Ten years on

Ten years ago to the month – if not the day – Fulham pulled off one of the greatest feats in the club’s history by reaching the final of the Europa League played at Hamburg against Atletico Madrid.

I remember at the start of that epic campaign chatting to manager Roy Hodgson after I had cleaned the windows of his Twickenham home.

He really was not that keen on the competition and asked me how fans might react to him fielding a reserve side. I replied that many would travel away and he should level with them. So in the opening qualifying round he played the likes of Chris Smalling, Chris Baird and Bjorn Riese.

We qualified from the group stage and had to play Roma and Basel who had a  fine home record. In order to qualify for the last 16 we had to win our last game in Basel and on a snowy night duly did so.

This meant we were in the final sixteen where we encountered an excellent Shaktar Donetsk team with Willan and Fernandinho playing for them.

There was period of 15 minutes at Craven Cottage when we could not get the ball off them.

Later Roy’s number two and Fulham stalwart Ray Lewington told me at a Fulham lunch that the two Roys were not that bothered.

Fulham were compact behind the ball and Shaktar did not have possession in a dangerous area. Shaktar overcome, we drew the mighty Juventus.

We played well in Turin but la Vecchia Signora (the Old Lady) brought a two  goal lead to the Cottage.

It was possibly the greatest night ever at the Cottage.

David Trezeguet increased the Juve aggregate lead to 4-1.

However Fabio Cannvavaro was red-carded late in the first half and it was game on.

With the Hammersmith End in full voice with “Stand up if you still Believe” Fulham equalised throughBoobyZamora.  Zoltan Gera scored twice and then Clint Dempsey with the most exquisite of chips which made it 5-4 on aggregate.

As that deboanir wordsmith and Fulham historian Dennis Turner wrote afterwards “The Old lady had the vapours”.

With another late sending off the Turin giants decomposed and were out.

Fulham then overcame two crack German outfits – Wolfsburg and Hamburg – to reach the final against Atletico Madrid.

They had an excellent side with Diego Forlan, Aguerro, David de Gea and for 90 minutes Fulham matched them. However, in extra time fatigue set in and only the super-fit but technically limited Dickson Etuhu carried the team like a latterday Atlas.

With 3 minutes left Forlan made it 2-1.

We were asked to provide photos and memories to the club website.

I recall walking along a Hamburg street and seeing a group of Atletico fans behind us closing in, I had that frisson of fear that we might be jumped but – far from it – they only wanted a group photo.

Maybe because they are in the shadows of Real Madrid and we Chelsea there was huge empathy between both sets of supporters who intermingled in the fan zones.

If we go back not 10 but 30 years we were languishing in the third tier and about to be relegated. At one point we were 91st.

I don’t suppose many Fulham supporters then thought we would be going to Hamburg for a European final but we did and did England and Fulham proud.