Fulham miss chances to claim bragging rights

THIS goalless draw was so drab, most of the 17,090 who witnessed it had forgotten it by the time they filed out of the Brentford Community Stadium.

The ambitions of both clubs have been largely satisfied for another campaign, leading to an anaemic encounter on a sleepy afternoon.

It was a game that mattered for west London bragging rights and extra revenue for Thomas Frank and Marco Silva to spend on new signings in the summer, given that each finishing place in the Premier League is worth more than £3million more than the position below.

Beyond that, neither set of players looked overly concerned by the result. Thomas Frank, the

Brentford manager, disagreed: ‘Even though it was not a 3-3 freeflowing and with masses of chances, I still think the game meant a lot to the players.

‘You could see that because it’s a local derby and they know what it means to the fans. Neither team had the cutting edge offensively, but I don’t think it was a case that we had nothing to play for.’

Alex Iwobi sent an early shot rising just over the Brentford bar before Fulham’s was struck by a Bryan Mbeumo shot that took a crucial flick off the leg of the covering Calvin Bassey.

If either side looked like they might find a winner in the second half, it was Fulham. Rodrigo Muniz headed the ball into the ground and saw it bounce into the arms of Brentford keeper Mark Flekken.

Fulham boss Marco Silva said: ‘When you have the chances that we created today, you expect to win the match.

‘We needed the calmness to decide better and to create more chances.’