Our recent memories of visits to the John Smith’s stadium are pretty positive. We hammered them 4-1 a couple of years back to complete a 9-1 season aggregate yet perversely it was the Terriers who prevailed in the end of season playoffs. Two years further back we clinched a 2-0 win in a completely different style when Alex Kacaniklic scored in the second minute before the home team battered us for the rest of the game, missed two penalties, played against 10 men for the last half hour yet saw Seiko Fofana clinch us the points for us with a last minute breakaway.
You have to go back to 2001 though for the most positive memory of all. We went there on Saturday 14 April fresh from a brilliant 2-1 victory at closest rivals Blackburn that all but sealed a promotion that had seemed likely for some time. Tigana’s cavaliers had played champagne football all season and went to Huddersfield knowing victory would make promotion mathematically certain. The home side made it far from easy though as they were in a battle at the other end of the table. Finally, King Louis Saha broke the deadlock form the spot halfway through the second half only for us to be pegged back by a Delroy Facey equaliser. It was a nervous time for the Fulham masses in the away end until Louis Boa Morte 1poked home with 5 minutes left to seal the victory that took us back to the top flight for the first time in 33 years and spark delirium all around.
The Fulham Team
Taylor, Finnan, Melville, Symons, Brevett, Sahnoun, Clark, Stolcers, Goldbaek, Saha, Boa Morte.
Subs: Hahnemann, Moller, Riedle, Neilson, Davis.
Lee Clark on taking the next step: “Other clubs have done that and it has not always worked. Maybe we should follow the lead set by Ipswich. They went into the Premiership without spending a fortune and have succeeded by playing excellent and attractive football. They have done tremendously well and I hope we can follow their example.
“With some new players obviously coming in, we will have a chance and will not be in the Premiership to simply make up the numbers. The club deserves to be up there among the best and the ambition is there to go a long way and, hopefully, we can become a force”
What the fans said:
Graham C Walker (@grahamcwalker)
Drove my dad – Chris Walker- then in his late 70’s (RIP) – he lost his match ticket but at the gate, they just waved him in. He saw us relegated from the old top flight and he saw us get back! Happy days!
Pint Sized Fulham (@lungs77)
My memory of that day was apart from Hamburg and Wembley I’d never seen so many Fulham fans at an away game, it was an absolutely chocker amazing day.
Alistair Sims (@alistair_sims)
I was there with my dad who passed away in 2005. The first game he ever took me to was our last home game in the top flight against Southampton in 1968 when I was 7. So to get back there at the age of 40 was emotional
Browski (@Browski_uk)
View obscured by a ****head in a jester hat and @luisboamorte11 dancing in his pants after throwing his kit into the crowd.
LongAndDreamlessSleep (@richiecd)
Sat with the Huddersfield fans as my friend was a supporter and obtained the tickets. A good day for me, but hard for him. I kept my @FulhamFC shirt covered during the game for obvious reasons.
Matt Boisclair (@mattffc1981)
Blackburn away and Huddersfield away in the space of 4 days in 2001; has there been a more iconic week in our history? Promotion sealed to the top flight for the first time in my lifetime, absolutely perfect!