The gloom re-emerges as a feeble Tigers performance in front of the ESPN audience sees Fulham ease to an easy 2-0 victory.  Could have been many more.

Report by James Lockwood.

As kick off time drew ever closer, a flurry of text messages arrived to people stood in the immediate vicinity to your match reporter. Now usually when a football game is televised the TV Company like to show a selection of female supporters. On this occasion ESPN decided it’d be better to show the people near your reporter. Whether this is a damning remark on the City support, or the ESPN camera man, I’m unsure. But surely ESPN could have focused on a better looking selection of fans, with the obvious exception of Victor Markham of course.

Lining up against this background, City lines up with the same formation as against Wigan, but with Ghilas getting a run out in place of the recently appointed captain, Barmby, whilst Kilbane became the 94th person to wear the arm-band this season.

Myhill
McShane Sonko Kilbane Dawson
Zayatte
Ghilas Marney Geovanni Hunt
Vennegoor of Hesselink

The early exchanges set the tone for the rest of the game. City played with a very solid formation of 2 banks of 4 with Zayette roaming between, whilst JVoH tried his hardest to get on the end of long balls up field whilst waiting for the midfield to support, which infrequently came.

Fulham on the other hand can best be described as a very professional team. They don’t have any single player who can create a moment of brilliance, but what they do have is 10 committed outfield players who work hard for each other and pass the ball very well.

The set up of the two sides saw Fulham exert plenty of pressure on the City side, but not really have enough to break a stubborn City down.

The first significant events of the game saw City break forward to get a couple of chances in. Firstly Ghilas flicks the ball up on the right wing to be handled by American Dempsey. Dawson hits the resulting free-kick into the area to be met by the head of JVoH, but is well defended by the home side. The next chance saw a long ball held up by JVoH who played the ball out left to Hunt. His pass into the middle finds Geovanni who put his drive well over Schwarzer’s bar.

At the other end Fulham winger Pansil gets up the right wing but is firmly challenged by JVoH. The referee Mariner made the first of a number of decisions which appeared to go in the home teams favour. Murphy’s free-kick is played low to the waiting Duff, however the former Newcastle winger dithered before shooting, allowing City to get a block in, before the ball fell to Murphy whose weak shot was well wide of Myhill’s goal

A long diagonal ball from Konchesky finds City’s summer target Zamora. As happened frequently during the night, Dawson struggled against the opposition and was penalised for charging Zamora. The resulting free-kick from Duff was punched to the edge of the area by Myhill, to the waiting Murphy. His shot is blocked by Geovanni, before a follow-up shot rolls gently into our custodian’s grateful arms.

One thing I sometimes don’t understand about some football fans is the outrage some feel when a player leaves their club. Surely players coming and going is inevitable? This season we’ve already had both Ricketts and Turner play against us, and both were applauded for their past efforts for the Tigers. Many other clubs, with Bullard being last nights example seem utterly outrages by a player deciding to leave. In fact I don’t think the Fulham support had said a word until the 25th minute when Jimmy started warming up. Even at 2-0 the loudest chants from the home ends came as abuse directed at the midfielder.

Back to the game, Kamara gets past Dawson at the left hand angle of the box, before playing the ball across to Zamora. Zamora probably was stretching too far when he got a toe on the ball and directed his shot over the City bar.

Fulham’s best chance of the half came, somewhat predictably, following a Sonko error. As the ball came across, he managed to head the ball back along the edge of the area to find the player whose own-goal allowed City to remain in the Premier league for this second season. Duff’s shot from the left hand angle of the box was well placed, but Myhill got down very well making a good save.

The inconsistent Marriner finally got his chance to take a City player’s name when Dawson hacked down the dangerous Duff. Duff picked himself up to play his free kick into the area where Dempsey flattened McShane, but our right-back was still able to get is head on the ball and concede a corner. This was cleared by Zayatte to the left to the waiting Ghilas, who in turn was hacked down by Konchesky, with Marriner then balancing the yellow card count.

By this point in the game, Ghilas and Hunt had swapped wings. This resulted in City’s midfield 4 becoming very narrow, exposing our full-backs to more pressure from the home side.

