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Fulham's summer acquisition from Chelsea, Jon Harley, faces a desperate fight to prove his fitness before Sundays big-match against their local rivals. An injury sustained in the Worthington Cup-tie against Rochdale has kept him on the sidelines for the last couple of weeks, but the former Blue is desperate to play against his former colleagues.
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"I'd love to play," Harley said at Fulham's Motspur Park yesterday. "But I'm just coming back from my groin injury, and it's important to make sure I'm fully recovered before I play. I've just started running again, so hopefully I'll be back soon."
Fulham's need for three points and a victory to get their season back on track has added extra piquancy to a game that Fulham fans have been waiting for eagerly since the fixtures were announced in August.
"It's a massive game," said Harley. "Not just for me, but for everyone at Fulham. We know how much it means to the fans, but it's vital that we get the three points, regardless of who we're playing. We've had some reasonable performances, but we're not as high in the table as we should be, and it's time to put that right."
Does he have any mixed loyalties, playing against the club where he learnt his football? "None at all. I keep in touch, and I've got a lot of good friends there, but that just increases the rivalry. All that matters is that Fulham go out and do it and get the three points."
With the squad being what it is this season, it's not easy for players recovering from injury to get their place back in the side. In Harley's case Rufus Brevett has been in such good form that it's even more difficult. He takes a pragmatic view of the situation, "That's down to me," he said. "What's important is that the team does well and I'd like to play my part in that."
What about Sunday's Game? "Confidence is high, we're all very optimistic that we'll get the right result." After twenty-one years without a victory against the Blues, that would be very timely.
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Source Fulham Football Club