Newcastle 1 Fulham 3

One of the advantages of being a blogger – to the writer if not the reader – is the lack of accountability. In my last post I predicted Fulham would not make the play-offs. After this victory and the defeats suffered by Sheffield Wednesday and Reading a play-off place is more than a possibility. We are now 2 points behind Sheffield Wednesday with a game in hand, that being played next Tuesday at home to Blackburn.

To achieve the double over Newcastle is no mean feat,we beat them 1-0 at Craven Cottage on the first game of the season. Yesterday coach Slavisa Jokatonic dropped Chris Martin. It now looks he will be returned to a side, Derby, that has not made the play-offs and a manager that may not be there for too long. Still that is Martin’s problem and one of his making. Kebano is now established in the side but the real key to the victory was playing 16 years old Ryan Sessegnon at left midfield . He was able to charge forward and score the last two goals after Tom Cairney opened our account with one of his trademark drives from outside the penalty box.

The only cause for criticism was the missing of our ninth penalty. This time rather than let Sessegnon get his hat-trick the hapless Ream (I should give him this adjective to his name – Sir Timothy Hapless-Ream) took the ball and promptly struck it wide of the post. Had we converted the two penalties missed against QPR we would now be in sixth place. Can it be so difficult to find one player in the group that can convert a shot one against one against the keeper?

My latest prediction is that Reading will fall out of the play-off places but it will go to the wire, that wire being Fulham’s last game of the season at Sheffield Wednesday.