skip to content

  • Date:2008-12-13
  • Kick-off:15:00
  • Venue:Britannia Stadium
  • Attendance:25287
  • Referee:Attwell, S

Live Commentary

90mins

Full-Time: STOKE CITY 0-0 FULHAM.

90mins

The fourth official indicates that there will be a minimum of THREE minutes added on at the end of this match.

88mins

It looks as though this game will be ending in a draw and in truth it has been that way right from the start.

85mins

Fuller and Pericard work brilliantly together and the ball breaks for the Jamaican striker who tries to send a ball into the box but it's blocked and Fulham defend for their lives!

84mins

Fuller breaks forward, into the box and goes down! He is furious that the referee Stuart Attwell has not awarded a penalty but in truth it would have been a soft spot-kick to have given.

82mins

Over the PA system Fuller has been awarded the man of the match award but unless he pops up with a later winner here he doesn't really deserve it, can either side find the breakthrough?

81mins

Pericard seems to think that he can beat Schwarzer from range, he lines up a shot and fires in on goal but his sight is not set right and the ball screws wide of goal.

79mins

The corner is fired in and Schwarzer has to come out and punch clear, this match has come to life late on here!

78mins

Amady Faye must score! A great ball is played into the midfielder who fires in a fantastic effort and somehow, somehow Schwarzer tips the ball wide for a corner kick!

77mins

The hosts have made all of their allotted changes now and must hope that they have made the right choices as we head into the closing stages of this encounter!

75mins

Pugh is brought off for Vincent Pericard who is making his first Premier League appearance of the season.

74mins

Cresswell swings a leg at the ball, he doesn't really connect cleanly though and his shot flies well wide of Schwarzer's goal.

72mins

Chance here for Fulham, the ball drops for Simon Davies who fires towards goal but his effort is loose and flies wide of the Stoke frame, better play from the visitors though!

70mins

The ball drops for Danny Murphy who was always going to hit this one, he smashes it towards goal but his effort is blocked again! The match is beginning to open up here!

68mins

Delap is brought off to make way for Michael Tonge as Stoke throw on one of their attacking options, can he make the difference here?

66mins

The ball is played into the box but nothing doing here and Stoke get the ball away, changes really need to be made here.

65mins

Gera finds Johnson who slips a ball into the run of Clint Dempsey who gets his shot off, it's heading towards goal but a block is put in and Fulham have a corner kick!

63mins

Something needs to be done here by either side to put a bit of spice into this game because it really is not one for the neutral at the moment!

60mins

Cross put in by Bullard but this time it is over the head of Johnson and Zoltan Gera tries to keep the ball in play but fails to do so and Stoke have possession again.

58mins

The noise level has raised another notch here and Stoke are looking to make an attacking change, their intent is clear here.

57mins

Great ball in from Bullard into the box and it finds Pantsil who is free but he sends his header straight into the arms of Sorensen!

54mins

After a long talking to Fuller is allowed to stay on, in fairness it did not look as though the striker made contact but we've seen red cards before for similar behaviour.

52mins

Fuller appears to move his head towards Pantsil and the Fulham man goes to ground!

51mins

Jonhson is shown a deserved card for his awful challenge on Pugh.

50mins

Andy Johnson flies in on Pugh, that was a really harsh challenge, luckily the former Man United man can get to his feet but Johnson will definitely pick up a booking here!

48mins

Sonko runs across to take another throw-in, Delap is off duty today, it seems that his shoulder is still causing him problems even if he is fit to play today.

47mins

John Paintsil puts the ball into the box and finds Bullard who gets a shot off but it was rushed and falls straight into the arms of Sorensen.

46mins

Fulham get the game underway and play the ball back to the keeper straight away, let's hope that's not a sign of things to come!

45mins

Half-Time: STOKE CITY 0-0 FULHAM.

45mins

Sonko takes a throw-in from the left-hand side and it appears to have deceived everyone in the box as it sails out for a goal-kick.

44mins

Zoltan Gera becomes the first Fulham player to be booked in the game.

