|
|
Jamie Jackson at The Guardian
|
Fulham 2 Hull City 0
Phil Brown has much to ponder between now and Portsmouth's visit on Saturday, when Paul Hart's bottom-placed strugglers must surely be defeated or the questions regarding the future of Hull's perma-smiling manager will again be raised.
This was a particularly disappointing defeat to comprehend for Brown and City's travelling support, who admirably filled the away end. It was especially galling as Hull had beaten Wigan beaten 2-1 in their last match. Devoid of ideas, by the close it was difficult to recall a clear chance created by the visitors. Brown knows that Pompey's visit is followed by a trip to Burnley, before Stoke City and West Ham United arrive in Hull. It may be difficult, though, for him to survive consecutive defeats in the next two outings, whatever the strength of his relationship with his chairman, Paul Duffen, who often reminds the media of their special friendship.
Asked about those next four games, and their importance, Brown said: "The important one is the next one. Last season was a tale of unbelievable stories away from home and now the shoe's on the other foot, to a certain extent.
"Any success we may have will be based on home form - the KC Stadium needs to be fortress," he added, before conceding that three points would allow him to breathe easier. "We need to focus on the game on Saturday and know [that] a result would pull yourself away from any trouble."
Both teams had begun proceedings on a cold evening in west London equal on seven points, separated only by goal difference. The measure of the early season jockeying throughout the division was illustrated by Hull, who remain third-bottom, aware that a win would have lifted them to 14th place.
Instead, the three points enabled Fulham to climb to 12th. Roy Hodgson, who ended the evening purring at the result and performance, watched his team move the ball across the slick surface and gave the visitors a lesson. "Disappointed," Brown said when asked for his overriding emotion. Of his team's first-half performance, he said: "We asked them to play football and they didn't create anything."
Damien Duff and Paul Konchesky produced the two outstanding moments early on, when they exchanged passes. Later, Diomansy Kamara turned sharply on the edge of the visitors' area before his curving ball flashed on to Bobby Zamora's foot, though the striker missed the chance. The best City could offer by the hour mark was a fly-hacked Stephen Hunt shot, before the same player failed to make the best of three corners that arrived in quick succession.
So anodyne were City that their best hope might have been an injury to Fulham's influential captain, Danny Murphy, who limped off on the hour. "It's a knee, we don't really know," Hodgson said when asked how serious the problem was.
Prior to that, Jimmy Bullard had appeared for only a second time for City, following a cruciate knee injury last January, to loud boos from the fans of his former club. He also got a straight forearm from Kamara and a chant from the Fulham support informing him he was a greedy so-and-so.
He was soon forgotten, though, when Kamara, arriving at the far post beyond a stranded Boaz Myhill, could not miss from Zamora's pass. That made it 2-0, following Zamora's headed first-half opener. Roma, here on Thursday in the Europa Cup, will provide sterner opposition.
Fulham Mark Schwarzer, John Paintsil, Brede Hangeland, Aaron Hughes, Paul Konchesky, Chris Baird, Danny Murphy (Jonathan Greening, 60), Damien Duff (Zoltan Gera, 84), Clint Dempsey, Diomansy Kamara (Erik Nevland, 87), Bobby Zamora
Hull City Boaz Myhill, Andy Dawson, Kamil Zayatte, Paul McShane, Ibrahima Sonko, Kamel Ghilas (Jimmy Bullard, 58), Kevin Kilbane, Deiberson Geovanni, Stephen Hunt (Jozy Altidore, 69), Dean Marney, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Bernard Mendy, 80)
Referee Marriner, A
Venue Craven Cottage
Attendance 22,943