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| Fulham withstood a gutsy fightback from Cardiff to reach the Championship play-off final despite losing the second leg of their semi-final to Cardiff |
Scott Parker believes Fulham will need to repeat the hard-nosed mental โingredientโ that saw them past Cardiff to beat Brentford and reach the Premier League.
Fulham lost 2-1 in the Championship play-off semi-final second leg at Craven Cottage on Thursday night, but still reached the final 3-2 on aggregate.
Neeskens Kebanoโs fifth goal in four games was enough for Fulham to seal their place in the play-off final, with Curtis Nelson and Lee Tomlin on target for luckless Cardiff.
And after a nerve-wracking and gritty finale on Thursday, manager Parker admitted Fulham will need plenty more steel to beat local rivals Brentford at Wembley on Tuesday.
โWeโll need the ingredient I saw at times tonight, and that ingredient is a real mentality about you, that when the going gets tough; technical ability, what qualities you have, go right out the window,โ said Parker.
โThereโs always points in football matches that have nothing to do with tactics, nothing to do with technique, and are all a mindset and an understanding of the moment.
โIt becomes an understanding that โI need something to fall back onโ, and tonight was a prime example of that in the second half.
โIn the first half our technical ability, our shape, our precision and tactics all had us in a good position. But the second half had nothing to do with that.
โAnd it was that moment that was not about quality or technique or ability, it was about just doing what youโve got to do to win a football match, get through this game, and we did that.
โThatโs constantly my message to this team. And thatโs what weโll need again in the final.
โOverall weโve got ourselves to the final, which is an incredible achievement in terms of a long drawn out season, the 48th game that was tonight.
โThe goal was to get to the final and we have done that. The performance and where we were was tough. Cardiff made it very difficult for us, come here like a wounded animal after the first leg and had nothing to lose, in that sense.
โYou see the difference between the two teams, a bit of an edginess to us, while goals change that equation.
โThey had nothing to lose. We sensed that, the way they play they constantly put you under pressure from all over the pitch.
โBrentford are a very good side, weโre playing against a very good side and we understand that.โ
Cardiff boss Neil Harris admitted his dejection that his side had not turned the tide from their 2-0 first-leg deficit and inched through to the final themselves.
โIโm disappointed we havenโt got through, Iโve got to be honest,โ said Harris.
โI had the belief still coming here tonight that we could get the win and go through. Most people didnโt but I know the capabilities of the group.
โIf weโd got one more goal we would have gone on and won it. We were written off the other night, which I wasnโt happy with, but weโve bounced back again.
โI wanted us to chase the game, in our own manner. And the players deserve the credit for how far weโve come.โ
REUTERS
