My earliest memories of going to watch Fulham were in the 1969-70 season. I lived in New Malden and our neighbour, George Freeman, used to take my brother and me to matches in his white Volkswagen Beetle. In those days you could park on the side roads off Fulham Palace Road! I don’t really remember too much about who we played and what teams I saw, but I do remember names such as Johnny Haynes, Steve Earle, Jimmy Conway and Les Barett. I was no more than seven years old, but I was hooked! Fulham till I die!
When I look back and try to remember what it was like, my mind is filled with the cacophony, singing, chanting, and hubbub of the stadium. The smell of cigarettes mixed with fried onions, beer, and Bovril sold from the kiosks at the back of both the Putney and Hammy ends. Everyone seemed to wear scarves, hats, and rosettes, not like today when it is all shirts and training gear.
The Stadium seemed so big to a small boy. I remember looking up at the tall brick façade of the Stevenage Road Stand and thinking it was the biggest building I had ever seen. Of course, the rest of the stadium apart from the Hammy end, was open terracing, and I can remember running around to the riverside to watch the Varsity Boat Race on the occasions it clashed with a match.
One specific memory is handing over my shillings and pushing my way through the heavy black metal turnstiles. I always got goosebumps as I appeared on the terracing and saw the pitch. (still do!)
By the time I was twelve or thirteen, I was going to the matches by myself or with mates. I would catch the bus or train to Wimbledon and then the 93 bus down through Putney. Occasionally, I would get the 72 up through Roehampton and down to New Malden on its way to Tolworth.
In the ground, the Hammy End became home, where I always wanted to be. The Green Post was always our meeting point, and we would sing and chant and cheer.
The cup journey of 1975 was unbelievable. The constant replays, the determination to succeed and John Marshall’s late winner against Birmingham led me to believe our name was on the trophy. One of my regrets is not being able to go to the 1975 FA Cup final. My mum didn’t trust my elder brother to look after me. He was going with a load of mates, and she felt he would lose me! She was probably right! I sat at home on the day of the club’s finest achievement watching the telly, willing us to win. I had bet 10 pence with a friend at school that John Marshall would score! I think I almost cried when the final whistle went. I had never believed we would lose!
Then of course, what a wonderful moment when George Best and Rodney Marsh signed for us. There we were in Division Two, and two of the greatest players of the era signed for us. (Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten Bobby Moore!). Even at the end of their careers, those guys were brilliant. Goerge was so graceful in his movement and his vision to pick out a pass or find an opening for a shot was a joy to watch. Rodney Marsh, full of joy and fun, playing with a smile! Of course, who will forget the 4-1 victory over Hereford United when they ran the show, teasing the opposition with the ball at their feet? I was there that day and still enjoy the repeat showing that sometimes pops up on TV!
There was a reason I chose to go to university at Roehampton, not only was there a larger proportion of girls than boys but it meant I could still watch the lads at the Cottage! The 1980s were both full of hope and optimism as well as despair and depression if you were a Fulham fan!
The quality of football we played under Malcolm McDonald was amazing. I loved watching Ivor (Gordon Davies) weave his way past defenders and slot home from acute angles. A Welsh wizard if ever there was one! The near miss of promotion with the debacle at Derby. Many fans still feel we were cheated by the FA and Derby County FC.
The match v Lincoln City in May 1982 that saw us win promotion to Division 2 sticks in my mind. My brother and I squeezed into the Hammy End. We got as far as the corner where it meets the Stevenage Road stand. The view was terrible, but the atmosphere was immense! Roger Brown put us ahead, we needed a win to be champions! It was incredibly tense. When one of their players got sent off, I thought that was it. But Lincoln equalised late on in a typical Fulhamish way! Nevertheless, we gained promotion. The crowd went wild with delight! Malcolm and the boys had done us proud!
