John
Scores one for Mommy
Liberian-born striker is booked after taking
off his shirt while celebrating a key equalizer in the English FA Cup.
News service reports
Pride Park, England, January 29- Substitute Collins John, the
Liberian-born striker saved Fulham Football Club from FA Cup
embarrassment with a 70th-minute equalizer against Derby at Pride Park
on Saturday.
John poked home from Mark Pembridge's through-ball with his first
touch less than a minute after replacing Tomasz Radzinski. Derby
substitute Marcus Tudgay had swept his side in front in the 56th
minute and was denied a second only by a fine save from Edwin van der
Sar.
John’s goal was followed by an ecstatic celebration. He took off his
jersey to show “For my mom” under his jersey and was booked by the
referee. "Collins got booked for his celebration but he is young,
hungry and still learning,” said Fulham Coach Chris Coleman.
"He is an exciting new talent and sometimes that's what happens when
you put young lads in the team. Collins was obviously ecstatic that he
got the equalizer and he just wanted to celebrate it with the fans."
It was only John’s third goal of the season, but his biggest one since
rescuing Fulham on opening day against Manchester City.
The Cottagers' chances of avoiding embarrassment were hit by a trio of
suspensions to Papa Bouba Diop, Zesh Rehmann and Carlos Bocanegra.
However Coleman's men traveled north having not lost in six games and
having been further boosted when Mark Pembridge and Moritz Volz passed
late fitness tests to start. Claus Jensen was handed a place on the
bench after injury, with Andy Cole and Tomasz Radzinski once again
leading the line up front. Luis Boa Morte set up the first serious
attack for Fulham in the fourth minute with his cross from the left
flank which was knocked wide by Lee Clark under pressure from Pablo
Mills. The Rams also made an early impression with Tommy Smith
narrowly failing to set Grzegorz Rasiak clear due to Alain Goma's
interception on the edge of the box. Then Marco Reich's deep,
deflected cross from the Derby left caused problems before finally
bouncing to a grateful Edwin van der Sar in the visitors' goal.
Johnson's awful attempted backpass in the 10th minute might have set
up the simplest of chances for the lurking Radzinski - but the
relieved Rams were able to bundle clear through Mills. But with both
sides jamming their respective midfields the early action was scrappy
with no major opportunities of note.
Reich set up the best early chance for the home side in the 18th
minute with another fine cross from the which was nipped off the head
of Rasiak on the edge of the six-yard box. Volz created a similar
chance from the Fulham right in the 25th minute with a precise cross
which was well caught by Rams 'keeper Lee Camp under pressure from
Cole.
Two minutes later Radzinski's neat through-ball sent Sylvain Legwinski
scampering clear into the box, but he scooped a tremendous chance
horribly wide. Derby's straightforward approach lent heavily on the
left-sided Reich, and his cross on the half-hour mark caused problems
in the Fulham box before Inigo Idiakez blazed over the bar.
Mistakes spoiled both sides' work with another errant Derby back-pass,
this time by Huddlestone in the 35th minute, sending Camp racing from
goal to clear. Cole and Mills were then both given a ticking-off by
referee Graham Poll after their frustration spilt over into a tangle
wide on the Rams' left. Reich headed tamely wide from Jeff Kenna's
cross five minutes from the break as the Championship side continued
to hold their own. Burley made one change at the interval with Marcus
Tudgay replacing Reich, who had surely picked up a knock after
providing the Rams' main threat in the first half. Derby started the
second period brightly and fashioned a good chance just four minutes
after the restart. Idiakez crossed from the left and the ball squirmed
through the Fulham box, narrowly evading the stretching Rasiak in
front of goal. Then Tudgay almost made an early impression as he just
failed to finish off a fine ball from the opposite flank from the
impressive Tommy Smith. But Fulham should have seized the opener on
the break in the 52nd minute after Boa Morte burst over the half-way
line and cut the ball back to the unmarked Pembridge just inside the
box. But the former Ram knocked a low shot wide of Camp's left-hand
post when he should have found the net. Tudgay's impact became more
obvious in the 56th minute when he pounced to sweep the Rams ahead
from close range after Smith's low cross from the right.
The increasingly confident-looking Rams continued to press with Smith
coming close from long-range as Fulham were pinned back in their own
half. Fulham substitute Collins John made an even quicker impact less
than a minute after replacing Radzinski in the 69th minute.
Pembridge's low through-ball evaded everybody in the Derby box until
it reached John, who poked home the equalizer with his first touch -
and was then promptly booked for his celebration.
Tudgay responded with a powerful low drive at the other end, which van
der Sar did well to save with his left foot.
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