Jokanovic: Odoi deserves to be Fulham’s hero

Slavisa Jokanovic insisted Denis Odoi deserved to be Fulham’s hero after the defender’s header took them to a Wembley play-off final. 

Odoi headed home only his fifth goal for the club as they beat Derby 2-0 in the second leg to book a clash with either Aston Villa or Middlesbrough on May 26 for a place in the Premier League.

Odoi nearly left Fulham last summer but switched from right-back to centre-back and then became an instrumental part of Jokanovic’s promotion-chasing team.

And the Fulham boss said: “I’m not Santa Claus, I am a football coach, and I don’t give any of my players presents.

“They need to deserve it, and Denis deserves to be the hero of the night, and not because I gave him any presents. He is an important part of my team and has done a great job for us.

“In the end he scored a fantastic and important goal for us, but on the defensive side he played a fantastic game as well.

“I am delighted to make Wembley. We played fantastic football, we were focussed and organised, and I must be satisfied for the supporters. These people deserve such a special night.

“I have been asked many times about our trust and self-confidence. I must be satisfied what my team showed tonight.

“Many times we have been close to brilliant, tonight we were close to perfect.”