Parker’s up for auto bid
SCOTT PARKER insists automatic promotion is still within reach after Ivan Cavaleiro paid off the first instalment of his £15million transfer fee.
Fulham’s Portugal midfielder celebrated making his loan move from Wolves permanent with a spectacular first-half winner to push Parker’s men up to fourth.
Cavaleiro’s classy rightfoot finish settled a drab encounter to put Fulham eight points behind leaders West Brom, and within seven of a stuttering Leeds in second.
It’s four wins from the last six games in all competitions and boss Parker said: “Leeds have picked up a bad result today and we’ve got our eye on the top two. We need to keep on grinding out results like this.
“I’m not sure if it’s almost better to be chasing the top two at this stage, but there are some good teams around us and ultimately we need to just concentrate on ourselves.”
But it wasn’t all good news for Fulham with
Aleksandar Mitrovic due to have a scan on an ankle injury after their top scorer was stretchered off late on.
Parker added: “He doesn’t look great at the moment. It wasn’t vintage us by any stretch, but Ivan’s goal is worthy of winning any game.”
Cavaleiro curled home a 29th-minute winner from just inside the edge of the box with a rare moment of quality in a game that will not live long in the memory.
It ensured the Londoners came out on top against the Tigers for only the second time in the last nine attempts thanks to a sixth goal of the campaign from the winger, who signed a four-and-a-half year permanent deal this week. Frank Lampard won’t be losing any sleep when he reads his scouts’ reports on a Hull side who host Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round.
Jekyll and Hyde City were back to their infuriating worst after backto-back Championship away wins rekindled their play-off hopes.
Even a late rally couldn’t paper over the cracks as keeper Marek Rodak blocked Jarrod Bowen’s late effort, before Hull’s top scorer had an injury-time effort ruled out for offside.
Consecutive home defeats leaves Grant Mccann’s side three points off the top six, and the Hull boss admitted: “It was two teams playing nowhere near their best and we didn’t deserve anything.”