Blackburn Rovers 1 Fulham 1: Bullard Hammers home belief that Fulham can beat the drop

David Instone
Monday 10 March 2008 01:00 GMT
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Jimmy Bullard cannot turn back the clock in a Fulham career wrecked thus far by injury but is happy to raid his memory bank to assist his club's perilous fight for Premier League survival.

And, after his exquisite late free-kick equaliser had ended the bottom-but-one side's debilitating run of three matches without a point or even a goal, he expressed a note of optimism from close to his heart.

Last March, Bullard's beloved West Ham United were resuscitated from virtual lifelessness by a victory at Ewood Park that proved the catalyst for unlikely salvation. On Saturday, with a draw rather than the win they possibly deserved, Fulham proved they believe they can follow suit.

"We haven't given in," the midfielder insisted. "We had a meeting [beforehand] and said there were 10 games left and our season starts here. As a West Ham fan, I know it can be done and that was mentioned.

"We talked about everything. It was a proper meeting – the most serious I have been involved in. We always have a meeting but it was 45 minutes and there was more said and in a more positive attitude."

Even against such formidable opponents as Blackburn Rovers, Fulham will find results like this insufficient. All they can hope – and this they certainly are doing – is that their upturn in form may yet lead to the wins without which their Premier League stay will end in the next nine weeks.

For Blackburn, it is all about qualifying for Europe for the third successive season, although you would not have guessed it from the paucity of their first-half performance.

Only after half-time did they find any urgency and they probably thought it was job done when Morten Gamst Pedersen, whose goals tend to come in clusters, nodded them in front with his second in two home games.

TV replays backed up the claims of Fulham's manager Roy Hodgson that the Norwegian had jabbed Paul Stalteri in the face with his arm before meeting, with some force, a fine cross from the newly introduced Jason Roberts. They also reinforced the excellence of the save Kasey Keller made from Roberts at 1-0 near the end to justify his inclusion for the first time since October.

Keller is responsible for 38 of the combined 74 years he and his Blackburn counterpart Brad Friedel have spent on this earth and the two Americans could have appeared with pipes and slippers in the first half and remained untroubled.

"It's our fault because we were not mentally prepared," admitted the Blackburn defender Christopher Samba. "We thought it would be easy. We just wasted 45 minutes and are very disappointed with the result and performance."

Blackburn did not share the nation's joy at the giant-killings by Barnsley and Portsmouth because a Manchester United v Chelsea FA Cup final would have left them with another Uefa Cup spot to chase.

Rovers' manager, Mark Hughes, continues to talk Sir Alex Ferguson's language. He questioned Fulham's anger at Pedersen's goal and thought the free-kick given against Samba for the equaliser was harsh.

Hodgson's view was much less blinkered and he has already told the Premier League head of referees, Keith Hackett, that he applauds the idea of an extra official located behind the goal.

Goals: 1-0 Pedersen (59); 1-1 Bullard (89). Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Friedel; Ooijer, Samba, Khizanishvili, Warnock; Bentley, Tugay (Roberts, 57), Reid, Pedersen; McCarthy (Derbyshire, 57), Santa Cruz. Substitutes not used: Brown (gk), Mokoena, Dunn.

Fulham (4-5-1): Keller; Stalteri, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky; Dempsey (McBride, 66), Murphy (Healy, 84), Bullard, Andreasen, Davies; Johnson. Substitutes not used: Niemi (gk), Volz, Bocanegra.

Referee: M Riley (West Yorkshire).

Booked: Blackburn Tugay, Warnock. Fulham McBride, Stalteri, Healy.

Man of the match: Pedersen.

Attendance: 20,362.

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