Albion push Fulham all the way

11:27pm Friday 20th July 2007

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Albion have their first serious injury and their first bit of dodgy officiating of the pre-season.

But neither those, nor a narrow defeat to top-flight opponents, should de-rail what continues to be a very encouraging pre-season.

Dean Wilkins watched this Withdean friendly on crutches after tearing a calf muscle.

And Gully the mascot offered one of the linesmen a pair of comedy spectacles after Fulham's Clint Dempsey was allowed to get away with what looked an offside equaliser right on half-time.

The excellent Alexey Smertin thumped home the winner after a low Diomansy Kamara cross was only partially cleared on 71 minutes.

But all the talk around Albion's basic home will have been about an impressive first-half display against Premiership opponents, the sight of Dean Cox buzzing around and the return to goalscoring form of Jake Robinson.

The man who waited in vain for half a season to add to his League One hat-trick at Huddersfield took less than three minutes last night to open his account.

With Nicky Forster on board, the scope is there for Robinson to operate wide on the right, which many people feel is his best position.

Equally, eyes will now be on the new boy from Hull to provide goals, taking heat off Robinson in that respect.

He produced a finisher's touch to open the scoring, firing in right-footed after Guy Butters had headed Cox's deep, hanging corner towards the edge of the six-yard box.

Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez rated it a sloppy goal to concede and he was right given the space in which Robinson was allowed to operate.

But it was just the upbeat start Albion needed.

Skipper Dean Hammond was pleased with the evening. He said: "It was a good work out and good playing against a Premiership team who have spent a lot of money in the summer.

"I thought we all looked strong and we held our own to a degree.

"We just maybe tired towards the end and maybe a laspe in concentration led to their (second) goal but they played two teams and we can take positives all round."

Forster's touch and movement look like making him a hit. But there was strength in evidence too when he shook big Papa Bouba Diop off the ball in the centre circle and set strike partner Alex Revell away for a shot which Antti Niemi only held at the second attempt.

There were a couple of goal threats from Forster soon after the break, seeing one volley charged down and another bounce wide.

He was also involved in arguably the Seagulls' brightest second-half moment, releasing Robinson to produce a wicked low cross which Zat Knight did brilliantly to divert over his own bar from virtually underneath it.

A very busy 20-minute midfield outing for Tommy Fraser was another plus from the evening.

And Robinson went close late on after a move sparked by Doug Loft's enterprise down the left.

So plenty to enjoy. But what about at the other end, where Fulham's two sets of 11 were always likely to pose a test?

There was a first-half scare when Brian McBride saw a 20-yard drive flick off Butters' leg and go wide off the outside of the post.

Michel Kuipers made a brilliant right-handed save low down to turn away Dempsey's downward header and also tipped over a long-range Diop drive.

And there was enough from Andrew Whing to underline what a useful free-agent pick-up he should be.

Optimism was punctured a little when Dempsey moved on to Diop's pass to round Kuipers and grab his contentious equaliser.

And Fulham had their moments either side of Smertin's crisp drive.

But the signs are still good for Albion's fans.

They might not need Gully's comedy glasses to give them a smile or two this season.

Do you think Jake Robinson's best position is wide on the right?