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Fulham reserves ready for 01/02

last updated Saturday 14th July 2001, 9:21 PM
  Fulham’s reserve team fixtures, in the Premier Reserve League Southern Section, were announced today and show Fulham reserves playing against a number of Premiership teams.

With the reserves now facing a higher quality of opposition to that of the Combination League, Academy Director Steve Kean spoke on his hopes for the forthcoming season.

Having won the Combination League title last season, the reserve team, managed by Kean, racked up some impressive score lines along the way. However, Kean is under no illusions that next season will be the same:

“With no disrespect to the Combination League teams, our squad will benefit from the better opposition next season. “If we play against sides like Chelsea, West Ham and Arsenal, they’ll probably have their squad players out on the pitch. Which means we could well be playing against £25m worth of players. The games will be much tougher and more beneficial for us.” Said Kean.

There’s no doubt that such a jump in the quality of opposition will make some of the score lines of last season harder to achieve. Yet Kean is aware that in order to prepare players for life in the top-flight, they have to play in a technical environment.

Whilst the younger players may have gained confidence from some of last season’s results, there is a fine line between comfortably beating the opposition and progressing technically. One of the benefits of next season will be to enable the reserves to progress, as Kean points out:

“You can take results with a pinch of salt if your playing against a lower league club and beat them by six goals. “No doubt such a result will give you some confidence but in that respect, you can gain just as much, if not more confidence from beating Arsenal 1-0, after they fielded £20m worth of players. “The saying is that you’re only as good as the players you play with - in this situation you’re only as good as the teams you play against. “This is why you see some clubs struggling once they get into Europe, because their domestic competitions aren’t as good as they should be.”

It could be said that last season, Fulham were training at one level and playing at another. Results from the First Division and Combination League would certainly add credence to that theory. Yet now that both the first team and reserves will be playing at a higher level, how does Kean feel it will affect his training regimes:

“It’s not going to change the coaching programme in any way, it just means that each time we go out there, we’re not going to be looking at a 5-0 score line. “When you’re possibly playing against the likes of Kanu and Bergkamp, who can’t get into the Arsenal first team at the moment, it can only be of benefit to our defenders.” “Playing in this division will bring the whole reserve squad up a level, so everyone’s going to have to do everything quicker, make better decisions and their retention of the ball will have to be better.” Kean explained.

Fulham’s emphasis on youth development along with the tight link between the Academy and the reserves will mean that the reserve team will be carry a healthy contingent of Academy players. Surely as good sign as Fulham look to bring through the next generation of players.














1 Wed Aug 29 H Derby ful 14 Wed Jan  9 H Leicester
2 Wed Sep  5 A Ipswich ham 15 Tue Jan 15 A Derby
3 Wed Sep 26 H Wimbledon res 16 Wed Jan 23 H Ipswich
4 Mon Oct  1 A Leicester erv 17 Mon Feb  4 A Wimbledon
5 Wed Oct 17 H Chelsea es 18 Wed Feb 13 H Southampton
6 Mon Oct 22 A Nottm Forest   19 Wed Feb 20 H Nottm Forest
7 Wed Oct 31 A Charlton   20 Mon Feb 25 A Chelsea
8 Wed Nov  7 H Coventry   21 Wed Mar 13 H Arsenal
9 Wed Nov 14 H West Ham   22 Wed Mar 20 A Watford
10 Mon Nov 19 A Tottenham   23 Wed Mar 27 H Charlton
11 Tue Dec  4 A Arsenal   24 Wed Apr  3 A Coventry
12 Wed Dec 12 H Watford   25 Wed Apr 10 H Tottenham
13 Mon Dec 17 A Southampton   26 Tue Apr 16 A West Ham
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