The Tanner Report: Aston Villa 0 Fulham 1

So in one month, in one competition we won a play-off game against Derby and we won a major final. 43 years ago I went to Wembley to see Fulham lose to West Ham due to two goalkeeping errors. 7 years ago I travelled to Hamburg and this time Athletico Madrid – with the likes of Aguerro and de  Gea – won in extra time. On both occasions there was a feeling that we had done enough just to reach the final. In both finals  our fans seemed ever so slightly in awe of the occasion.

This time the message came “wear something white “to create a “white wall”. This meant there was unity of the fans and the first thing the players would see was a wall of white.

This powerful fan sentiment and collective grittiness which is there but sometimes overlooked by the fluidity of Fulham’s passing got us over the line when reduced to 10 men for the final third of the game after Denis Odoi was rightly dismissed.

The game is billed as the £200m game as money and Premier status are the winner’s reward. Wembley has changed in those 43 years. We in 1975 stood at an end with half a pitch of space between us and the pitch. I remember that end emptying after the final whistle and only seeing forlorn Fulham fans making their way home as the losers. At Hamburg we waited for hours at the airport for a flight and arrived back in the not so early hours.

Yesterday I got my planning wrong. We drove but horrendous traffic meant we scampered to Wembley with 5 minutes to go before kick off. This meant we missed walking down Wembley Way, seeing the statue of Bobby Moore and being part of the build up. All this we missed. Nonetheless we were there for the start of a game you would not watch at home.

Once started Fulham slotted into their normal passing possession game.

It’s tiring for any opposition to counter and Villa are an ageing slide and Wembley was stifling hot.

It was a tentative start but Fulham opened their account when Ryan Sessegnon’s pass inside the full back – of which Johnny Haynes would have been so proud – to Tom Cairney who opened up his body shape to take the pass on his favoured left side to slot it home.

At half time I felt confident but one friend did observe that Dennis Odoi was on a yellow card.

Winning is about a game management. Sometimes, as when you are reduced to 10 men, you have to shuffle the pack.

With Odoi dismissed Fulham had to reorganise and stifle a resurgent Villa. This we did supremely well but Villa might have taken more risks. We held out comfortably.

The only blemish on a memorable day was the behaviour of some Fulham fans behind us.

At first they argued with a group in the corporate section and then amongst themselves.

The stewarding was inadequate. With 5 minutes to go a punch-up between these Fulham fans kicked off causing our friends in front of them, a delightful lady and her partner, to leave.

We just moved away and if we missed out on the build-up we certainly witnessed the celebrations.

The heat and emotion totally drained me and I was quiet on the car home. We passed the Amex, home of Brighton, and this is possibly the away visit next season I would enjoy most.

In a twist to the Great Debate I rewatched the game on SKY  noting how bad-tempered it was.

Ryan Sessegnon and Jack Grealish could have been red-carded too for violently reckless challenges.

The build up was well covered and I noted crucial blocks by Kevin McDonald that during the match I had missed.

At times like these you think of the Fulham fans not there: Peter Thomson, Dennis Turner and Trevor Williams, the loyalest of fans, all have passed on. It’s unlikely that these 11 players will start the Premier or indeed play together again but they will forever be remembered  and commemorated.