I remember one cold night in the mid-80s a league cup match versus the mighty Liverpool, Champions I think, at the time. We had lost the first leg 10-0 and the home leg was packed and noisy. The atmosphere was electric. The champions were in town. We narrowly lost the match 2-3 but all I recall was the joy of the crowd, restraining the champions and atoning for the heavy first-leg defeat. We sang, unashamedly “He’s fat, he’s round, he bounces round the ground… Sammy Lee, Sammy Lee.” When I look back on the hurtful nature of “banter” some of it appals me. Some say “It’s part of the game, so live with it…” Others have seen the damage offensive chanting can do. Today I avoid personal songs, preferring to cheer and encourage our lads to succeed!
The 1980s saw much change at Fulham and the gradual decline through the decade to almost extinction. Dark times. The rumours of merging with QPR to create Fulham Park Rangers were rife. Fan power won the day, thank the Lord! The future of Fulham looked bleak. The darkest point was Ernie Clay selling the club to property developers. FFC almost disappeared! One bright moment was taking my girlfriend to a match on a cold, wet Tuesday evening to watch us play Chester City. A crowd of about 3-4 thousand watched us struggle against a team worse off than we were. We lost 0-1. But the highlight was my girlfriend being scared of the wild-looking, bearded man who sold monkey nuts in small, brown bags. He wandered the terrace selling his wares. My courage and bravery in purchasing nuts from the strange man and protecting my woman from his unkempt persona melted her heart. She later consented to be my wife! (Still going strong some 40 years or so later!)
As the 1980s moved on, so did I. I was living on the South Coast working as a teacher. Getting to games proved to be a challenge when you had a family to consider. I supported from afar, always following on the radio or scanning teletext to see the results. I managed to get to a few games a season and still, the buzz, sounds and smells brought goosebumps to my skin. The click, click, click of the scoreboard seemed like such modern technology, but that soon faded as the club dropped down the division to end up 91st out of 92. One midweek night in 1996 we lost 2-1 away to Torquay (the club in 92nd position), the nadir of Fulham’s history. But it seemed to be a catalyst for change. Ian Branfoot stepped aside, and Micky Adams took over. We finished the season just escaping relegation to non-league, and the next season we were promoted in 2nd place! Super Mike Conroy scoring every week! I remember driving home from a meeting, listening to the radio, late on in the season. I think we were playing Mansfield. We were on the cusp of promotion. A draw was enough to see us go up. The sense of relief I felt when the result came through. 0-0. During those years, I remember the Cottage looking sad and worn with a lack of investment after the Clay years. Jimmy Hill was not able to fight off those who wanted to destroy the club for profit. We were close to losing it all until Al Fayed stepped in.
I know he has the status of Voldemort, now. And rightly so. But at the time he was a saviour. Here was a man who had ambition for Fulham! We were going to be “The Manchester United of London!” I remember watching the news, with Al Fayed wrapped in a Fulham scarf declaring his big plans. He didn’t disappoint. (only that he got rid of Micky Adams!). Big names and big players arrived. Money being invested in infrastructure, as well as the team. A training ground (where I used to have my school sports days!) This was a dream come true! Kevin Keegan, Ray Wilkins, Karl Heinz-Reidle, and Geoff Horsefield became new heroes as we rapidly climbed the divisions. The cottage was buzzing. It was a brilliant place to be. The quality of football made us a team to be feared; there was joy again at the Cottage. I remember us beating Villa in the cup whilst still in division three (or was it two, it kept changing names!). People were finally taking notice that FFC were a team to be reckoned with!
When Al Fayed brought in Jean Tigana former French international to manage the team, none of us knew what was going to happen. The second tier of football never knew what hit them! Watching the boys from the Hammy end was sheer joy. Louis Saha’s silky skills drove us to the Championship with a record 101 points. 30 points from the first ten games. The increased crowds and the newer improved facilities created an upbeat atmosphere, one which had not been felt since the early 1980s. Fulham were back! It was a fantastic time to be a fan! I remember being at the Boxing Day home match versus Watford, another promotion hopeful. I was nervous, thinking we could lose as they had been playing extremely well. We thrashed them 5-0. What a result! As I recall we secured promotion against Huddersfield and sealed the championship at home with a 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday. I remember the celebrations as Sean Davies scored a late equalizer to clinch it! Joyous times. Jumping up and down, hugging all those around me. There’s no place like the Cottage, it has a unique atmosphere. We may not be the loudest, or sing continually but our fervour for the team is as strong as anyone.
