Jokanovic hails fit-again Cairney after Fulham fightback
Slavisa Jokanovic hailed Tom Cairney after the fit-again Fulham star helped inspire a late comeback against Preston.
Cairney, who had been out since late August with a knee injury, made an impact after replacing Neeskens Kebano as the Whites came back from two down to draw 2-2.
“We started playing with more personality and we found help from Tom Cairney,” said boss Jokanovic.
“In the first minutes he connected with more passes and gave us more confidence. We showed great character on the pitch and I must be satisfied, especially with our second half.”
Fulham should not have been allowed time to score their last-ditch equaliser, according to visiting manager Alex Neil.
Referee Darren England permitted play to continue after the five additional minutes had elapsed, and Denis Odoi capitalised on goalkeeper Chris Maxwell’s mistake to make it 2-2 and earn the Whites a point.
Neil said: “Time was up. The [fourth] official next to me showed me his watch, it was 95 minutes, and the referee allowed them to put another ball into the box.
“However, we should deal with that ball – we made an error and it cost us. They didn’t create a lot in the second half and I thought we were relatively comfortable.”
