Brede Hangeland described Lewis Holtby’s near miss at Aston Villa as ‘the mother of all chances’ and admits he feared the worst for his Fulham side when Matt Lowton hacked the German’s effort off the line.
Holtby thought he had slotted home from six yards to restore the Cottagers’ advantage after striker Grant Holt had cancelled out Kieran Richardson’s stunning opener at Villa Park on Saturday.
The Premier League’s Hawk-eye system, making its debut this season, ruled the whole ball had not crossed the line when Lowton’s last-ditch clearance denied the on-loan Spurs midfielder the winner.
Replays from the Goal Decision System showed just how close it was, with literally millimetres saving the Villains. Hangeland watched from the other end of the field with his head in his hands as lady luck again shunned the Whites.
Fortunately for the 3,000 travelling Fulham supporters, substitute Hugo Rodallega glanced in a dramatic winner five minutes from time, although Hangeland conceded he thought their chance for the points had evaporated after the Holtby chance went begging.
“I didn't need a replay [to see how close it was],” Hangeland said. “That was the mother all of chances. At that time, I thought that's just our luck but fortunately it wasn't decisive. We worked really hard for the win and we'll do that again next week.”
While the Whites players got the job done off the field, the travelling Cottage faithful more than played their part in the stands.
Hangeland and the rest of the squad went to salute the crowd at the final whistle and believes the noise generated from the away section gave them the extra 10 per cent they needed.
“I don't think I've ever seen so many of our supporters at a match outside London so that was great for us,” he said.
“The support throughout the game was first-class and it really gave us an extra boost when we needed it. It was a real pleasure to be able to repay all of their support with a win.
“When we have support like that it really does help us to dig deep. You need that extra bit of energy sometimes in the Premier League, especially away from home.
“We have to be very grateful for everybody making the trip and it was good to give them something back.”