The Premiership has been a wild ride from the beginning. A narrow 3-2 defeat to the Champions Manchester United in our opening game signalled our intent to compete. Louis Saha opened the scoring at Old Trafford! New signings like Van De Sarr, Legwinski, Boa Morte, Steed Malbranque and Bobby Zomora gave us strength and an ability to compete. We were never going to be the “The Manchester United of London!” but we put on a good show. Being at the Cottage for that first season was incredible. Watching my team play giants like United, Spurs, and Liverpool made all the heartache of the 80s and 90s worthwhile!
Two seasons at Loftus Road while the Cottage was renovated were uncomfortable, it was never “home!” Brief memories include a European run after winning the Intertoto Cup, Facundo Sava’s mask after scoring against Liverpool and Arsenal’s Thiery Henry scoring direct from a corner and then shrugging his shoulders as if to say… “How did that go in?”
The first game back at the Cottage, in 2004 I was there. That tingling feeling as I climbed the steps to the newly seated Hammy End with an extended roof and seeing the Putney End with a roof for the first time made me realise how much Al Fayed was investing. He had turned my beloved Fulham around! We comfortably beat Bolton Wanderers that day. For the next few seasons, we settled into a routine of finishing somewhere in the middle. It was good to watch, we played attractive football and occasionally beat the big boys. I would travel up from the coast 6-7 times a season with my youngest son who was now also hooked! Whether we won or lost it was always a great day out. Walking through Bishop’s Park, queuing at Putney Bridge station, buying burgers, smelling the onions and earwigging what all the other fans were saying.
I’m not even going to mention the Michael Jackson statue!
When Roy Hodgson arrived with the task of keeping us up in 2008, I wasn’t hopeful. We were woeful, but beating City away 2-3 after being 0-2 down was the turning point. I began to believe. Our 0-1 victory at Pompey kept us up on goal difference and cemented Hodgson as a Fulham hero. The next two seasons were immense for us. A 7th place finish followed by our great European adventure.
That season my brother had access to a hospitality box and for one season I watched the boys several times in luxury. Dinner, drinks, private toilets, waiters and a personal teamsheet! The best of all was the European night beating Shakhtar 2-1. What an atmosphere, the noise, the belief was unbelievable. Sadly, I missed the greatest home European night due to work. I listened on the radio quietly as we demolished Juventus to overturn a 1-3 deficit. Dempsey’s late winner will never be forgotten!
I could go on and on recalling memories, there are so many both good and bad. Let me finish by mentioning just a few. Hamburg 2010. Each time we won a match I thought it would be our last. The final made me so proud to be a Fulham fan. We played well and almost made it!
The drop to the Championship in 2014 was a low point with Felix Magath recommending Cheese for Brede’s leg injury(??). But we came back and when Dennis Odoi’s header sent us into the playoff final beating the old enemy Derby, I went wild! The day at Wembley was unbelievable, the sunshine, the heat, the result! Tom Cairney’s strike was a beautiful finish ending a smooth move. The hour or so spent singing after the match finished and the trophy presented… “You’re just too good to be true!” The white wall singing their hearts out!
The next few seasons were a total rollercoaster. It seemed we were destined to be a yoyo club but the arrival of Marco Silva re-energised Mitrovic and the season we won the Championship was one of the best ever! His 43 goals swept us to the title and that last home game beating Luton 7-0 will stick in my memory forever. Seeing the trophy paraded and the fans singing and dancing was such a great feeling.
Being a Fulham fan is unique. Let’s face it we are not a big club, nor are we small… we’re somewhere in the middle. We will win some, lose some be good and be poor. We will always be so! For me, that is the point. You never quite know what will happen when you turn up at the Cottage, except you can expect the unexpected.
I hope this resonates with some of you and sparks off some happy and poignant memories,
Thanks for reading.
COYW!
Jez Taylor
Jez Taylor- Author with a Christian worldview 
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