Fulham face replay after draw with Wolves

Fulham 0 Wolves 0


Fulham face an FA Cup third-round replay at Molineux – but only after a glaring miss by Leon Clarke spared them.

The Wolves striker contrived to poke wide of an open goal on the half hour mark after Bakary Sako’s shot had cannoned back off the post.

Fulham had their chances to break the stalemate, particularly in the second half when Cauley Woodrow fired just over and Hugo Rodallega wastefully hit the side netting.

But the Whites were also indebted to a couple of fine stops from Marcus Bettinelli, who tipped James Henry’s header over and then denied the midfielder when one-on-one.

Seko Fofana squandered a great opportunity late on when he was put through on goal but nervously stabbed it straight at the advancing Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme.

Boss Kit Symons showed with his bold team selection that, in spite of Fulham’s league position, he wants to make progress in the Cup.

Lasse Vigen Christensen, who only returned to training the day before the game, was a surprise starter – but he lasted just 32 minutes before he limped off.

By that time, Fulham should have been a goal down, but the embarrassed Clarke gave them a massive let-off in what was the only clear chance of a flat first half.

Both teams were more enterprising after the break, with Wolves going close 90 seconds after the restart, Bettinelli untidily pushing a Lee Evans shot around the post.

At the other end, Woodrow and Fofana both saw efforts clear the crossbar but it was Wolves who looked the more likely team to score.

Bettinelli twice frustrated Henry, first stretching to keep out his header and then standing up to block the winger’s shot as he charged through on goal.

Rodallega should have done better than to blast into the side netting after a neat pass from Sean Kavanagh, while Sako curled narrowly wide for Wolves as the game opened up.

And Fofana was left to rue his indecision as he was played through on goal two minutes from time, only to be denied by the advancing Ikeme.

Fulham:  Bettinelli; Grimmer, Hutchinson, Bodurov, Stafylidis; Parker; Christensen (Kavanagh 32), Fofana; McCormack; Rodallega, Woodrow (Dembélé 70).
Subs not used: Kiraly, Burn, Roberts, Ruiz, Williams.

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