[AMERICANS ABROAD] Clint Dempsey should come off the bench every game for Fulham. The American came on in the second half of the makeup EPL game at Stoke City on a snowy Tuesday night with the Cottagers trailing 3-0 and scored on a dipping volley from 40 yards in the 85th minute to cut the margin of defeat to 3-2.

Dempsey's Golazo:


It had been an all-around bad evening for Fulham, which gave up three goals in the first 37 minutes and lost in-form Bobbie Zamora with a fractured dislocated shoulder.

Dempsey came on for Zamora after the break, assisted on Damien Duff's goal and twice came close to scoring for Fulham before he struck with a wicked shot from distance.

He again threatened in stoppage time but was denied by Stoke keeper Steve Simonsen.

"It is a bad day when you lose and it is a bad day when you lose Bobby Zamora ...," said Fulham manager Roy Hodgson. "It is a very expensive game for us."

Zamora and Dempsey are tied for the team lead with six goals.

Jan. 5 in Stoke
Stoke City 3 Fulham 2. Goals: Tuncay 12, Diagne-Faye 34, Sidibe 37; Duff 61, Dempsey 85.
Stoke City  --  Simonsen, Higginbotham, Huth, Shawcross, Diagne-Faye, Lawrence (Diao, 90), Whitehead, Delap (Whelan, 66), Etherington, Sidibe, Tuncay (Fuller, 42).
Fulham -- Schwarzer, Kelly, Konchesky, Hangeland (Smalling, 46), Baird, Hughes, Gera, Murphy, Duff, Johnson, (Nevland, 83), Zamora (Dempsey, 54).
Referee: Mark Clattenburg.
Att.: 25,104.