Neco Williams close to magic halfway line moment as 2 Reds go head-to-head

March 7, 2022
Joanna Durkan

Neco Williams nearly lay claim to a goal that would have rivalled for the top crown at the end of season Championship awards, hitting the crossbar from just inside the attacking half.

The full-back has gone from strength to strength at Fulham, starting six successive league games since making his temporary switch at the end of January.

And it was against Blackburn, on Saturday, that saw the 20-year-old have an audacious attempt on goal with his side already 2-0 to the good at Craven Cottage.

Neeskens Kebano and ex-Red Harry Wilson were the duo to make sure of Fulham‘s victory as to maintain a healthy 11-point lead atop of the table, offering Williams impetus in the dying stages.

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On the counter, Williams propelled forward and noticing Thomas Kaminski off his slide, let the ball fly just inside Blackburn’s half that spectacularly, and agonisingly, hit the crossbar.

Hands immediately on his head as he watched on, the Welshman would later pen on Instagram: “It’s alright keeps I was playing crossbar challenge.”

A moment of magic and the feeling of what could have been for the youngster, but his manager remained impressed nevertheless.

“It would have been a fantastic goal, only capable by players in my opinion of high, high quality,” Marco Silva said. “He’s settled really well and he’s always open to learn and knows he has to work really hard.”

Elsewhere, there was a battle of the Liverpool loanees as Sepp van den Berg‘s Preston met Nat Phillips‘ Bournemouth, with the former getting the bragging rights in the end with a 2-1 win.

The pair played 90 minutes respectively with Phillips experiencing a busy afternoon as the right-sided centre-back, with a diving header almost earning a goal at the other end.

But with two goals following the Cherries’ opener, the result keeps Preston’s and Van den Berg’s promotion play-off hopes alive.

In League 2, Paul Glatzel returned to action after nearly a month out with an injury, coming off the bench for Tranmere in a 3-2 loss to Northampton, while Jake Cain‘s run in the XI continued for Newport with his third start in four league games in their latest win.

Goalkeeping trio Vitezslav Jaros, Jakub Ojrzynski and Liam Hughes, meanwhile, all took the gloves for their respective sides, with only Ojrzynski on the winning side and with a clean sheet.