass from Ruiz but seeing his header loop just over.
Summer signing Hugo Rodallega entered the fray on 54 minutes to replace Kacaniklic. Rodallega went up front alongside Petric in a move that saw Duff switch to the left flank with Ruiz moving to the right wing.
Shortly afterwards Duff stung the hands of Ben Hamer after being put in down the left by Petric, before Charlton were handed a great chance to level when Jackson’s cross was met at the far post by an unmarked Bradley Pritchard. He took a touch but saw his shot superbly palmed away by Schwarzer.
The impressive Duff nearly made it 2-0 on 58 minutes in fortuitous fashion when his cross from the left was deflected onto his own crossbar by Chris Solly.
However, Charlton made it 1-1 on 70 minutes. Kermonrgant’s flicked pass caught the Fulham defence flatfooted and the sliding Jackson beat the offside trap to slide home the equaliser.
And the Addicks went in front on 77 minutes. A Pritchard cross from the right was only cleared as far as Kermorgant and he lashed home a fierce half-volley from the edge of the box.
Solly then curled a good effort just over on 81 minutes, before Rodallega’s free-kick was pushed away unconventionally by Hamer.
Charlton could have had a third when Bradley Wright-Phillips rounded Schwarzer but the big Australian got back to make a sliding tackle on the striker.
And the Addicks held on to secure the win and inflict a first defeat of the pre-season campaign on Fulham.
Just read through the match thread without knowing the result. Excellent as usual RM. I would say this is a very good result :-). Now the real stuff begins. I'm really looking forward to the season.
OK, back from the game. Lovely afternoon stroll in Bishops Park to the ground.
I had three tickets, courtesy of a Fulham contact so was happy to give the spare to Seb so that he could keep his run of consecutive games going.
As I said before met Damian Duff's dad in the George Cohen lounge. You know you're in West London and at a prem club when the pre-match snacks include salmon and sushi and the beer is free.
As for the game first half Fulham were in control while we seemed reluctant to commit forward, perhaps fearful of the home side's better passing and movement.
Wiggins got away with what looked like a trip in the box on my new mate's son but Damian then scored an easy finish after some swift passing.
Fulham continued to look sharp and moved the ball well without creating too many problems.
As the half continued Charlton looked stronger. BWP was working very hard and dropping deep when needed. When the midfield moved up to support the front two we looked good but this was a rare occurrence.
In the 2nd the Addicks were far more lively. It seems the game of two halves issues we had sometimes last term haven't disappeared.
We pushed up more and Kermo was the fulcrum for Charlton , JJ and Wiggins started to work the wings and Solly also got forward at times. We were much more threatening and while Fulham still looked more likely we were back in the game.
Hollands, who didn't look fully fit and didn't impact much on the game was replaced by Kerker, who took his midfield role.
Now it was only 20 minutes and a friendly but SK looked very good. Strong running, willing to try and go passed a man and to shoot. Also aware of what is happening around him. Was impressed that he had a shot blocked and then tracked all the way back to cover Solly. From a brief showing he looks like he brings something to the midfield that we don't currently have.
Kerker crossed on for Yann who was just inside the box with his back to goal. Kermo flicked it up in the air and behind him. Jackson finished well. 1 - 1
From then on Charlton looked the team who wanted it more. There was no lack of neat control and movement from Fulham but Charlton looked like, well, the Charlton of last season. They sensed the game was there to be won and they went and won it.
Yann half-vollyed a Pritchard (as good as ever) cross from 18 yards for a great goal. Solly and BWP could have added more.
If we can play like we did 2nd half and if Kerker can live up to that brief cameo we'll be OK, in fact we'll be more than OK.
MOM BWP with honorable mentions to Pritch and to Taylor who was very solid when he came on. Solly, Wiggins and Jackson all good and Kerker could could could just be a great find.
Thanks Henry for an interesting review. I've had the pleasure of a match day experience in the George Cohen lounge too. Decent food, free booze & good seats in the Directors box.
