After a somewhat below par performance against Charlton the previous weekend, a lot of hard work was put in on the training fields at Motspur Park during the week and the result was a superb performance against a very competitive Crystal Palace side.
The conditions made it difficult for both teams as the wind buffeted the ball around. This would normally not have been a problem for the Whites who like to keep the ball on the deck, but a very bobbly pitch left them with the added task of taking the elements into account before making the passing choice.
A strong and energetic Palace side made things tough from the outset as they chased and harried and did not give the Whites time to settle on the ball. Despite this, a very young Fulham side, comprised of first year scholars and Under-16 players, were only too happy to go toe-to-toe with the physical nature of Palace and this seemed to knock the home side out of their stride.
Matty Briggs was pushed up from the central defensive role he carried out against Charlton, to go up against rising starlet John Bostock. From start to finish Briggs acquitted himself excellently and matched Bostock stride for stride throughout the match.
The competitive nature of the game meant that a lot of the first-half was spent in the middle of the pitch as both sides tussled to get the upper hand and consequently register efforts on goal, but any real passages of play were being enjoyed by Fulham. Although there were a few sighters, there was nothing too dangerous for the keepers to deal with.
The second period saw Fulham step up the tempo and really try and stamp their authority on the match and get the first goal. But it was a couple of substitutions by Gary Brazil eventually prompted the breakthrough for the Whites. With 20 minutes to go, Courtney Harris was introduced and with almost his first touch of the ball, he dispatched a shot into the top corner of the goal.
Instead of sitting back and defending the lead, Fulham went in search of another and this attacking philosophy paid off as Kai Bichard struck to put the game beyond doubt. Having only been on for five minutes, Bichard met a cross from the right to head home at the far post and secure a Fulham victory they thoroughly deserved. The win put Fulham right back in the mix for the race for the league title.
