Division One: Blackburn Rovers 2 Fulham 0 - Andy Neild's verdict
A STUNNING display of wing-wizardry from Irish international Damien Duff gave Blackburn Rovers the edge in the battle of the Nationwide League's big spenders.
Just three days after descending into hell with the Republic of Ireland in Turkey, the 20-year-old wing-man put the Ewood faithful on Cloud Nine by masterminding Rovers' first win in 10 attempts.
During the darkest days of Brian Kidd's reign Duff's drooping shoulders seemed to be carrying the weight of the world as he was forced to survive on the morsels thrown to him by the rest of his team-mates.
But thanks to a bit of belief from caretaker boss Tony Parkes and some better service from a slicker-looking Rovers side, Duff is now getting back to what he does best - dropping those shoulders, going past defenders and causing havoc again down the flanks.
And Fulham simply had no answer as Duff set about single-handedly ripping Paul Bracewell's expensively assembled defence to shreds.
It was his run and cross which teed-up Egil Ostenstad for a brilliant opener.
He then capped a fine individual performance with a sweetly struck second in injury time.
And on another day he could have scored another but keeper Maik Taylor denied him with a miraculous save.
Parkes, understandably, was delighted by Duff's timely return to form after a period in the wilderness.
And he was quick to pay the Ewood enigma a glowing tribute after his match-winning performance.
"I thought Damien was excellent," said Parkes. "It's easy to say now, but Damien is the one who you think might win you the game.
"And I thought he was a big threat to them all afternoon."
It wasn't just a one-man show however - far from it.
Steve Harkness worked brilliantly in tandem with Duff down the left-hand side, providing one or two astute touches of his own.
Midfield duo Lee Carsley and Jason McAteer are starting to form a telepathic understanding in the middle of the park.
And the restoration of Egil Ostenstad up front gave Rovers the kind of verve going forward scarcely seen under Kidd.
Don't get me wrong, Rovers still have a lot of work to do before they become the finished article, like learning to be more composed at the back and lasting a game for the full 90 minutes.
But in little over two short weeks Parkes has managed to arrest a slide which had threatened to send the club hurtling towards the Second Division.
And now talk of a play-off place suddenly sounds feasible, especially if Fulham are considered to be serious contenders.
The Londoners were always on the back foot from the moment Rovers carved them open with a wonder goal in the 11th minute.
McAteer and Carsley won a crunching tackle in the centre circle, Ashley Ward released Duff down the left and his low cross was met by the outstretched boot of Egil Ostenstad. An acrobatic clearance from Christain Dailly then denied Geoff Horsfield a certain equaliser and Sean Davis shot tamely wide as Fulham fought back.
Duff continued to torment the visitors down the left, however, and his clever through ball played in Ostenstad, but his cross was taken off the toes of Ward by ex-Rover Chris Coleman.
Ward also went close with a header but Rovers survived a major scare when Paul Peschisolido sprang the offside trap and bore in on Allan Kelly, but the Republic of Ireland international saved superbly with his feet.
After the break, Fulham continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession but it was Rovers who looked the more dangerous side going forward.
Ward had strong claims for a penalty when he went down under a challenge from Andy Melville.
Then a brilliant first touch from Duff took him past Melville and clear on goal, but Taylor stood up and somehow deflected his shot around the post.
Fulham began to get more and more desperate as the game wore on and their frustration boiled over with a couple of rash challenges. Referee Mike Riley struggled to keep control, waving cards around like confetti.
Rovers refused to get rattled, though, even when Bracewell went for broke, throwing on strikers Barry Hayles and Karl Heinz Riedle in the closing stages.
And, if anything, those changes handed the initiative back to Rovers as Fulham - with five front men on the pitch at one stage - lost their shape and the plot.
It was all too much for Danny Cadamarteri who was red-carded with six minutes left after stamping on McAteer.
And Rovers finally settled it a minute into injury when substitute Jason Wilcox hooked a ball over to Duff on the left-hand side of the box, and he took one touch before smashing a shot between Taylor and his near post - a fitting end to a frantic contest.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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