By Brian Sears
30 January 2012
I’m often saying to myself: ‘It’s a funny old game,Brian.’
Take Fulham.
They go 386 Premier League games without one of their players notching a Premier League hat-trick and then Andy Johnson does it for them at home to QPR, and then just 15 games later, with timing reminiscent of London buses, Clint Dempsey gets a second hat-trick, this one at home to Newcastle.
In that same game, on 21 January, Fulham ended with five goals, the first time they’d ended with five in the Premier League (although they’ve also had three sixes).
The total number of times they’ve gone beyond three goals in their 402 Premier League games to date is six, and they were:
17 Aug 2002 Fulham 4 Bolton 1
7 Nov 2004 Newcastle 1 Fulham 4
15 May 2005 Fulham 6 Norwich 0
11 Feb 2006 Fulham 6 West Brom 1
2 Oct 2011 Fulham 6 QPR 0
21 Jan 2012 Fulham 5 Newcastle 2
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The next visitors to Craven Cottage, on Wednesday evening, are one the clubs on the end of a Fulham six: West Brom.
How the Baggies must dread the Cottage! Five Premier League visits, five defeats and only one solitary Baggies goal. And that one goal was scored by Kevin Campbell when West Brom were already 0-5 down.
Worth another list:
19 Feb 2003 Fulham 3 West Brom 0
16 Jan 2005 Fulham 1 West Brom 0
11 Feb 2006 Fulham 6 West Brom 1
22 Feb 2009 Fulham 2 West Brom 0
4 Jan 2011 Fulham 3 West Brom 0
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And look at those dates! All those five Fulham wins have come in January and February, and Wednesday is 1 February.
Fulham’s opponent by opponent home record in the Premier League is below.
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