Fulham defender Kit Symons has said that coach Jean Tigana's squad are happy with the rotation system the Frenchman has introduced. It appears that the system is working as Fulham demolished Chesterfield 4-0 in the second round, second leg of the Worthington Cup at Craven Cottage for a 4-1 aggregate win.
Symons, who was a regular under previous manager Paul Bracewell, has played only a handful of appearances under the new regime. But he insisted that all the players understand and support the rotation system - despite defender Terry Phelan's claims that he suffered depression after being dropped from the team.
Symons, who scored last night, said: 'Of course it's not easy to accept you won't be playing every week. But the Worthington Cup games have given players such as myself and Simon Hayward the chance to show what we can do. 'But with the other team doing so well it's hard to see who the manager could drop right now. The main thing is that we are all trying hard and prepared to fight to get a place in the side.'
Tigana dropped nine players from the side which defeated Gillingham 3-0 in the league on Saturday with only Lee Clark and goalkeeper Maik Taylor retained for the cup clash.
Symons, who captained the second string, admitted they had struggled initially to get into the match. He said: 'Everyone knows our main aim is to win promotion and we can't kid ourselves that the Worthington Cup is more important. 'Perhaps we were a little slow off the mark but I think we had a good game by the end of it. A cup run might help keep morale high and it's good for us to get the chance to play competitive football and for the younger players to get their chance as well.'