[NoSkillz]

Wed. February 2, 2022

Barclays Premier League
Fulham (4-5-16, 17 points, 20th) vs. Dover (13-7-5, 46 points, 4th)
Craven Cottage, London, UK

Betting Odds: Fulham: 11-5 Draw: 11-5 Dover: Evens (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 5W 2D 2L

Fulham are in the basement and they are going to struggle to stay up this year but they certainly have shown enough tenacity in past years to stay afloat so I won't take them lightly today. They are winless in their last seven Premier League games but just knocked off Championship 1st place side Burnley in the FA Cup to move onto the fifth round where they await the winner of the replay between our club and Man United. Fulham's most dangerous player is easily striker Milan Djuric, with ten goals in 27 matches.

I'm rolling the dice a bit today and going with my nemesis Paul Moses up front with his buddy Wayne Rooney. Zoltan Bardi will be on the bench after a terrible game against United a few days ago. Neil Cairney is fit and ready to go but likely won't be able to finish the game - that said, I'll start him and hope to get an hour out of him. Paulus Tjiuoro will come in for Claudio Contreras and our regular keeper, Ingo Wilke will be back in today as well.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - R. Gaucho, P. Tjiuoro, R. Hamon, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, A. Rocca, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, W. Rooney
Bench - J. Varga, J. Kuciak, Mancini, E. Harvey, C. Murray, A. Zubizarreta, Z. Bardi

Fulham come out in a 4-4-2 DM with one striker (Djuric) up front. My assistant suggests telling the team to perform well for the travelling supporters and I'll go with it - I don't like this team talk on the road but we'll see how it goes. I do pull aside Moses and Cairney to say I have faith in them.

4' - We have possession about ten yards outside their area and Bamba, who is down the right side of the field for some reason, sends a pass up to Paul Moses. He turns and uses his speed to separate from the defenders and unleashes a rocket that is stopped by Joe Lewis, the Fulham keeper. However, garbage collector Wayne Rooney is there to gobble up the rebound and he pounds it home for the early goal! Rooney can barely move at his age but he's positively DEADLY from in tight and his leg still has plenty of life! DOVER GOAL 1-0

7' - Moses is making his presence felt early, as the 18 year old takes a little feed from Rocca and delivers a hard low blast that is turned behind the net by Lewis. We don't convert on the corner.

13' - We've already had both Neil Cairney and now Andrea Rocca get banged up in this game and with Rocca off getting some attention, Fulham win a corner. Marco Ezio Fossati takes it and the ball hits Paulus Tjiuoro, who isn't paying attention for some reason and deflects into the net. Terrible and I'm already regretting starting him. FULHAM GOAL 1-1

18' - We have a throw in deep down the left side and it's Renato Gaucho getting it to Bamba. He makes a move to the byline and sends in a cross but it's headed out of the area by Fulham's defence. Salim Loucif retreats, takes the ball, pivots to his right and unleashes perhaps one of the best shots I've EVER seen in my ten + years of managing this team, a rocket from outside the area that hits the far goal post, ricochets back to the near post and goes in. PURE INSPIRATION from Salim Loucif, his first ever Dover goal! A shot for the ages!!!!! DOVER GOAL 2-1

21' - Tjiuoro almost makes up for the own goal when he heads a Rocca corner toward the net but it's cleared off the line by the fullback protecting the post.

25' - It looks like we're in for a battle today. Marco Astvald, Fulham's right winger, sends in a ball to Kevin McDonald, the attacking central midfielder and from outside the area, he unleashes a rocket into the top corner of the net past a diving Wilke and it's tied again. A great strike, no question about it. FULHAM GOAL 2-2

35' - Wilke is forced to make a save when Salim Loucif makes a terrible pinch and their midfielder gets off a shot from in close.

36' - We're playing sloppy football and almost have a big error result in a goal due to miscommunication between Wilke and Hamon but the Fulham player shoots over the net.

39' - Bamba has the ball and sends it up to Moses. He turns and just BURSTS by Guillermo Piras, the Fulham defender and is in on goal. He shoots low to the near side and IT'S IN! That's the first Dover goal for Paul Moses! Oh, how I wish you didn't hate me, you young stud! DOVER GOAL 3-2

HALFTIME - Basically, we're doing very well but they've cashed in on both of their great chances and it's a bit closer than we'd like. We hold 56% of possession in the first half and outshoot Fulham 11-4 (8-2 on target). Moses has a goal and an assist already. I tell the team I'm pleased.

Fulham come out in a flat 4-4-2 to start the second half.

53' - Rocca steals the ball at midfield and sends it to Rooney. The veteran sends a little pass to Moses and the youngster is off to the races but shoots JUST wide.

56' - My God our defending today is horrific. They have a corner and we clear but they get it back into the area and it's our former striker Robbie Benson in tight and he easily puts the ball into the net. Where is our defence?!?! Rayane Hamon takes blame for that one. FULHAM GOAL 3-3

57' - This game is officially nuts. Right off the kick-off, we send it wide to Bolis and he streaks down the wing. His cross is through the area to a WIDE OPEN Arsene Bamba and he just toes it over the line and in. Horrific defence on both sides but we'll take it! DOVER GOAL 4-3

62' - I move to a counter attacking mentality.

75' - Things have thankfully slowed down but Fulham definitely are taking it to us a bit on the possession meter. We make a double substitution, taking out Cairney and Rooney and bringing in Mancini and Zoltan Bardi.

81' - Bamba gets a feed into the box that goes through traffic and right to Gianluca Bolis but his shot is stopped by Lewis. Game saver there...

84' - Fulham are taking it to us and flowing nicely with their movement and it's Benson getting off a shot from distance that's destined for the far corner but Wilke gets his fingertips to it and it's over the net.

87' - Rocca sends Bardi up field and with a defender all over him, he gets a shot off but Lewis is up to the task and deflects it by the post. Gianluca Bolis is off and Aitor Zubizarreta is in as we set up for the corner and Rocca's cross is headed by Hamon and hits Moses before deflecting into the net! Moses has two and we're comfortably ahead now! DOVER GOAL 5-3

Holy Moses!

Fulham 3 - 5 Dover
Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.3), Wayne Rooney (7.3), Salim Loucif (8.3), Arsene Bamba (8.2)
Assists - Rayane Hamon (7.1), Gianluca Bolis (6.9), Arsene Bamba, Paul Moses
Man of the Match - Paul Moses
Other Dover Notables - Andrea Rocca (7.2)
Attendance - 15,947

We edge them on possession with 51% and also outshoot them 18-11 (13-4 on target). Quite the game! Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. Moses was sensational.

-- Reading and Arsenal draw 1-1, United beat Huddersfield 2-1 and Chelsea can only manage a draw away at Wolves. That means we now move ahead of Liverpool into 3rd place, five points back of United. Liverpool are a single point back and Arsenal one further back with a game in hand.



Dover U18 Update

-- We throttle Man City's U18s 5-1 behind yet another hat trick from Gregoire Lambert. Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz and Eddie Robinson score singles. Lambert missed some time this year due to injury but he has 25 goals in 19 non-competitive matches so far.



Dover Reserve Team Update

-- We squeak by Reading 2-1 on goals from Abdallaye Kokaina and Emmanuel Agbo, two central defenders.



Injury Update

-- Kostas Kalfas returns to full training after missing a couple weeks with a groin strain.



Next Up

-- We are slight underdogs as we host Tottenham at Crabble Athletic Ground.