Mullins: A Showpiece Fixture

Fulham Under-21s boss Hayden Mullins believes playing at Craven Cottage can inspire his team, as our Young Whites take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League Cup Final on Thursday evening.

Our U21s have the chance to finish a memorable campaign by winning a piece of silverware at the Cottage, after a convincing 4-0 win over Chelsea last month secured our place in the Final.

“The boys are looking forward to the game,” said Mullins. “It’s a showpiece fixture at the Cottage against good opposition. I really feel as though the boys have earned this game and the opportunity to show everyone how hard they’ve worked throughout the season.

“Playing at the Cottage is a special thing for these boys and it can inspire them. It’s a place they don’t get to play [at] often and it’s a great venue.

“Games like this don’t come around often. It’s a good stage for the lads - a lot of fans will be there to see the boys up close for the first time. It’s a fantastic game and one the lads have earned.”

It’s been a successful year for our Young Whites in Mullins’ maiden season at Motspur Park, finishing third in PL2, reaching the knockout stages of the EFL Trophy, as well as having the best attacking and defensive record in the Premier League Cup so far.

We also reached the Quarter-Finals of the Premier League International Cup, but were defeated by an Everton team which featured first-teamers Michael Keane, Nathan Patterson and Youssef Chermiti.

“The team have been absolutely fantastic,” praised Mullins. “I can count on one hand the number of below par performances we’ve had this season. There haven’t been many at all.

“The application of the boys has been fantastic. They’ve taken onboard lots of information and have applied it on the pitch. I work in preparing the boys, but all credit goes to them in terms of what they’ve produced on the pitch.

“We’ve been competitive in every competition. You look at the EFL Trophy as well, playing against men’s teams, and we went unbeaten in the Group Stage. We were down to 10-men against Portsmouth at Fratton Park, a team who have just won League One, and we drew 3-3 with them. We also drew with Leyton Orient, beat Gillingham and then only ended up losing to Wycombe who made the Final.”

The highlight of our run to the Final was our 4-0 victory over West London rivals Chelsea, where goals from Delano McCoy-Splatt, Devan Tanton, Terrell Works and Adrion Pajaziti saw the tie put beyond all doubt by half-time – and Mullins will be hoping for a repeat of that performance when Spurs come to the Cottage.

“We were fantastic in the first-half against Chelsea,” he said. “That was one of our best performances in terms of defending, attacking, counter-pressing and counter-attacking. We were brilliant and blew them away.

“We were a joy to watch that evening and to be sat 4-0 up at half-time was very good.”

Spurs were the team to beat in PL2 this season, topping the table while losing just two of their 20 league matches. Physical frontman Will Lankshear finished the regular campaign as PL2’s top scorer, while Jude Soonsup-Bell and Yago Santiago also chipped in with 18 goals between them.

With just 28 goals conceded in their 20 matches – the best defensive record in the division – Spurs have got it right at both ends of the pitch and will provide a stern test at the Cottage on Thursday evening.

We took on Wayne Burnett’s side at Motspur Park last month, with Spurs running out 2-0 winners thanks to Lankshear’s double, but Mullins believes his Young Whites can come away from the Cottage with the Premier League Cup trophy.

He said: “Spurs won the league and they’re a top side. It’s probably the toughest game you could pick for a Cup Final. Whatever side we put out on the evening, we’ll have to be ready for the challenge.

“However, I believe that we can give any team a tough game on our day. This game is a one-off and it’s a chance to end the season on a high.

“It’ll be an exciting game and you’ll see two good sides going at it. Expect pace, goals and a bit of excitement.”