FULHAM ARE HELL-BENT ON COME BACK
FULHAM manager Kit Symons believes his side are back on the right track and heading up the Championship table after they came from behind to beat inthe-news Brighton.
Second-half goals from Hugo Rodallega and Lasse Vigen Christensen helped the Cottagers to their second Championship away win in ten games.
Former Fulham striker Darren Bent had handed the Seagulls the lead but Symons’ side, whose defeat to Brentford last week was their first loss in seven games, responded well to earn all three points.
Symons said: “I think it was a fairly even game but it was there for the taking and we did just that.
“We had to weather the storm because they started really well but we did that and I am happy with the win.
“There is no doubt that Hugo and Ross McCormack are a brilliant strike force in the division and they showed that in the second half.
“I think we have our foot on the accelerator now. But we need to keep improving on every aspect of the game.
“If we keep working hard we will finish in a nice position and that is what everybody wants to do. We are heading in the right direction.
“We have one eye over our shoulders, but we also know that moving up the table is something we want and can achieve.”
All the pre-match build up to the game at the Amex involved Bent’s loan move from Aston Villa and he almost lived up to the billing twice in the first half.
The Tooting-born striker met a Joe Bennett cross with his head with just 13 minutes gone but his downward effort was blocked well by keeper Marcus Bettinelli.
Bettinelli was the standout performer in the first half and he ensured Fulham went in level at the break with another good save.
Bent was yet again the man denied as he raced on to an Adrian Colunga throughball only to see his shot turned away for a corner.
Fulham were a different side in the second half but they fell behind when that man Bent took his chance at the third time of asking.
Colunga again cut open the Cottagers’ defence with a throughball and this time Bent made no mistake as he slotted the ball under Bettinelli.
Brighton should have gone on to win the game against a somewhat subdued Fulham side, but the hosts took their eyes of the prize.
Rodallega went missing in the first half but made no mistake when he side-footed home a Christensen assist just ten minutes after Bent’s opener.
The away side were buoyed and grabbed their winner in somewhat fortunate style when Bryan Ruiz’s long shot cannoned off Christensen past a stranded David Stockdale.
Defeat means Brighton now sit in the relegation zone and manager Sami Hyypia admits his side need to work on their mentality.
He said: “It is not a nice position to be in. We’re very concerned and we want to turn it around quickly. We believe we can do it. It is a tight league so we know that two or three wins can suddenly put us in mid-table.
“We can’t sit back and feel sorry for ourselves because that won’t help us get out.We need to step up on the pitch and mentally.
“We need to regroup. Help each other and encourage each other to get out of this.
“We’re not consistent enough over 90 minutes and that needs to change. We need to keep to our game plan and become more urgent.
“Maybe we need to wait until the last minute to score so that away teams don’t have time to score. Maybe we need to slap each other to ensure we are awake.”