Fulham 0-0 Sunderland: The post man gets no luck

Kieran Richardson was the unluckiest player on the pitch - and is praying his fortunes will change against bitter rivals Newcastle next week.

Sunderland midfielder Richardson saw one sensational goal from a freekick controversially disallowed and another set-piece effort hit the post an incredible THREE times.

It was rough luck on Sunderland who deserved to take all three points but Richardson (left) believes they are due a break in the Tyne Wear derby at the Stadium Of Light next Saturday.

Sunderland have not beaten Newcastle at home since April 1980, and Richardson reckons the Black Cats will rarely have a better chance of ending that barren run, especially with the Toon Army in disarray.

Richardson saw his 54thminute set-piece fly into the top corner but it was bizarrely disallowed by referee Keith Stroud, who ruled that Pascal Chimbonda had been pushing in the wall.

Before that he'd seen his freekick bounce against three posts before being snatched up by Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

Ex-Manchester United starlet Richardson said: "It feels like I am the unluckiest person on the pitch. I wasn't even watching the first one, I was off celebrating because I was certain it was in.

"Then for the second, I have seen the replay and there was nothing in there for the referee to blow for. The referee says Pascal was pushing into the wall and I think that's a bit harsh. I was off celebrating both of them, it was a bit embarrassing.

"But this game has gone now and we move on to the next game. We have got a huge match against Newcastle next week and we have to focus on that now.

"It's a massive week for us because we have not won for 20-odd years at home to Newcastle. The players want to put that to bed."

Richardson, who has won eight full England caps, also had a second-half shot cleared off the line by Fulham defender Aaron Hughes, but it was his 41st-minute effort which really defied logic.

Richardson curled a stunning 20-yard free-kick against Schwarzer's right-hand post and watched it roll along the line before hitting the opposite upright.

Schwarzer admitted he was left wondering where the ball had gone before it hit his foot and then struck the post again before he eventually grabbed the rebound.

"I didn't even know where the ball was on the first freekick.

It wasn't until half-time that I actually found out what happened," he said.

"Obviously I knew it had hit the post the first time but as I got up I could see all the players getting ready to go for the rebound and I'm thinking 'where's the ball?' "And then all of a sudden I've turned around and the ball has hit me and I didn't even know where it had come from. Then it hits the post and I finally caught it. I'll take that any day of the week."

That summed up the luck Fulham enjoyed.

Schwarzer, who said he did not realise initially that the referee had disallowed Richardson's free-kick goal, added: "On both incidents I don't think it should have been a free-kick in the first place. So maybe it evened itself out."

Fulham: Schwarzer 7, Pantsil 5, Hughes 6, Hangeland 6, Konchesky 6, Davies 6, Murphy 6, Bullard 6, Gera 5 (Dempsey 73), Zamora 5, Johnson 5.
Sunderland: Gordon 6, Chimbonda 6, Ferdinand 6, Collins 6, McCartney 6, Malbranque 6, Leadbitter (Reid 62), Whitehead 7, Richardson 8, Cisse 7 (Murphy 84), Chopra 6 (Healy 69, 5).
Referee: Keith Stroud
Attendance: 25,116

MAN OF THE MATCH
8 Kieran Richardson (SUNDERLAND)
All-action performance and was robbed of free-kick goal

VILLAIN OF THE MATCH
Zoltan Gera (FULHAM) 5
Missed two sitters before being substituted

NEXT THREE GAMES
FULHAM
Sun: Portsmouth (a) Prem
Wed Oct 29: Wigan (h) Prem
Sat Nov 1: Everton (a) Prem

SUNDERLAND
Sat: Newcastle (h) Prem
Wed Oct 29: Stoke (a) Prem
Sat Nov 1: Chelsea (a) Prem

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