In the final match of gameweek 34, Bolton took their dreadful form on the road to Craven Cottage, a ground that’s virtually a fortress under Mark Hughes. There was only ever going to be one winner here, and so it proved; a Clint Dempsey brace eased any lingering relegation doubts for Fulham as they ran out emphatic winners, while the American’s Fantasy owners enjoyed an evening that transformed a decent gameweek into a great one. Here’s the lowdown on last night’s events…
Dempsey’s double took his goals tally to 12 this season, and was duly awarded 3 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Bonus Points for his display. Given that Fulham’s three forwards have managed nine between them, Dempsey’s importance to this side cannot be downplayed. Surprisingly, this was the first time he had found the net at home since gameweek 22, back in January, and the 16 point haul means he’s now the fourth-highest scoring FPL midfielder. Top of our Captain Poll going into the gameweek, those who handed Dempsey the FPL armband were delivered rich rewards for their foresight.
Dempsey, who will travel to face the obliging Sunderland defence at the weekend, was understandably delighted with his showing…
“I was fired up to get goals because I haven’t scored in three games..I was starting to get the itch a little and feel the pressure to perform, so it was good that I was able to do that tonight and help be a part of the team’s success in getting the three points to get us into the top half of the table.”
With Damian Duff missing the double gameweek completely due to an Achilles problem and Bobby Zamora still feeling his way back to fitness, Fulham could have been expected to struggle for goals last night but Craven Cottage seems to add an extra edge to their play; it’s six wins and one draw from seven, with six clean sheets thrown in for good measure. Mark Hughes can surely relax now; with 42 points Fulham should be safe, though with (sun, LIV, bir, ARS) left to come, the home record will be put under further scrutiny.
Daniel Sturridge failed to recover from an ankle knock sustained in the weekend win over Arsenal, forcing Owen Coyle to start Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander together up front for the first time since gameweek 25. Bolton arrived in good spirit after beating Arsenal to banish those FA Cup Semi Final blues, but gave a toothless performance here. Sturridge’s loss didn’t help, though it’s worth noting that he had failed to score in his last two away games.
Bolton have one point from their last nine games on the road and though with their next three fixtures all definitely winnable, Coyle will be calling on his troops for another morale-boosting performance after another forgettable display away from the Reebok.
In addition to the ankle injury carried by Sturridge, Bolton also lost Mark Davies prior to the game with his own ankle problems. Gretar Steinsson then turned his knee during last night’s match and was forced off on 67 minutes. He will go into the weekend clash at Blackburn as a doubt along with Sturridge and Davies.
