With Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday stuttering, Fulham could take advantage.
You can’t say Sheffield Wednesday weren’t warned. After four games without a win, capped by Saturday’s draw with Yorkshire rivals Barnsley, Carlos Carvalhal’s Owls have plummeted out of the Championship play-off places.
And, taking their place in that coveted sixth spot, is Slavisa Jokanovic’s Fulham. Boosted by the second highest goals tally in the division, The Cottagers have won seven of their last 12 league fixtures – while Wednesday have stuttered, despite spending big on Jordan Rhodes and Sam Winnall in January.
As the old cliché goes, momentum is key heading into the play-offs. And, according to former Leeds United manager Neil Redfearn, the advantage now stands with The Cottagers.
“For me they are the dark horses,” he told Football on 5.
“They’ve got themselves into it at just the right time and in that pack. Other sides in the play-offs will be looking at them with a bit of caution.”
He’s not wrong. Netting 67 goals in 39 Championship games, Jokanovic’s free-flowing Fulham have become arguably the most fearsome side in the division.
Inspired by the majestic Tom Cairney and the effervescent Sone Aluko, Fulham dismantled league leaders Newcastle United at St James’ Park while demonstrating their never-say-die attitude with a dramatic late equaliser against Leeds recently.
In fact, if it wasn’t for their shaky defence, the seven point gap between themselves in sixth and Huddersfield Town in third may be a lot tighter.
Yet, with Huddersfield losing two on the bounce, Leeds suffering from a lack of creativity and Sheffield Wednesday seemingly dropping out of the picture altogether, Fulham may well head into the play-offs with confidence.
Redfearn’s former club Leeds, however, can at least take solace in knowing that they performed impressively when travelling to Fulham last month. In fact, only a late Tom Cairney stunner prevented Garry Monk’s side taking three points from Craven Cottage.
Bearing in mind Saturday’s result, the Whites may be hoping to face Fulham rather than Reading in the play-offs )or Huddersfield, who have already done the double over Leeds this season).
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