Luck Of The Irish.

Duff and Fulham Catch a Little Luck to Smash Spurs out of the FA Cup

Holding 15th place in the league, and only 4 points from the drop zone Fulham's season is far from over, and the Europa League final last May is becoming an all too distant memory. Fulham aren't destined to be in the middle of the relegation battle at the end of this year but they are down there at the moment and looking for some consistent form to find safety come May. That form has started to come in recent weeks with 3 of their 5 league wins this season coming in their last 7 games, and only losses to Tottenham and Liverpool this new year, fans could be forgiven for having a sense of optimism going into this Sundays FA cup tie against London rivals Tottenham.

One of the players who's contributed to this solid run of form is veteran winger and Ireland international Damien Duff. Although he's yet to get on a score sheet this season, Duffs 2011 performances have forced manager Mark Hughes to issue a hands off warning last Monday to prevent any last minute transfer swoops for the 31 year old.

Sunday afternoon saw Duff continue his stretch of solid performances as Fulham comprehensively disposed of a Tottenham side that was down to 10 men and by two goals after just 15 minutes. After Clinton Dempsey and Mousa Dembele were both fouled in the box early on, Spurs fans watched Danny Murphy convert both penalties and captain Dawson receive his Marching orders.
From then on Duff and Fulham were in total control and it wasn't long before a third followed. Duff, battling down at the by-line managed to grab Fulham a corner. Swung in from the right Duffs corner was flicked on by striker Andy Johnson before being fired home from close range by centre-back Hangeland.

Duffs distribution of the ball in the first half was near perfect with barely a pass going astray and every cross fired in met with the heads (all be it poorly) of Dembele, Dempsey, or Johnson. Going forward the 31 year old showed his age, trying to make off the ball runs to catch out defenders rather then attempting to beat his markers with the mazy runs he used to make as a youngster. Still flashes of his younger years were on display as Duff showed us his quick feet and ball control still hadn't left him just yet. Defensively Duff was offered very little challenge. Thanks to the sending off and the lack of energy Spurs displayed going forward, especially in the opening half, Duff was rarely called on to urgently drop back, and was able to easily to deal with the runs and movement of Hutton and Ekotto for the full 90 minutes.

After the interval the games tempo trailed off slightly. Spurs were looking to save face and maybe grab a consolation goal while Fulham relaxed, looking to preserve the 4-0 first half lead. Duff dropped slightly deeper, making fewer attempts to get forward down the Fulham right and taking a more defensive approach. As Spurs tired and Fulham pressed and pinned their London rivals back into their own half as the fans chanted “We want 5”. Duffs corner nearly provided the 5th goal the Craven Cottage faithful demanded, as his corner was met by the head of Aaron Hughes who directed the ball onto the angle of the cross bar, and Hangeland's attempt at getting a second was cleared off the line.

Even in the 89th minute Fulham continued to press the defeated Spurs, and Duff found himself with a golden opportunity to break his duck this year and finally grab his first goal of the season. After a nice period of possession substitute Gera worked his way into the box. After losing control slightly the ball fell into Duffs path, 12 yards from goal and on his stronger left foot. But Duff connected poorly on the strike and Gomes managed to get down to the scuffed strike.

A big win and a massive confidence boost for Fulham, but Mark Hughes understands that its results in the league that have to start appearing more often if they're going to find safety and not be involved in a relegation fight at the end of the year. Duff will be looking to continue his run of solid performances when Fulham meet Newcastle on Wednesday night, and the Irish winger will be hoping to finally grab his first goal of the season, after coming close in recent weeks.