Hughes shakes life into Fulham

MARK HUGHES branded himself and Tony Pulis “two daft Welshmen” after having the last laugh in their feud as Fulham completed a Barclays Premier League double over Stoke.

Hughes and Pulis fell out in September over an Andy Wilkinson tackle on Moussa Dembele, refusing to shake hands in that Carling Cup tie or in last month’s league game at the Britannia Stadium.

But despite another tempestuous affair between the two sides on Saturday, the two managers buried the hatchet, pressing the flesh both before and after the Cottagers’ 2-0 win.

“We were just two daft Welshmen a couple of weeks ago,” said Hughes after watching Clint Dempsey’s double edge his side closer to safety.

Despite their public reconciliation, there looked to be some lingering needle between their players but Hughes added: “It was low key in that respect.”

Fulham were full value for their victory, in which top scorer Dempsey netted his eighth and ninth goals of the season.

The second came from the penalty spot after Ryan Shawcross had bundled over the American, earning a straight red card.

Pulis disputed the dismissal, saying: “It looked as though Dempsey was on the way down.

“Dempsey’s a very clever player but, if you’re the referee, you give it.

“The disappointing thing for me is they get the penalty, the kid gets sent off, and we lose him for two games.”

Pulis added: “He was sent off at Sunderland as well, so he’ll miss the (FA) Cup match and Liverpool.

“We’ve got six games, five away from home, for the next three weeks.”

Hughes hailed the contribution of Dempsey, saying: “Sometimes you think Clint’s not having an impact on the game, but he’s had a positive influence in virtually every game he’s played, with goals created or scored.

“It was a great finish for the first, and a great touch to create the penalty by himself. He always has a positive impact.”

The win was Fulham’s third in their last five league games, a run which has come just at the right time after they had been sucked into the drop zone.

The recovery from injury of Dembele and Andrew Johnson, both of whom were a constant threat, bodes well for Hughes’ men.

Andy Johnson produced arguably his best display since his return from nine months on the sidelines proving a thorn in the visitors’ side throughout.

The striker made his comeback in October and Fulham rightly eased him back in with a string of substitute appearances before his first start. But that failed to prevent him picking up a hamstring strain over the festive period and yesterday was his first start since New Year’s Day.

Asked if the injury might have been caused by coming back too soon, Johnson said: “Maybe, yeah. You just don’t know.

“When your body feels right, there’s no point waiting an extra two or three weeks. You might as well just join in.

“I came back from my knee injury probably three, four, five weeks quicker than everyone expected and, yeah, you always get those little niggles, hamstring niggles, thigh, quad, stuff like that.”

The downside from Saturday for Hughes was the injuries picked up by Dickson Etuhu and Aaron Hughes ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Liverpool.

“Dickson must be a doubt on Wednesday, with tightness in his hamstring – Aaron too,” Hughes said.

Steve Sidwell is the most likely replacement for Etuhu, with the midfielder making his Fulham debut against Stoke.

John Carew also came off the bench for Stoke and Pulis said of his new striker: “Kenwyne (Jones) has great feet and John’s as good a target man as there is out there. We’ve got good options.”