CAM-DO ATTITUDE AS RAMS LOOK TO FINALLY END HOODOO
Rowett’s men in Wembley box seat
THE pain isn’t over for Derby yet. It’s only a Cameron Jerome goal that currently stands between them and more promotion despair at an emotional, expectant Craven Cottage tomorrow night.
A team that finishes sixth in the Championship doesn’t, historically, do well in these play-offs and Derby already have enough weight on their shoulders from all their previous failed attempts at promotion.
It all still might be too much for these Rams.
But Jerome’s goal that gives Derby a slim advantage was a classic of its kind, a wonderful, powerful first-half header.
If manager Gary Rowett has done better business since joining the club he is keeping it quiet.
Jerome was bought from Norwich in the January transfer window. It looked excessive, Derby already had a bus load of strikers but that £1.5m investment could now pay dividends in Premier League riches.
It’s Jerome, 31, who has got Derby to this point of optimism after five years of promotion under-achievement.
Five goals in his last four games have lifted the Rams from the despair of a dismal 3-1 defeat down the road at Burton, and the threat of not making the play-offs, to being within one step of the final again.
It is still going to be more of a stride than a step to make it to Wembley for the first time since their last-minute defeat to QPR in 2014, though, because Fulham are not out of this.
Their finishing might not be as good as their excellent possession football, but it still needed Kevin McDonald to hit the bar rather than the back of the net and for Scott Carson to make a good save from Tom Cairney to prevent the Cottagers getting level on Friday.
“The discipline we showed to limit Fulham to those chances was good,” said Rowett
“I’ve watched back the opportunities we had on the break, two on two, three on three, we should have had a little more quality to get a second goal.
“Fulham play a high-risk game – it’s what they are good at. It’s risk and reward. We need our counter-attacking to be better for the second leg.”
Jerome’s goal was so good, met with determination and confidence at the far post, a bullet header of a goal, beating his man and keeper Marcus Bettinelli with power.
It was created by Craig Forsyth’s cross but before that Tom Huddlestone was the creator, switching the play from down the right side to the left and catching Fulham on the hop.
Andreas Weimann took Huddlestone’s pass and came inside. Huddlestone took control for a second time and clipped a pass out to Forsyth.
Fulham didn’t recover and suddenly, for all their free-flowing football, were in trouble.
“Jerome has been brilliant in the recent games. He was too physical for them and he’s just
towered over the defender,” was Rowett’s view.
“It gives us a slender lead in the second leg, but, as we know, it can be cancelled out in a second.”
Fulham have now lost two games on the bounce and have not won a play-off game in seven.
Is the pendulum of despair swinging from Derby to Fulham?
“It’s not a bad result, it’s not the result we deserve, but it’s part of football,” was Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic’s reaction to it all.
“We dominated and they scored after one cross. Jerome scored a fantastic goal.
“We cannot be frustrated, we must be in some way confident having showed the quality and a great mentality.
“What we want to do is change the story and win the game on Monday.”