Football: Close neighbours are worlds apart

SIDELINES

BRENTFORD and Fulham are separated by a short stretch of river and 15 places in the Second Division table. Unfortunately for Micky Adams, who has been at the helm of both clubs this season, today's derby rivals are oceans apart in terms of financial muscle.

Adams, having steered Fulham out of the Third Division on a shoestring, barely dipped into Mohamed Al Fayed's millions before being sunk by the arrival of Kevin Keegan and Ray Wilkins (whose father George and brother Graham played for Brentford). Since joining the low-budget Bees after a brief stopover at Swansea, he has been back up the Thames for Danny Cullip, Paul Watson and Glenn Cockerill, his assistant and 38-year-old midfield powerhouse.

The man who brought Adams to Fulham, Jimmy Hill, was a forward in their days as perennial strugglers in the old First Division and returned as chairman in 1987 just in time to keep them at Craven Cottage. Yet it was Brentford, where the bearded one played for three years from 1949, who launched his uniquely wide-ranging career.

Among the budding TV pundit's team-mates there was the future England manager, Ron Greenwood, who also won a championship medal with Chelsea before they were reunited at Fulham. Others who have moved between Griffin Park and the Cottage include Roger Cross, Barry Lloyd, Fred Callaghan and Terry Bullivant. Like Hill and Greenwood, all went into management.