Encouraging stuff and that is a solid enough starting 11 I'm just not convinced the depth of squad is anywhere near good enough .... Hopefully no one is injured or suspended
Be interesting to see the strength of team for the League Cup(can't believe it started on a Saturday)
After todays result 0% top two .....1% play offs..... 24% 7th-12th ...... 65% 13th-21st .....10% bottom three
hamer wilson Taylor morro evina green Holland waggy kerker bover smith With green behind smith. kerker and waggy wide. Holland and bover central. possibly swap bover and kerker positions. kerker cements starting birth for bum.
Yes, the timing of the Orient game means we will be putting out what I think will be our strongest team - strangely, if the game was next Tuesday it would probably be our weakest team!
For around seventy minutes, this was the pre-season warm-up Martin Jol would have wanted ahead of the start of Fulham’s Premier League campaign against Norwich City next weekend. A strong Fulham side, arguably only missing Aaron Hughes and Clint Dempsey from the first choice line-up, settled swiftly to their task and passed their way around a Charlton outfit sharpening up ahead of life in the Championship. The energetic Damien Duff gave the Whites the early lead their expansive football merited, but Jol would have been angered by the lack of urgency after the interval and two goals in seven second half minutes, superbly taken by the Addicks’ captain Johnnie Jackson and the excellent Yann Kermogant, gave Chris Powell’s side an impressive win.
Charlton’s comeback avenged their harsh 4-0 hammering in the FA Cup third round meeting between the sides back in January but Fulham only had their themselves to blame for throwing away a commanding position in a game that they bossed for the first 45 minutes. Duff, easily the game’s stand-out performer in the first period, didn’t see enough of the ball after the break and Charlton, much improved once Salim Kerkar was introduced as a second-half substitute, punished their labouring hosts.
Kermogant, who scored twelve vital goals last season, found plenty of space between the Fulham midfield and back four as time ticked on and he made the equaliser with a floated diagonal ball that caught Chris Baird pushing up as Brede Hangeland held a higher line. The pair appealed in vain for offside as Jackson, who was lively all afternoon down the Charlton left, sneaked in to steer a composed finish past a stranded Mark Schwarzer. Worse was to come seven minutes later when the French forward found the far corner with a fierce half-volley after Fulham had failed to clear a Bradley Pritchard cross.
The visitors were good value for their victory, with Schwarzer having to dash from his line to deny Bradley Wright-Phillips in injury time with his feet and the Australian goalkeeper also made excellent saves from Pritchard and the mercurial Kerkar. Had full-back Chris Solly scored only his second senior Charlton goal after galloping into space on angle of the eighteen yard box, there could have been few Fulham complaints – but the collapse given their first half superiority was staggering.
Duff was the regular outlet and the Irish winger, eager to make an impression on his only his third summer start since rejoining his club colleagues after his European Championship exploits, might have been awarded a penalty inside the first minute when he was checked by Rhoys Wiggins but referee Andre Marriner waved play on. Duff didn’t need to wait long before breaking the deadlock, though, as the opening goal arrived from a flowing Fulham move in the fifth minute. Duff started and finished the moving, picking up possession in a central area and driving towards goal, before picking out Alex Kacaniklic with a fine pass, and coolly converting the Swede’s low cross from seven yards.
Fulham looked dangerous going forward for the remainder of the first period, with Bryan Ruiz to the fore. The Costa Rican international looks much sharper with a full pre-season behind him and has struck up a promising partnership with new striker Mladen Petric. Ruiz himself was only denied a second by a fine saving tackle from Dale Stephens and, after Mahmadou Diarra glanced a corner fractionally wide, Kacanklic drilled a shot straight at Ben Hamer after a fast Fulham break and a mazy dribble from Moussa Dembele culminated with the Belgian shooting over and eluding a wild tackle from Michael Morrison, who had headed Charlton’s best opening harmlessly over when unattended at a corner.