44mins

Danny Pugh tries to get the ball into the box onto the head of Delap but he can't quite get there as Hangeland heads away!

42mins

It looks as though we will be heading into the break all-square and surely both sets of players will be getting an earful at half-time!

40mins

Stoke are beginning to look the better side here and Fulham's early pressure might be coming undone as the Britannia faithful start to get behind their side.

38mins

Whelan has the ball out wide, he sends in a delightful ball and Schwarzer has to scramble across his goal to paw the ball away from Fuller's head.

35mins

Fuller and Cresswell link up well and work a chance inside the box ending with Cresswell trying to bend a shot into the top corner, it looks for all the world as though it's going in but somehow flies wide! The Stoke fans can't believe it!

34mins

Bullard runs over to take another spot-kick, this time he won't shoot, it's too far out on the right for that, he swings the ball in but it really is too high and the ball rolls out for a goal kick.

32mins

Jimmy Bullard takes the free-kick, it's swerving and bending, Thomas Sorensen does not like the look of it and flies out to punch the ball away!

30mins

Challenge in the middle of the park which Higginbotham is penalised for and Fulham have a free-kick in a dangerous position.

28mins

Too often in this match both sets of players have sprayed wayward passes around, if either side wants to win this game they must keep the ball better.

27mins

The game has been bogged down in midfield and despite the best efforts of the Stoke faithful their side just can't find the momementum so far.

25mins

Paul Konchesky finds himself with a bit of space inside the box and tries a shot but his effort is blocked well by the Stoke defence, Fulham will be happy though, they have registered their first shot of the afternoon!

22mins

Higginbotham tries to find Cresswell with a through-ball but although the pass looks inch-perfect this assistants flag is up and Cresswell has been caught offside!

20mins

The corner once again comes to nothing and Fulham can bring the ball out from the back.

19mins

Mark Schwarzer has to deal with a dodgy back-pass by conceding a corner, it's the first time Fulham have looked shaky at the back today and Stoke have a corner.

17mins

Fulham race forward and win another corner Danny Higginbotham has to put in a great challenge.

15mins

Fulham have had so much possession early on this game but they can't find a way through on goal, we said there wouldn't be many goals in this game and early on proceedings look ominous!

14mins

First chance of the match, Glenn Whelan spots the run of Fuller with a great ball but as the striker lets off his shot he's off balance and his effort flies high and wide of the Fulham goal!

12mins

Fuller is shown the first yellow card of the afternoon but it really could have been a red! He will have to be careful now!

11mins

Ricardo Fuller puts in a truly awful challenge on Hangeland and the referee is racing over with cards in hand.

9mins

The corner is swung in but comes to nothing and Stoke race away into the Fulham half.

8mins

Ibrahima Sonko is forced to concede a corner and Fulham have a chance early on to force their authority on this game.

7mins

Brede Hangeland is brought down and wins a free-kick for the visitors, it's taken short and Fulham look to build.

5mins

Richard Cresswell comes on for Sidibe whose injury looks extremly serious.

2mins

Mamady Sidibe goes up for a header and falls very awkwardly, he's down for a long time and it looks as though there will be an early change for Stoke.

1mins

The game is underway. Will Rory Delap be causing havoc in the Fulham box today or will the Londoners be able to find a solution to the 'Delap factor'?

0mins

Referee Stuart Attwell has only officiated three games so far this season; he has yet to hand out a red card but there have been seven yellow cards produced in that time.

0mins

Don't be expecting goals today, Fulham's games have yielded the least goals in the league so far this season, a mere 25, the Cottagers themselves have scored just 13 of those goals.

0mins

Rory Delap has recovered from a shoulder injury and is back in the side to try and torment the Fulham defence with those long-throws of his.

0mins

Fulham XI: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky, Davies, Bullard, Murphy, Gera, Dempsey, Johnson.

0mins

Stoke City XI: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Abdoulaye Faye, Sonko, Higginbotham, Delap, Amdy Faye, Whelan, Pugh, Sidibe, Fuller.

Match Preview

Stoke City and Fulham's first-ever Premier League meeting pitches two sides currently high on confidence together at the Britannia Stadium.