As the half-time whistle drew ever closer, Zamora heads a chance wide. With the linesman and referee unsure what to do, Kamara points out that the home side really do deserve a corner, which Marriner duly obliges. Fortunately Hunt manages to clear the corner.

Again further strange decisions from the referee sees Sonko control the ball with his foot, before Myhill picks up the ball. Marriner seems to think that’s acceptable and allows City to play on.

However City’s defensive resolve is finally broken. A long ball up the wing finds Duff cutting in along the edge of the box. His shot is well saved by Myhill, only to loop up allowing Zamora to head into the unguarded net.

As the second half starts, City retain their formation from the first half, but with Hunt and Ghilas returning to their correct wings and perhaps playing in slightly more advanced positions. However the flow of the game remained as per the first half, with Fulham forcing the Tigers back but never really threatening to break the defence down.

Ghilas seems to have become much quieter as the game wore on, meaning McShane had to advance forward to create openings. The first chance saw him cross to Hunt on the opposite wing before the Irishman cuts inside along the edge of the box before shooting over.

The home fans wake up once again as Brown replaces Ghilas with Bullard, following this up to only make a noise in booing him every time he subsequently touches the ball.

Fulham also make their won change, replacing Murphy who’d earlier taken a knock, with Greening.

Within a few minutes of the substitutions, Fulham go 2-0 up. Zamora and Duff combine once again against Dawson, allowing Zamora to play the ball across the area to the waiting Kamara to tap in at the back post.

That second goal saw City’s remaining confidence take a battering. Within a minute of the goal, Fulham once again break up the left, only for Dempsey to shoot wide

Brown responds to this further set-back by replacing Hunt with Altidore. However having already seen Ghilas leave the field, the City midfield continued to get very narrow, allowing Fulham to exploit the space down the wings.

A foul from Greening on Bullard saw the City support collectively hold their breath as the midfielder gingerly got to his feet, in fact any time a Fulham player went near him most of the support winced hoping Bullard would be fine

Duff and Zamora continue to trouble Dawson on the wing, this time winning a corner. Duff’s resulting cross finds Dempsey who somehow directed his unopposed header wide of the post.

Brown finally spots the lack of width in the City side by replacing JVoH with Mendy. Fulham also make a change swapping the excellent Duff with Gera and then soon after swap Kamara with Nevland.

With the game won, Fulham pass the ball between themselves, whilst City are busy chasing shadows. However and eventual break is played up to Altidore in a central position. Jozy uses his strength to hold off Hughes, but his turn and shot at the edge of the area is deflected over.

The final exchanges of the game first see Zamora get up the right wing before Dempsey wins a corner. This is played short and held by the corner before Greening crosses, winning another corner. Gera's ball is then cleared by McShane. Finally Hughes shoves Geovanni about 25 yards out, but Geovanni’s shot is cleared by Pantsil.

City really couldn’t have expected more from the game. The formation was solid, but continuously invited pressure from the home side. With few players venturing from their allocated positions it left JVoH isolated up front. The line-up worked against Wigan, but to get anything out of the majority of games, City really need to be much more ambitious, otherwise simply inviting more pressure from opposing sides will always put City under too much pressure. The football harks back to the quality served in the latter Dolan days.

HULL CITY (4-1-4-1): Myhill; McShane, Sonko, Kilbane, Dawson; Zayatte; Ghilas, Marney, Geovanni, Hunt; Vennegoor of Hesselink.  Subs: Bullard (for Ghilas, 58), Altidore (for Hunt, 69), Mendy (for Vennegoor of Hesselink, 81), Halmosi, Olofinjana, Mouyokolo, Warner.

Goals: None

Booked: Dawson

Sent Off: None

FULHAM: Schwarzer, Konchesky, Hangeland, Baird, Pantsil, Hughes, Duff, Murphy, Dempsey, Kamara, Zamora.  Subs: Greening (for Murphy, 60), Gera (for Duff, 84), Nevland (for Kamara, 87), Zuberbuhler, Riise, Smalling, Kelly.

Goals: Zamora 43; Kamara 64

Booked: Konchesky

Sent Off: None

REFEREE:    A Marriner

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