The early stages of the second half offered little warning of the turnaround to come as Fulham went close to doubling their lead. Kacaniklic, profiting from the space created by a clever Petric run, headed over from a central position and Duff saw two shots blocked in quick succession as a clever jink created half a yard of space in the box. Solly almost inadvertently put the game beyond his team-mates when he deflected a Duff cross on to the top of the Hammersmith End crossbar. Fulham were fitful once Kacaniklic and Ruiz were withdrawn and Charlton, energised by Powell’s effective substitutions, grew in confidence and their clinical late finishing inflicted Fulham’s first pre-season defeat.
Comments
And here I am in Scotland for the weekend with my rangers supporting uncle saying kerkar is pants :-D
COYR's
Fulham slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Charlton Athletic at Craven Cottage in their final pre-season friendly of the summer on Saturday afternoon.
The Whites dominated the first half and went in front after just five minutes through Damien Duff.
But the Addicks hit back in the second period to snatch the win after efforts from Johnnie Jackson and Yann Kermorgant.
In the behind-closed-doors friendly, Martin Jol named a strong starting line-up against Championship Charlton, perhaps hinting at the XI that will take to the field against Norwich City next weekend in Fulham’s opening game of the 2012/13 Barclays Premier League season.
With Aaron Hughes absent through injury, Chris Baird partnered Brede Hangeland at centre-half, with Sascha Reither and John Arne Riise taking up the full-back positions. Mark Schwarzer was between the sticks.
The midfield comprised of Duff, Mahamadou Diarra, Mousa Dembele and Alex Kacaniklic, with Bryan Ruiz tucking in behind the Mladen Petric.
Duff was denied an early claim for a penalty when he tumbled under a challenge from Rhoys Wiggins with just two minutes on the clock.
But Duff was to make his mark on five minutes when he started the move that led to Fulham going in front.
The Irishman picked up the ball in the middle of the park, before playing in Kacaniklic down the left. The young Swede got to the byline and pulled the ball back to Duff, who sidefooted home from eight yards.
At the other end, Michael Morrison headed over on 23 minutes when he met a Jackson corner, before Diarra nodded just wide from Duff’s set-piece delivery on 33.
The first chance of the second half came on 50 minutes, Kacaniklic latching onto a floated pass from Ruiz but seeing his header loop just over.
Summer signing Hugo Rodallega entered the fray on 54 minutes to replace Kacaniklic. Rodallega went up front alongside Petric in a move that saw Duff switch to the left flank with Ruiz moving to the right wing.
Shortly afterwards Duff stung the hands of Ben Hamer after being put in down the left by Petric, before Charlton were handed a great chance to level when Jackson’s cross was met at the far post by an unmarked Bradley Pritchard. He took a touch but saw his shot superbly palmed away by Schwarzer.
The impressive Duff nearly made it 2-0 on 58 minutes in fortuitous fashion when his cross from the left was deflected onto his own crossbar by Chris Solly.
However, Charlton made it 1-1 on 70 minutes. Kermonrgant’s flicked pass caught the Fulham defence flatfooted and the sliding Jackson beat the offside trap to slide home the equaliser.
And the Addicks went in front on 77 minutes. A Pritchard cross from the right was only cleared as far as Kermorgant and he lashed home a fierce half-volley from the edge of the box.
Solly then curled a good effort just over on 81 minutes, before Rodallega’s free-kick was pushed away unconventionally by Hamer.
Charlton could have had a third when Bradley Wright-Phillips rounded Schwarzer but the big Australian got back to make a sliding tackle on the striker.
And the Addicks held on to secure the win and inflict a first defeat of the pre-season campaign on Fulham.
Fulham: Schwarzer; Riether, Hangeland, Baird, Riise; Diarra, Dembele (Sidwell 66), Duff, Kacaniklic (Rodallega 54); Petric (Briggs 81), Ruiz (Frei 81).
Subs: Stockdale, Kelly, Kasami, Burn, Trotta.
Charlton: Hamer; Solly, Wiggins, Cort (Taylor 65), Morrison; Pritchard (Wilson 81), Hollands (Kerkar 65), Stephens, Jackson; Wright-Phillips (Cook 90), Kermorgant.
Subs: Sullivan, Evina, Smith, Green, Hayes, Wagstaff.
