Fulham 2 Bolton Wanderers 0

Last updated : 21 August 2004 By Footymad Previewer

Andy Cole scored both goals as Fulham beat Bolton 2-0 on their return to Craven Cottage and it could have been four or five on a homecoming to remember.

Cole got the last touch to a shot from Zat Knight after only seven minutes and then wrapped things up with a drilled shot eight minutes from time. But in between Fulham missed a host of opportunities to put the game out of sight.

They created chance after chance, with Cole, Moritz Volz, Sylvain Legwinski and sub Luis Boa Morte all going close as Bolton struggled to control the storm.

If the visitors had managed an undeserved equaliser it would have been a travesty, but thankfully for Fulham the Wanderers never really looked like earning a point.

Craven Cottage has been Fulham's home since 1879 and after two years in exile at QPR's Loftus Road this was billed as an emotional homecoming.

The new all-seater Craven Cottage glistened in the sunlight by the River Thames and Chris Coleman's side made sure it was given a worthy baptism.

They started the game at real high speed and, having survived a first-minute effort from Jay-Jay Okocha, which was well saved by Edwin Van der Sar, the Whites went ahead after only seven minutes.

A corner from the right fell to defender Knight on the edge of the box and his shot took a deflection off a Bolton defender and then finally off Cole before ending up in the net.

Both Knight and Cole claimed the goal, but the former Blackburn man is likely to win the battle to have his name in the record books as the first goalscorer in Craven Cottage's new era.

Bolton hit back with an Okocha piledriver that fizzed over the bar, but it was Fulham - with central midfielder Papa Bouba Diop outstanding - who had most of the play.

Diop had a header well saved from another corner and Tomasz Radzinski fizzed a right-foot effort wide of the target.

Then, with 37 minutes on the clock, Fulham really should have gone two up.

Claus Jensen played a perfect throughball for Collins John, who beat his man, shifted the ball on to his right foot and then somehow poked a shot wide of the far post when it seemed easier to score.

Then, remarkably, the Whites wasted an even better chance when Cole latched on to an Ivan Campo back-pass and rounded keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, only to strike his shot against the near post.

Fulham continued to press after the break, with both Cole and Radzinski firing wildly over the bar and Diop having a chance from a corner routine.

Bolton brought on Greek star Stelios Giannakopoulos after 51 minutes to try and boost their attacking options and then swapped Anthony Barness for the ineffectual Ivan Campo.

But Fulham responded with a John effort that was well saved and another Cole long-ranger over the bar.

Boa Morte, back from international duty at the Olympics, was brought on as a substitute with 25 minutes to go and immediately fired narrowly wide. And then there was another awful miss - when Cole jinked down the right, cut inside and set up Diop, only for the big man to squirm his shot well side.

Remarkably, the chances kept on coming.

Boa Morte turned inside to fire a shot that was well saved, Diop headed narrowly wide, but then, finally, the second goal came.

It was Cole who raced clear into the area after a neat throughball from Jensen, and drilled a low shot under Jaaskelainen for 2-0.