Stalemate for Stoke

Premier League strugglers Stoke played out a disappointing 0-0 draw with Fulham at the Britannia Stadium.

Handball and headbutt light up Britannia blank

Premier League strugglers Stoke played out a disappointing 0-0 draw with Fulham at the Britannia Stadium, with the referee providing most of the interest. The first half contained little action of note in front of goal, other than a wasteful Richard Cresswell shot when slipped through on goal by Ricardo Fuller. However, Fulham will feel rightly aggrieved with the officials after they failed to spot a blatant handball from Danny Higginbotham in the box, with the referee in prime position. Indeed, referee Stuart Attwell was to become a familiar face during the game, most notably being called upon to make a decision early in the second half when Fuller and John Paintsil appeared to headbutt each other following a challenge. Attwell - the youngest referee ever to officiate in the Premier League - opted to keep his cards in his pocket when many might have reached for the red, and it was this major decision alongside the handball incident that provided the only real points of interest in a spirited, but uninventive display from both sides.

Opening exchanges

Stoke lost one of their attacking outlets early on after Mamady Sidibe was carried off on a stretcher with barely a minute's action gone. The Mali international went down in agony in the Fulham box after his side's first attack. Cresswell, who had been relegated to the bench to accommodate the returning Fuller, was immediately on the field. Fulham were without striker Bobby Zamora due to a hip injury but his usual partner Andy Johnson looked lively early on and felt he should have had a penalty after 15 minutes. Johnson tumbled into the box after contact with Glenn Whelan on the 18-yard line but Attwell waved play on. The referee then failed to spot a clear handball from Higginbotham in the Stoke box as the defender attempted to head away a swinging cross from the right. Fresh-faced official Attwell, infamous for awarding a 'phantom goal' at Watford earlier this season, failed to get an early grip and the crowd were soon on his back. He did, however, take firm action against Fuller for a late and high challenge on Brede Hangeland and brandished a yellow card. Abdoulaye Faye, fresh from his dramatic late equaliser at Newcastle last week, got in Stoke's first serious effort at goal from a corner but his header was blocked by one of his own team-mates. Cresswell spurned the best chance of the first half six minutes before the interval after linking well with Fuller. Jamaica international Fuller turned neatly on the edge of the area and slipped in a fine ball but Cresswell somehow scooped over from 10 yards. Sonko, emulating Delap on the stroke of half-time, hurled a long throw into the box which bounced awkwardly and an uncertain Mark Schwarzer put out for a corner. Fulham's Jimmy Bullard had the first chance of the second half but shot weakly at Thomas Sorensen after breaking into the box.

Headbutt

Controversy then reared its head again for referee Attwell when Fuller and Paintsil faced up following a challenge from the Jamaican. Both players appeared to clash heads, before Paintsil dramatically threw himself to the ground clutching his face. Calls for the red card surrounded Attwell, but the young official merely lectured the two players and restarted the game. Johnson was then lucky to escape a booking for a reckless challenge on Danny Pugh and there were signs Attwell was struggling to keep pace as the game became increasingly niggly. Stoke managed to piece an attack together after a scrappy passage of play but Amdy Faye shot well over. Delap was withdrawn just after the hour with Michael Tonge taking his place. Fulham carved out a good chance moments later when Johnson pulled the ball back from the byline but Clint Dempsey missed the target from six yards. Simon Davies also fired a shot wide from outside the area. Amdy Faye had another long-range effort 11 minutes from time but his shot was deflected over for a corner and the deadlock remained. Stoke substitute Vincent Pericard then broke clear soon after but wasted the opportunity by shooting early and wide. The hosts, finishing strongly, appealed for a penalty late on after Fuller went down after contact with Danny Murphy but again Attwell was uninterested. Dempsey had the last chance of the match - but again his shot went wide.

Stoke City	Team Statistics	Fulham
0	Goals	0
0	1st Half Goals	0
0	Shots on Target	2
5	Shots off Target	3
2	Blocked Shots	5
5	Corners	6
16	Fouls	4
2	Offsides	0
1	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
59.6	Passing Success	79.9
13	Tackles	8
92.3	Tackles Success	62.5
32.6	Possession	67.4
51.3	Territorial Advantage	48.7