I had three tickets, courtesy of a Fulham contact so was happy to give the spare to Seb so that he could keep his run of consecutive games going.
As I said before met Damian Duff's dad in the George Cohen lounge. You know you're in West London and at a prem club when the pre-match snacks include salmon and sushi and the beer is free.
As for the game first half Fulham were in control while we seemed reluctant to commit forward, perhaps fearful of the home side's better passing and movement.
Wiggins got away with what looked like a trip in the box on my new mate's son but Damian then scored an easy finish after some swift passing.
Fulham continued to look sharp and moved the ball well without creating too many problems.
As the half continued Charlton looked stronger. BWP was working very hard and dropping deep when needed. When the midfield moved up to support the front two we looked good but this was a rare occurrence.
In the 2nd the Addicks were far more lively. It seems the game of two halves issues we had sometimes last term haven't disappeared.
We pushed up more and Kermo was the fulcrum for Charlton , JJ and Wiggins started to work the wings and Solly also got forward at times. We were much more threatening and while Fulham still looked more likely we were back in the game.
Hollands, who didn't look fully fit and didn't impact much on the game was replaced by Kerker, who took his midfield role.
Now it was only 20 minutes and a friendly but SK looked very good. Strong running, willing to try and go passed a man and to shoot. Also aware of what is happening around him. Was impressed that he had a shot blocked and then tracked all the way back to cover Solly. From a brief showing he looks like he brings something to the midfield that we don't currently have.
Kerker crossed on for Yann who was just inside the box with his back to goal. Kermo flicked it up in the air and behind him. Jackson finished well. 1 - 1
From then on Charlton looked the team who wanted it more. There was no lack of neat control and movement from Fulham but Charlton looked like, well, the Charlton of last season. They sensed the game was there to be won and they went and won it.
Yann half-vollyed a Pritchard (as good as ever) cross from 18 yards for a great goal. Solly and BWP could have added more.
If we can play like we did 2nd half and if Kerker can live up to that brief cameo we'll be OK, in fact we'll be more than OK.
MOM BWP with honorable mentions to Pritch and to Taylor who was very solid when he came on. Solly, Wiggins and Jackson all good and Kerker could could could just be a great find.
Will be selling them on here to raise money for the new Supporters' Trust
Echo what Henry said, we played extremely well against a strong Fulham side that hadn't lost a pre-season game.
: - )
Be interesting to see the strength of team for the League Cup(can't believe it started on a Saturday)
After todays result 0% top two .....1% play offs..... 24% 7th-12th ...... 65% 13th-21st .....10% bottom three
guess
hamer
wilson
Taylor
morro
evina
green
Holland
waggy
kerker
bover
smith
With green behind smith. kerker and waggy wide. Holland and bover central. possibly swap bover and kerker positions. kerker cements starting birth for bum.
For around seventy minutes, this was the pre-season warm-up Martin Jol would have wanted ahead of the start of Fulham’s Premier League campaign against Norwich City next weekend. A strong Fulham side, arguably only missing Aaron Hughes and Clint Dempsey from the first choice line-up, settled swiftly to their task and passed their way around a Charlton outfit sharpening up ahead of life in the Championship. The energetic Damien Duff gave the Whites the early lead their expansive football merited, but Jol would have been angered by the lack of urgency after the interval and two goals in seven second half minutes, superbly taken by the Addicks’ captain Johnnie Jackson and the excellent Yann Kermogant, gave Chris Powell’s side an impressive win.
Charlton’s comeback avenged their harsh 4-0 hammering in the FA Cup third round meeting between the sides back in January but Fulham only had their themselves to blame for throwing away a commanding position in a game that they bossed for the first 45 minutes. Duff, easily the game’s stand-out performer in the first period, didn’t see enough of the ball after the break and Charlton, much improved once Salim Kerkar was introduced as a second-half substitute, punished their labouring hosts.
