A Celebration Dinner
Last night I attended a dinner to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1996 Fulham promotion side. This was a pivotal season and achievement. Fulham were in the fourth tier, the weakest side in London and insecure at our home at Craven Cottage. The previous season Fulham looked at one stage to be falling out of the League altogether. So under new manager Micky Adams we could have gone either way but as it was we were promoted with 87 points and a record 12 away wins. Micky Adams, club skipper Simon Morgan and player of the year Darren Freeman were guests of honour at the illustrious venue of the Committee Room Dining Room in the Lords Pavilion. It is highly doubtful whether Mohammed al Fayed would have bought a club in the fourth tier but he became owner at the end of this promotion season. With him as Chairman we were to have 13 seasons in the Premier and reached the Europa League Final. Sadly Micky Adams lost his job shortly after Mr al Fayed’s arrival.
It speaks volumes for Fulham fans that this promotion is celebrated as much any success that followed. We had 15 years of famine since Malcolm MacDonald’s promotion side.
We all enjoyed the season hugely and many memories were brought back by the guests of honour and supporters present. 20 years on we looked older with less hair and bigger paunches. It was a great occasion which all forty, not least the guests of honour, savoured as much as the season itself.