The Potters fought back with two late goals to draw 2-2 with Newcastle United last weekend, while Fulham have secured stalemates with Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester City in successive weeks.

Stoke's current mid-table berth has been built on success at home as Tony Pulis' side have won five and drawn two of their eight league games at the Britannia Stadium so far this season.

Only Chelsea have managed to get the better of the Potters at home and Pulis will be hoping that trend can continue on Saturday.

Top-scorer Ricardo Fuller is likely to return to the starting line-up on Saturday. The Jamaica striker started on the bench last weekend amid claims from the manager that he was jaded, but set up the first goal for strike partner Mamady Sidibe and was an all-round handful for the Newcastle defence following his arrival as a second-half substitute.

Dave Kitson (knee) and Liam Lawrence (ankle) remain sidelined through injury for the home side, who are now unbeaten in three games since they were thrashed 5-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford in mid-November.

Efficient Fulham arrive in the Potteries looking to extend a five-game unbeaten run which has seen Roy Hodgson's side consolidate their place in the top half of the Premier League table.

Narrow 2-1 victories over Newcastle United and Tottenham have preceded their three successive draws and the struggles of last season, when Hodgson was called in to help save them from relegation, are highly unlikely to be repeated this term.

The Cottagers' success has been based on defensive stability as they have conceded just 12 goals in their 16 league games to date - the lowest total outside of the top four.

Norway international Brede Hangeland is the rock on which a miserly backline has been based and reports have already linked the tall defender with a move away from Craven Cottage in January.


advertisement

advertisment

Match Report

Rock-solid Fulham secured their third successive scoreless draw on the road to frustrate Stoke City and a vociferous home support.

Giant centre-back Brede Hangeland was outstanding at the heart of the visitors' defence and Tony Pulis' side just couldn't find a way through.

Stoke did suffer a serious setback after just 90 seconds when Mamady Sidibe, the fulcrum of their attack, crumpled in a heap after winning a header.

The big striker received treatment for four minutes before he was stretchered off with a knee injury and replaced by Richard Cresswell.

Referee Stuart Attwell then got in the bad books of the Stoke fans when he booked Ricardo Fuller for a late challenge on Norwegian Hangeland.

But the home side were delighted to see Mr Attwell award nothing when Danny Higginbotham clearly handled a cross from Jimmy Bullard in the penalty area in the 20th minute.

The action itself produced little to get excited about in the first-half until Fuller's header from Glenn Whelan's corner was blocked by his own player Cresswell.

And Stoke, with Ibrahima Sonko taking on the long-throw duties because of Rory Delap's shoulder problem, came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 40th minute.

Cresswell started and should have finished the move, with some excellent work in between by Fuller to set up the only clear cut chance of the half.

The City substitute set himself with a good first touch, but then curled his shot high and wide from 12 yards with the goal at his mercy.

Fulham finally landed a blow of note two minutes after the interval when Bullard's shot was comfortably held by Thomas Sorensen at his near post.

But much of the play remained untidy and that was summed up when Fuller and John Paintsil got involved in an ugly exchange, which could have got both players sent off.

Their heads touched before Paintsil collapsed in a theatrical heap and Mr Atwell, whose decisions continued to incur the wrath of the home fans, settled the issue by lecturing Fuller.

Pulis attempted to pep up his troops by replacing the out of sorts Delap with Michael Tonge just after the hour, but Fulham began to enjoy their best period of the game.

That almost led to the opening goal when Clint Dempsey's close range shot was deflected over the top after good work by Andy Johnson and Gera.

And Simon Davies whipped a 20-yard shot inches past Sorensen's near post after cutting in from the left flank.

Stoke responded with substitute Vincent Pericard spearing a shot wide from a decent position, and they also had half a shout for a penalty when Fuller went down under pressure from Danny Murphy.

But this disjointed contest had 0-0 written all over it long before Mr Attwell confirmed just that.

Stoke City

Fulham

Corners

56

Fouls

162

Goal attempts

79

Shots off target

53

Offsides

20

facebook twitter rss