Kermogant, who scored twelve vital goals last season, found plenty of space between the Fulham midfield and back four as time ticked on and he made the equaliser with a floated diagonal ball that caught Chris Baird pushing up as Brede Hangeland held a higher line. The pair appealed in vain for offside as Jackson, who was lively all afternoon down the Charlton left, sneaked in to steer a composed finish past a stranded Mark Schwarzer. Worse was to come seven minutes later when the French forward found the far corner with a fierce half-volley after Fulham had failed to clear a Bradley Pritchard cross.
The visitors were good value for their victory, with Schwarzer having to dash from his line to deny Bradley Wright-Phillips in injury time with his feet and the Australian goalkeeper also made excellent saves from Pritchard and the mercurial Kerkar. Had full-back Chris Solly scored only his second senior Charlton goal after galloping into space on angle of the eighteen yard box, there could have been few Fulham complaints – but the collapse given their first half superiority was staggering.
Duff was the regular outlet and the Irish winger, eager to make an impression on his only his third summer start since rejoining his club colleagues after his European Championship exploits, might have been awarded a penalty inside the first minute when he was checked by Rhoys Wiggins but referee Andre Marriner waved play on. Duff didn’t need to wait long before breaking the deadlock, though, as the opening goal arrived from a flowing Fulham move in the fifth minute. Duff started and finished the moving, picking up possession in a central area and driving towards goal, before picking out Alex Kacaniklic with a fine pass, and coolly converting the Swede’s low cross from seven yards.
Fulham looked dangerous going forward for the remainder of the first period, with Bryan Ruiz to the fore. The Costa Rican international looks much sharper with a full pre-season behind him and has struck up a promising partnership with new striker Mladen Petric. Ruiz himself was only denied a second by a fine saving tackle from Dale Stephens and, after Mahmadou Diarra glanced a corner fractionally wide, Kacanklic drilled a shot straight at Ben Hamer after a fast Fulham break and a mazy dribble from Moussa Dembele culminated with the Belgian shooting over and eluding a wild tackle from Michael Morrison, who had headed Charlton’s best opening harmlessly over when unattended at a corner.
The early stages of the second half offered little warning of the turnaround to come as Fulham went close to doubling their lead. Kacaniklic, profiting from the space created by a clever Petric run, headed over from a central position and Duff saw two shots blocked in quick succession as a clever jink created half a yard of space in the box. Solly almost inadvertently put the game beyond his team-mates when he deflected a Duff cross on to the top of the Hammersmith End crossbar. Fulham were fitful once Kacaniklic and Ruiz were withdrawn and Charlton, energised by Powell’s effective substitutions, grew in confidence and their clinical late finishing inflicted Fulham’s first pre-season defeat.
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Schwarzer; Riether, Riise, Baird, Hangeland; Diarra, Dembele (Sidwell 66); Duff, Kacaniklic (Rodallega 54), Ruiz (Frei 81); Petric (Briggs 81). Subs (not used): Stockdale, Kelly, Burn, Kasami, Trotta.
GOAL: Duff (6).
CHARLTON ATHLETIC (4-4-2): Hamer; Solly, Wiggins, Cort (Taylor 65), Morrison; Hollonds (Kerkar 65), Stephens, Jackson, B. Pritchard (Wilson 81), Jackson; Kermogant, B. Wright-Phillips (Cook 90). Subs (not used): Sullivan, Evina, Wagstaff, Green, Smith, Hayes.
GOALS: Jackson (70), Kermogant (78).
REFEREE: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
ATTENDANCE: 310.
Charlton: Hamer; Solly, Wiggins, Morrison, Cort (Taylor 65); Pritchard (Wilson 81), Stephens, Hollands (Kerkar 65), Jackson; Kermorgant, Wright-Phillips (Cook 90).
Subs (not used): Sullivan, Evina, Wagstaff, Green, Smith, Hayes.
Goals: Jackson 70, Kermorgant 78
Fulham: Schwarzer; Riether, Riise, Hangeland, Baird; Duff, Diarra, Dembele (Sidwell 66), Kacaniklic (Rodallega 54); Ruiz (Frei 81), Petric (Briggs 81).
Subs(not used): Stockdale, Kelly, Kasami, Burn, Trotta.
Goals: Duff 6
Ref: A Marriner
Att: 0