A somewhat disjointed display from the Whites saw them pick up a valuable point away from home as they continued to put pressure on the teams above them at the top of the table.
Although they gathered a point from the game, a sending off for Charlton almost handed Fulham all three points, but a mixture of wasted chances and excellent keeping kept the scores level.
Despite being knocked out of the FA Youth Cup the previous week by Sunderland, Charlton did not seem overly affected by their exertions and they were the brighter of the two sides in the opening exchanges. The Whites were unable to stop Charlton playing and the passing tempo that had typified displays for Fulham throughout the season just wasn’t there.
Without doubt Charlton were enjoying the majority of possession, but they weren’t creating too much to trouble Fulham’s central defensive pairing of Ashley Thompson and Matthew Briggs. However, Fulham’s coaching staff were happy to get to half-time with the scores still at 0-0.
The Whites began the second period in much more confident fashion. Pierre Hall and Luca Moscatiello began to get a strangle hold on the game, bringing Wayne Jackson and Jordan Wilson into play on their respective wings. Despite this, it was Charlton who took the lead midway through the second-half. There seemed to be an infringement on one of the Fulham players in the build-up to the goal, but Charlton nevertheless broke away quickly and scored a goal they perhaps deserved on the balance of play.
As the closing stages approached it was questionable as to whether the Whites could claw their way back into the game, but the final 10 minutes saw a lot of action. The Whites were awarded a penalty; a decision which was met with consternation by the Charlton players, as a shot from the edge of the area struck the arm of one of the Addicks defenders and the referee was quick to point to the spot. Lewis Smith stepped up, but his spot-kick was initially saved by the keeper. However, the striker was still on hand to tuck away the rebound.
The remonstrations continued after the goal had been scored, to the extent that one of the Charlton players went too far and was shown a red card. Playing with 10 men put Charlton under pressure and in the closing stages Fulham really pressurised the opposition goal, but to no avail and the Whites had to make do with the point.
“I think some of the aspects of our game that have made us a really competitive outfit just weren’t on show today,” admitted Under-18s coach Gary Brazil. “I think Charlton played very well during the match, but I think the honesty we have had in our performances was lacking today and we will work on that during the week.
“Having said that though, the lovely thing about this side is that even when we don’t necessarily play well, there is a resolve about them where they keep going to the end, and today’s result came about because of that perseverance.”
Fulham: Etheridge; Laribi, Thompson, Briggs (Harris 75), Anderson; Wilson, Hall (A Smith 68), Moscatiello, Jackson; L Smith, Bichard (Brown 62).
