Wolves closer to safety as Fulham fail to fire
UEFA are due to make a decision today on whether Thursday’s first-leg tie will go ahead in Germany after the disruption caused to flights by the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcanic eruption.
Volcanic, though, would not exactly be the word for this match. It gave dull a bad name. Even so, Fulham’s makeshift striker Zoltan Gera would prefer to forget a dreary Saturday by the Thames. He cannot wait to take on the Germans in their own back yard.
Gera has been an unlikely hero in Fulham’s Europa campaign, where they have seen off Juventus, Wolfsburg and UEFA Cup champions Shakhtar Donetsk to make the last four.
The Hungarian has played all but one of the club’s European games this season, having moved up from midfield to develop a strong partnership with Bobby Zamora in the absence of injured record signing Andy Johnson, and he’s desperate to play on Thursday.
“For me it is the big one, I have not been involved in a game like this before,” said Gera, who has 10 goals in 42 appearances so far this season. “It’s the biggest that I have ever been part of, and hopefully I will be involved. But it’s not just an important one for me, but for everyone at the club.
“It’s one that we’re all looking forward to, and another step on what has been a fantastic journey.”
Fulham had planned to fly by private jet to the north German city on Wednesday morning and train at the 57,000 capacity HSH Nordbank on the night before the match.
While the journey would take little more than an hour by plane, should flights remain grounded, Roy Hodgson’s team would have to either catch a ferry or train to mainland Europe and then endure an arduous journey by road or rail to Hamburg.
Hodgson doubts whether that would be feasible given many of those stranded in Britain are using the same method to get back to Europe now.
He said: “If there are no flights on Wednesday we’d have to get the train across the channel tunnel and then a train or a bus to Hamburg. That causes extra problems because from what I understand it’s not very easy to get train tickets and it’s not easy to find buses to travel on.”
Hodgson revealed after this sterile draw with Wolves that striker Erik Nevland would leave for Norwegian side Viking Stavanger at the end of the season. Hodgson had hoped to tempt Nevland to stay at Craven Cottage with a new one-year deal but the 32-year-old has decided to return to the club where he started his career.
“He’s a marvellous player, a fantastic professional and a very good footballer,” said Hodgson of the former Manchester United player. “He has played a major part in the success we have had in the two and a half years he has been at the club and I must congratulate Viking on the signing. He’ll score lots of goals for them.”
Wolves will not have concerned themselves one jot about the poor quality of this game. They edged a point closer to Premier League safety and that will be good enough for them. They have a six-point cushion over 18th placed Hull, though they have played one more match than the Tigers.
The nearest it got to excitement was when Zamora rattled the woodwork in the second half.
Kevin Doyle posed the greatest threat for Wolves, who had Christophe Berra and veteran Jody Craddock to thank for keeping Zamora and Gera in check.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy denied that the result meant his side were now safe from relegation.
”I don’t think we’re there yet but games are running out and we have taken another point. We still have important games left,” he said.
“This is silly season. Results are strange this time of year and I don’t want any silly results that might upset us.”
MATCH RATING: * – Anyone who paid to see this would have been better off spending their money on a boat trip down the Thames.
REFEREE: Mike Dean (Wirral) 6 – Kept tight control even though he got a few minor decisions wrong.
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