Woodrow scores twice in Fulham victory

Fulham 4 Rotherham 1

Cauley Woodrow scored twice as Fulham emphatically secured their first Championship win since October.

New Whites head coach Slavisa Jokanovic watched from the stands as Woodrow, who replaced the injured Moussa Dembele, fired in the opener after six minutes.

Farrend Rawson smashed in Rotherham’s equaliser off the crossbar but Woodrow restored the lead when he swept in a Ross McCormack cross just before half-time.

Woodrow turned provider when he crossed for Alex Kacaniklic to skilfully side-foot home the third before McCormack volleyed in the fourth for a first victory in nine games.

The inclusion of young striker Woodrow was one of three changes to the side that lost at Derby, with Dembele struggling with a hamstring strain since Boxing Day. Scott Parker and Tom Cairney also started.

Woodrow was immediately lively and rounded Millers keeper Lee Camp to slot into an empty net.

The visitors responded superbly and controlled the rest of the first half, with Rawson’s effort cannoning off the crossbar and over the line before bouncing back out, after Kirk Broadfoot’s header was blocked by a defender.

But after failing to get on the end of a number of crosses from Kacaniklic and Ryan Fredericks, Woodrow made it 2-1 from McCormack’s excellent delivery in the 45th minute.

Fulham, in their final match under caretaker boss Stuart Gray, had more control in the second half and, after Andy Lonergan denied Grant Ward and Jonson Clarke-Harris at the other end, Kacaniklic turned in another low cross from the right, this time from Woodrow, on the hour mark.

McCormack wrapped up the points from inside the box late on and Woodrow might have had a hat-trick when he pounced on a mistake by Camp and sent a looping header over both the stricken keeper and the crossbar.