Duff revels in scoring against old club

DAMIEN DUFF admitted he took great pleasure in twisting the knife into former club Newcastle after their striker misery deepened in last night’s Barclays Premier League defeat at Fulham.

Duff netted his first league goal for almost a year to settle a tight affair and propel the in-form Cottagers to 12th in the table, one point behind their opponents.

It was another night to forget for Newcastle, who lost Shola Ameobi to a suspected fractured cheekbone just 13 minutes in, less than 48 hours after selling star striker Andy Carroll to Liverpool.

Duff did not tone down his celebrations against his former club and he added: “I had been getting a bit of stick all night, I didn’t have the best time up there but that was my first goal of the season.

“It’s taken a while and I’m overjoyed to get three points for the team after a difficult first half of the season.”

Fulham skipper Danny Murphy admitted his side had been flat, but was pleased to grind out a victory.

Murphy told Sky Sports: “Without making excuses we had a tough game at Anfield last week and against Tottenham on Sunday, and to keep churning out performances is difficult. But in the second half we turned it around a bit.

“We were a bit flat and Sunday’s win over Tottenham was such a fantastic display that there is a danger you think it will happen again. But also credit to Newcastle, they showed great spirit after a tough few days, losing their best player.”

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who hoped an unchanged line-up would prove it was business as usual at St James’ Park, would have been without the injured Carroll tonight even had he stayed.

Newcastle could ill afford to lose another forward but that was exactly what happened when Ameobi took an elbow to the head in a challenge with Steve Sidwell after just 10 minutes.

Duff’s deflected shot and a weak Danny Simpson strike at the other end were the only efforts of note in the opening quarter, although Sidwell arguably saved a goal by flicking Joey Barton’s free-kick behind.

Duff should then have put Fulham ahead in the 50th minute when he prodded wide from barely three yards after Dempsey’s shot was saved by Harper and deflected straight to the winger.

Mike Williamson made a near-fatal error just past the hour when he gifted the ball to Duff and Dempsey unleashed a rising near-post drive which was tipped over by Harper.

More suicidal defending ultimately cost them in the 67th minute when Jose Enrique was too easily beaten by Duff to Murphy’s 60-yard ball and the Irishman kept his cool to strike right-footed past Harper.

Fulham boss Mark Hughes handed on-loan Chelsea winger Gael Kakuta his debut with 19 minutes remaining, and he should have killed the game 10 minutes from time when he sidefooted Dembele’s cross straight at Harper.

And he was almost made to pay seconds later when Ranger forced Mark Schwarzer — a surprise starter four days after the end of Australia’s Asian Cup campaign — into a brilliant point-blank smother from Nolan’s cutback.

FULHAM: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Baird, Dempsey, Sidwell, Murphy (Gera 87), Duff (Davies 87), Andrew Johnson (Kakuta 71), Dembele.

NEWCASTLE: Harper, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Barton, Nolan, Guthrie, Gutierrez, Best (Lovenkrands 72), Ameobi (Ranger 13).

Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire).