Fulham at Nottingham Forest

Fulham travels to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday for an afternoon match. The game will be on ESPN+ with a kickoff at Noon EDT.

Nottingham Forest and Fulham first played this season back in August. It is now July. Almost a year has passed since they last played, but we are still trying to wrap up the season. When they first faced off, Forest gave Fulham their second loss of the season. It was a close match that hinged on a defensive mistake from Steven Sessegnon that turned the ball over deep in Fulham's half and a ridiculous missed handball that should have given Fulham the chance to tie things up from the spot.

Very little separates Forest and Fulham statistically - are very close in points, goals allowed, and goals scored. Fulham will still be without Mitrovic and Kamara who combined to get Fulham's only goal back in the August match. On paper it should be a close match, but I get the feeling that someone is going to run away with this one - just not sure who.

 

I’m nervous about goals in this one. Will Fulham find any and where will they come from? Arter, Christie and Onomah have all been unexpected. I think the team needs to attack quicker so the attackers get more opportunities without having 8-10 opponents between them and the goal. The slow build up always allows the defense to get well organized.

 

Cairney not even on the bench? Whats that about?

 

Holy shit...what a strike from Arter

 

He grabbed at his hammy at the end of the Birmingham match.

Glad to see some breaks come back our way, the block By the Forest defender right back to Arter before his cracker of a goal was something that happened for the other team earlier in the season.

 

That was such a classic Arter moment. He runs himself into a dead end, lets the ball get away from him, falls over, then somehow converts a magical shot into the net.

Parker didn't mention Cairney in the injury report yesterday, but in the post-match interview today he said that he might not be ready for Friday's match against Cardiff.

Clearly my gut feelings can't be trusted.

 

Short highlights from Fulham:

 

Three in a row, but I’ve got to say I don’t like the parking the bus tactics in the 2nd half. Worked this time.... OK, stop bitching James. THREE IN A ROW!!! Got to watch a good chunk of this one.
Things I liked:
1) The effort from the youngsters and the oldsters. Onomah didn't get many looks, but he worked hard, tracked back to defend and didn't get "strikeritis." I've always liked Kebano, it was good to see him get rewarded with a start. Seems like he's been around forever, but hasn't gotten a break. Would like to see his patience and perseverance rewarded. He's 28, so we need to play him or trade him.
2) Signs of life from Knockaert and Arter. If we can get both of these guys going, we could still make things interesting for West Brom and Leeds. Knockaert, especially, can be an impact player, like he was at Brighton. He always hustles, it just seems like he's slightly out of kilter. A couple of goals, like the one's Arter has scored since the return, and we could get on a serious roll, quickly.
3) Another result on the road. If you can figure out how some teams manage to do better away than at home sweet home, call me. We lost a bunch of home matches when we HAD witnesses in the seats, so the no fans argument is moot. We stunk at Elland Road, but I'd like another crack at Leeds. Probably not going to get it, but you never know. The playoffs are a crap shoot, but you gotta like a side that has the mental and physical fortitude to win away matches. We've got one. And that could be huge.
On to Friday night against the Bluebirds at The Cottage!
(And, by the way, we're back up to fourth in the table, two behind Brentford, five clear of Forest).

 

Huge win. Am I the only one who got really nervous when Le Marchand came on?

 

Le Marchand played? Is he still on the team? Glad I didn't notice.
With the fixtures coming fast and thick, I guess Scott is trying to save some minutes here and there. We're playing again Friday night at home, so I guess I can't blame him.