It could have been all so different though had David Stockdale not shown his ninja prowess early on, tipping a couple of shots over the bar from close range; Johnny Painstil's erratic decision making coming to the fore again. However the goals came before the end of the first half, allowing the Fulham fans to just enjoy themselves. One thing that should be mentioned about Stockdale is his astounding distribution. He can pick out a pass like Beckham. This boy is going to go far.
Peterborough were tidy enough, but it was clear how they have conceded so often this season, with Kamara and Duff running riot behind their back line. How the Irishman didn't score over the course of the match is worthy of a Parliamentary inquiry. Of Kamara's three, only the second goal really required his skill with a lovely arcing run behind the defenders being met by Murphy's sumptuous through ball and sealed with an overly-casual finish.
One of the strangest things about this game, apart from the avalanche of goals, was the 30 minute cameo from the new left winger, who Hughes has cleverly decided to disguise as Jonathan Greening sans-beard. He was all over the place, set up two goals and scored himself after dogged work on the left. He was so impressive that he almost snaffled my man of the match nomination, but I guess that's because we weren't expecting much. The last time I remember him playing left wing for Fulham, he scored the winner against Portsmouth. Maybe he should be kept out there.
In the stands, the fans were having as much fun as Greening. The poor Posh 'keeper got the whole 'you're shit, ahhhhhh' every time he even looked at the ball and one ahhhhhhhhhh went on for a good minute after he'd punted the ball down the field.
There was also a bit of fun had at the back of the Hammy End with one of the stewards, who was a dead ringer for Johnny P and serenaded with: 'Are you Painstil in disguise' and 'there's only two Johnny Paintsils'. Fulham's erstwhile manager Woy Hodgson also got a song on the occasion of his sacking from Liverpool. I though the Fulham fans might have been sympathetic but there was no chance of that. To the tune of Baby Give It Up it went:
Na na na na na na na na
Hodgson's got no job
Got no job
Hodgson's got no job.
Harsh but funny. Posh's 6,000+ fans did the team proud as well, although they only really got into their swing when 4-0 down; at which point you must say 'bugger it, let's try and enjoy ourselves'. And they were rewarded by two goals, the first of which was probably the best of the match. Despite the leaky defence, Hughes has now got to continue this momentum away at Wigan and Liverpool, not to mention the next two home matches against Stoke City and Spurs.
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