The Tanner Report- phew!

Fulham have earned the reputation over all the years I have supported them as the Great Escapologists with the most unlikely of results but conversely they have tormented us by failing to finish the simplest of jobs. Yesterday all we needed to do was beat or equal Leeds’s result. We drew, missed a penalty, Ayite fluffed two chances and Leeds after being 3 down got on level terms against 10 men Norwich. In the end we all but made the play offs. It would take a swing of 13 goals on the final day the sort that would have sent Peter Snow into ecstasy as he pushed his swingometer revealing a landslide .

To be fair to our West London neighbours Brentford they fully deserved a draw. They played good football, the game was devoid of niggles and even the rival chanting was relatively restrained and not hateful. In Jota they had the best player on the pitch, one of those cultivated midfielders that Spain produces in abundance. After Tom Cairney clipped in a typical Fulham passing movement of Aluko and Sesssgnon of fluidity, accuracy and vision we seemed home and hosed. Brentford equalised with also a flourish after a fine interplay of passes and that is how the score remained as our nails were bitten to the quick with the thought of Leeds winning and us losing to late scores.

Fulham have never won a play off game, lost the two major finals they contested ( forgetting the Intertoto) but get into the play off with momentum. It’s unfair on Leeds who occupied a play off place virtually all of the season. Looking back Tom Cairney’s scorcher to equalise against them in the 94th minute was vital. None of the other play off sides will want to play us, only Reading have beaten us.

Whatever the final finish its been a season to remember: the downward trend of six seasons has been bucked,we play football of movement, grace, pace and individual skill and those of us still travelling to Sheffield once in hope thinking we would need some sort of result can now do so demob happy.