Lethal Duff is smiles better

IT would be facile to claim that lingering frustration over Paris, Thierry and all that was behind Damien Duff’s frenzied celebrations here on Saturday.

An equaliser in a humdrum Premier League game against Bolton is hardly likely to atone for the biggest single disappointment of Duff’s illustrious career, but at least the Ireland winger can afford to smile again now, albeit through gritted teeth.

Duff’s magnificent goal – struck with venom through a forest of legs late on – certainly appeared to have been hit in anger but it earned a glowing reference from his manager, Roy Hodgson, who first saw Duff’s enormous potential while in charge at Blackburn.

Duff later joined Newcastle for £5m in July 2006, spending three years on Tyneside. “I didn’t follow him closely during those years he was at Newcastle because I was out of the country,” said Hodgson. “All I know is when he left Chelsea to go there for big money, he suffered quite a number of important injuries.

“Whether suffering injuries is the same as losing your way is something I would contest. All I can say is that he is a better player than the one I worked with at Blackburn 12 years ago.

“I thought he was an outstanding talent then and a very good player. But I think he is a better one today.

“Perception is important in football. The perception that he had lost his way or the injuries had taken their toll – these type of things permeate the world of football. People listen to them, people in my position probably had the same perception: ‘Oh no, forget him, he is a man of the past.’ I was not prepared to do that. What I saw of him playing for Newcastle last year, I saw in him what I’d always seen.”

Duff’s form is a welcome boost for Hodgson, who revealed that striker Andy Johnson has undergone an exploratory operation in a bid to solve his groin problem.

Johnson, who has been struggling with the injury since October, was missing here and Hodgson now fears the former England international could be out for some time.

“There have been days when we thought he has cracked it and got manageable pain but then the following day when he comes out to training, he does not have manageable pain,” Hodgson added. “He is forced to go back inside again and that was the case on Friday and the day before. I fear he will be out for some time.”

Bolton brought a run of three straight defeats to an end with Ivan Klasnic scoring a 34th-minute opener. Unfortunately, Gary Megson’s side could not withstand a second-half onslaught from Fulham to earn their first win in four games

REFEREE: Steve Bennett (Kent) 6: Dished out cards like confetti, although most were deserved for some crude tackles.

MATCH RATING: ** Bolton turned it into a battle and almost won the war, save for Duff’s late intervention.