English Football Chat - Championship Match Reports & Fan Forum UK

Match Reports

Talk Football

Team Directory

Premiership

Championship

Articles

Shop4Real

The football season has started
HOORAY!!!!!!

Football4real.co.uk

•	Match Reports
•	Articles
•	Talk Football
•	Team Directory
•	World Cup News
•	Premiership News
•	Championship News
•	League One News
•	League Two News
•	FA Cup News
•	League Cup News
•	Scottish News
•	Welsh News
•	European News
•	International News
•	Shop4Real
•	League Tables
•	About Us
•	Contact Us
•	Privacy Policy

VIEW MATCH REPORT

Tuesday 3 Jan 2006
Mon 2 Jan 2006 ... Great Escape? NO CHANCE!!!!!
FULHAM 2-1 SUNDERLAND

10 man Sunderland failed to convert their early lead into points as a brace from Collins John saves Fulhams blushes.

The Black Cats, took an early lead through a stunning volley from Liam Lawrence, Fulham looking weak defensively, with Zat Knight failing to clear the danger from a Danny Collins cross from the left. .

Sylvain Legwinski and Papa Bouba Diop, playing his last game before leaving for the African Nations Cup, tried their luck from long range but both shots were well wide.

Fulham could have equalised in the 21st minute when Brian McBride capitalised on an error from Gary Breen to feed Luis Boa Morte, who went racing down the left.

Boa Morte waited until the last possible moment to square the ball but Collins cleared it with Collins John charging in at the far post.

Sunderland, who made just one change following Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Everton with Anthony Le Tallec replacing Andy Gray, had faded as an attacking force and were giving the ball away with increasing regularity.

McBride went close at the far post with stout defending from Caldwell denying him and the Sunderland defender headed away an on-target free-kick from the USA international shortly after.

Jonathan Stead and Lawrence combined as Sunderland edged their way back into the match but the latter's final ball was poor and Fulham escaped.

Lawrence threatened again in the 39th minute but goalkeeper Tony Warner beat him to the ball.
Senegal midfielder Diop was struggling so Coleman brought him off in the 40th minute with Helguson, who was injured himself in Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Portsmouth, coming on.

The loss of their star midfielder failed to dent the home side's confidence, however, and they equalised in the 43rd minute.

Tomasz Radzinski crossed to McBride on the edge of the area, with the American's flick-on finding John who prodded home.

Knight should have given Fulham the lead two minutes after the interval but his 12-yard effort was rubbish.

A powerful run from Whitehead was ended by a double tackle by Knight and Liam Rosenior but the ball squirted out to Lawrence, who was inches wide of the left post with his shot.

Sunderland keeper Kelvin Davis kept out a Radzinski free-kick with a fine fingertip save and the visitors found themselves under further pressure with the 57th minute dismissal of Caldwell.

The ball was slipped to Helguson whose sprint to the goal was halted by a foul from Caldwell - the last line of defence - and Dermot Gallagher had no hesitation in showing him a red card.

Fulham did nothing with the free-kick but were more successful in the 61st minute when they took the lead.

Helguson, who had impressed since replacing Diop, crossed from the left to the far post where John drifted between Gary Breen and Julio Arca and nodded in at the right corner.

Sunderland made three substitutions in the 65th minute with Nyron Nosworthy, Daryl Murphy and Gray coming on as boss Mick McCarthy looked to breathe new life into his side's fading hopes.

The lively Lawrence, easily Sunderland's most dangerous player, then shot wide before Fulham replaced John with Malbranque.

Malbranque limped off with a dead leg in the 78th minute, a challenge from Tommy Miller doing the damage, but as Coleman had used all of his substitutes Fulham were also down to 10 men.

Sunderland were under the cosh in the last 15 minutes, with Arca also getting booked, but Fulham were unable to make another breakthrough.