Home draw disappoints Jol

Fulham boss Martin Jol was disappointed with his side’s goalless draw against Aston Villa in the English Premier League on Saturday.

In a game of few chances, Fulham had slightly the better of the action but were denied by an inspired debut performance from Villa goalkeeper Shay Given.

But despite the Irishman’s heroics for the visitors, Jol said it was his side’s poor use of possession that proved costly.

“The first half, I thought they kept the ball better than we did and we looked nervous,” he said.

“We didn’t keep the ball well enough for a home game. But the second half, especially the first 20 minutes, was good.”

“We had three good chances but, for a home match, I would like to have more control, more initiative and we have to score at first.”

“So, 0-0 at home, you can’t say that is a very good result.”

New signing John Arne Riise wasted the best chance for the home side, blasting over after being put clean through on goal by Danny Murphy.

In contrast, Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish was pleased to come away from Craven Cottage with a draw, praising Given for his man-of-the-match performance.

“He’s (Given) experienced. He tells the defence when to go into the right positions. You might have seen other goalies diving for some of those shots, but instead they went point-blank straight at him. That’s experience. He’s a great goalkeeper,” McLeish said of his shot stopper.

“They were important saves because I felt a bit disappointed the players came in at half-time without a goal.”

On the result, McLeish said: “I don’t consider it a bad one. Anyone coming here will find it hard.”

“Fulham have taken some massive scalps at Craven Cottage over the years.”

Jol’s team face Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the Europa League playoff round on Thursday ahead of a trip to Wolverhampton.

Villa’s next match is a Premier League home clash against Blackburn.