‘Tammy Abraham: nothing short of a sensation’

It was a perfect Wednesday. An EFL third round tie away at a less than quarter full Craven Cottage. I was in attendance at the Fulham match for my first away jaunt of the season having decided to take advantage of a mid-week break from work and the ridiculously affordable bus to our nation’s capital.

A quick tube ride from Victoria to Putney Bridge where I met an old Crystal Palace-supporting uni friend and, of course, a couple of pints before kick-off.

I had only visited the home of Fulham Football Club once before for a rather bizarre friendly between Ghana and Australia, several years ago.

For those who haven’t visited the stadium before, you should. It’s a nice compact ground refreshingly tucked away between terraced houses and a picturesque park overlooking the Thames.

I was saddened however to hear the Michael Jackson statue had been removed in 2013 by the club’s new owners but other than that I was more than impressed with my midweek soiree.

Lee Johnson opted to roll back the years, formation wise, with an adopted unfamiliar 4-4-2 line-up which featured three City players making their debut.

Taylor Moore, our new centre back and one of England’s under 19s captains, looked competent enough defensively, although he did concede a penalty half way through the second half.

But it was with the ball at his feet that Moore really shone. Time and time again he brought the ball out from the back and seemed the epitome of the ball playing centre-back that this country appear to be so short of.

The two other débutantes were goalkeeper Ivan Lucic and striker Gustav Engvall. Lucic had a good game, his highlight of course being the penalty save. Engvall did OK, a little off match fitness perhaps but he looks the part and sixty minutes will surely help him get up to game speed, which we really need, as some feel we might be becoming overly reliant on our teenage star.

So, time to discuss that teenager a little further. Tammy (Oh Tammy Tammy) Abraham has been nothing short of a sensation since joining the club just before the season kicked off, on loan from that other West London club, Chelsea.

For those of you readers who haven’t made the pilgrimage to Ashton Gate or to see us away yet this season, your trip will be made worthwhile by catching a glimpse of this young man alone.

At the tender age of just eighteen, Tammy appears to have so much to his game. He can hold the ball up and seems to relish the challenge of a big Championship seasoned centre-back.

He has a wonderful touch and is able to create chances for others as well as linking the play with the likes of Tomlin and Freeman, and, of course, what is most abundantly clear so far is his impeccable eye for goal. Furthermore he is scoring important goals, like on Wednesday, coming off the bench and getting the winner.

This weekend sees us again travel to Craven Cottage to play Fulham in one of those peculator twists of fate that throw themselves up from time to time in the footballing calendar.

What will be interesting is to see how many changes Johnson makes from Wednesday night. Nine were made from the Derby game, that once again saw us score in the last minute to secure a point.

It goes without saying that it is a hugely encouraging sign that we can make so many changes and still remain highly competitive. I guess conversely one might say that Johnson is a long way from knowing his “best eleven”, but, at this stage of the season I don’t think that really matters.

As long as the roller-coaster ride of the season continues with high scoring games, last minute goals and attacking exciting football you won’t hear many complaints from me.