Bobby Zamora is doing his best to make Fulham fans and us fantasy managers forget last season. The much-maligned Bobby Z was the unlikely hero as Fulham became the first Premier League club to take to the field in a competitive match. He scored one and provided two assists, as Hodgson’s side ran out 3-0 winners over Lithuanians FK Vetra in the Europa League third qualifying round – a result which almost certainly puts the kibosh on another fixture in gameweek 2 of our fantasy season…
Hodgson sprang very few surprises with his lineup. Etuhu’s absence from the midfield holding role was due to the birth of his child, so Baird partnered Murphy in the middle of the park. Up front, Hodgson kept faith with the Andy Johnson/Zamora partnership which disappointed those of us eyeing up a possible bargain in the form of Erik Nevland. The Norwegian has done more than enough in pre-season to earn a start in Hodgson’s attack but, predictably, the Fulham boss appears to favour the little man/big man pairing. Right now Andy Johnson is ahead of Nevland in the pecking order – so Zamora doesn’t appear to be a factor in the likelihood of Nevland seeing action.
Zamora’s own form appears to be peeking at the right time. On last night’s evidence his Fulham career looks secure, after a summer of speculation surrounding a move to Hull. He fired Fulham’s first goal just before the break from a typically incisive Murphy pass. Ten minutes into the second-half, it was Zamora again causing the problems for the home defence. Dumped to the ground in the box, it was left to Murphy to step up a convert the resulting spot-kick. Bobby Z then provided the assist for sub Seol Ki-Hyeon to seal the 3-0 win late on.
Given last season’s fantasy returns, Zamora’s form here is likely to be largely ignored at this stage. However, he is a player who feeds on confidence and, should he continue on the goal trail in the second leg, he will go into the Portsmouth game with his tail up and as a viable budget option up front. Danny Murphy’s contribution in this game should also be noted. He enjoyed a renaissance at the Cottage last season and will get plenty of fantasy suitors this time around. Let’s not get hasty though – last night’s result certainly cast a shadow over the merits of considering Murphy and his Fulham team mates.
Hodgson’s side are now almost guaranteed a place in the playoff round, with the second leg at the Cottage surely a formality. That’s bad news for fantasy managers, as progress for Fulham would see their Premier League fixture with Blackburn in gameweek 2 postponed. That would make eight teams absent from the gameweek – ravaging our fantasy lineups. Add to this the fact that Fulham’s fixtures in gameweeks 3-5 (CHE avl EVE) look relatively stiff and there’s every reason to show caution when casting an eye over their squad for the early part of the season.