FUL OF HOPE
Parker believes his boys have the strength to last promotion run-in
FULHAM boss Scott Parker insisted yesterday that he is not looking at the top of the Championship table and trying to work out how his team can catch West Brom and Leeds.
But he certainly believes that his players have the mental strength needed to last the pace in the race for promotion.
Four days after a last-gasp 1-0 win over Swansea, his Fulham side were second-best for the first hour against a bold Preston team.
But then former England forward David Nugent headed a farcical own goal to give the Cottagers the lead, and Aboubakar Kamara broke away in injury time to settle it.
That kept Fulham five points behind Leeds, who had won at lunchtime, and they go to Elland Road after games against Bristol City and neighbours Brentford.
“Of course West Brom and Leeds have been the most consistent and they are two very good teams,” Parker (below) said. “We have both to play but we have to concentrate first on Bristol City next week and the games that follow that and see what we can do.
“We always go into every game expecting to win. This is where it comes down even more so to our mindset.
“My players looked tired but we have a bit of belief about ourselves. Joe Bryan has damaged his hamstring after six minutes and that is overuse.
“Preston had a day extra to recover and they put pressure on us but I always thought one goal would decide it.”
Preston boss Alex Neil saw his side dominate early on but miss three presentable chances before Nugent tried to head away a corner and instead sent the ball looping into the far corner.
And it was from a late Preston corner that Kamara sprinted away to finish after exchanging passes with Ivan Cavaleiro.
Neil was left fuming after referee David Webb did not show Fulham winger Anthony Knockaert a red card after he appeared to flick a hand into the face of Darnell Fisher.
He said: “If you hit someone in the face, whether it’s a flick of your hand or a punch, you’ve lifted your hand and I don’t think there was any question that it was a red card. The fourth official said to us ‘Well he’s a lenient referee.’ I said: Well that’s really good, thanks very much for that’.
“They got the set play and I don’t know how it happens but it ends up hitting Nugent’s head and ending up in the net.
“At a difficult venue the first goal is really important. We got a corner at the death and sent everybody up but we not only underhit the corner, we don’t cover quick enough.
“It ends up a 2-0 scoreline which certainly flatters Fulham. Until the first goal in my opinion we were the team that deserved to win it.”
FULHAM: Rodak 6; Odoi 6, Hector 7, Ream 6, Bryan 6 (Christie 9, 8); Cairney 8, Arter 6 (McDonald 90, 6); Knockaert 6 (Kamara 78, 6), Reid 6, Cavaleiro 6; Mitrovic 5.
Subs not used: Bettinelli, McDonald, Kebano, Johansen, Sessegnon.
PRESTON: Rudd 6; Fisher 6, Bauer 7, Davies 7, Hughes 6; Brown 7, Johnson 7; Barkhuizen 6, Potts 7 (Harrop 84, 6), Maguire 6 (Sinclair 72, 6); Nugent 5 (Stockley 67, 6). Subs not used: Ripley, Clarke, Ledson, Huntington.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Cyrus Christie. The early substitute became one of Fulham’s most potent attacking forces down the right.
REFEREE: David Webb 7.