78 Seconds

Fulham  1  Oldham Athletic  2

FA Challenge Cup – 3^rd Round

It was the final game of the season, 1982-83, and with promotion chasing Leicester City having only been able to draw at home to Burnley, the equation was simple.

Fulham, seeking a back to back promotion to what would have been the old First Division, needed a win at Derby County, whereas the Rams needed the two points to guarantee survival.

Bobby Davison gave Derby the lead in the 71^st minute with a stunning volley, and as the game drew ever nearer to it’s conclusion, fans spilled over the barriers and lined the side of the pitch. The atmosphere was wholly intimidating, for Fulham that was, and when Robert Wilson was kicked by a spectator as he dribbled down the wing, the severity of the situation was clear for all to see.

Referee Ray Chadwick blew for an offside decision in the 89^th minute, but the Rams fans thought the game was over and spilled onto the pitch for a final time. But, after the terrified Fulham players left the field, subject to attacks, Mr Chadwick admitted the game was not finished, 78 seconds still remained.

The Fulham Manager Malcolm MacDonald was furious, he demanded the game be replayed, and he got support from Derby (who would have been safe anyway) and indeed Leicester who claimed that had the boot been on the other foot, they too would have demanded a replayed game.

Their request was thrown out by the FA two days later, but an appeal was lodged, and once again the FA used the ‘we have the absolute discretion’ line to again state that the result was to stand.

For Fulham it was devastating, and the club went into decline, never threatening to get close to the top flight again, until many years later when a certain owner of Harrods took control and completely changed the fortunes of the club that calls itself “London’s Original”

Why the story? Well, I wasn’t at the Baseball Ground that day, I wanted to be, but my Dad wouldn’t let me go, fearing the inevitable trouble that occurred. He went himself, and while a touch miffed I couldn’t join him, whenever I think of Fulham, I can see the image of that Bobby Davison volley on Match of the Day.

Meetings between Derby and Fulham after that infamous game were somewhat few and far between. They both met the following season, when Derby managed to get relegated, but then it was a further sixteen years before paths crossed again.  Consequently then, during the era when I was a regular home and away with the Rams, I never got to Craven Cottage, and that largely explains why we are now just three grounds shy of the 92, and Fulham is indeed one of those.

I had a look earlier this season and if I wanted a seat for a Premier League game I was paying £52, well, I wasn’t actually, I wasn’t paying that at all, I would wait for a cheaper alternative, and that is why when the FA Cup came up trumps and the Cottagers were doing tickets for a tenner, I was on it like lightening!

Mrs H and Master H were originally going to come, but a change in circumstances meant my pal from the Basford upon Nottingham area, Derek, was going to come along to join me instead. You see, I’d spotted a wee little programme fair taking place at Russell Square, and that was all it was going to take to get the much travelled one into the passenger seat.

The alarm went off at 7am, which for a Sunday is bad enough, but when you didn’t get to bed until after midnight after being up at 5.45am the following day, that’s a bit of a shock to the system. But, I was up and outside Casa Derek by the agreed 8am pick up time, and by 10.15am we were parking up at a hotel in Central London.

The fair was impressive, as they always are for us enthusiasts, but no matter how hard I tried, that elusive Belper Town 1973-74, and equally elusive Alfreton Town 1978-79 could not be found at all. Someone, somewhere……..

Anyway, we made our jolly way on the tube to Putney Bridge and took a leisurely stroll along the Thames footpath, with Bishops Park and Fulham Palace to our right hand side. It was a lovely afternoon, as Derek told the story about his last visit to Craven Cottage with his Father in the early Sixties.

Craven Cottage is a superb old football ground. The outer façade to the Johnny Haynes Stand remains unspoiled from a bygone era, and while the other three stands have been seated and re-clad, the Haynes Stand is one of the classics of British football with wooden tip up seats and a gable on the roof. Of course, between this stand and the Putney Bridge End is the old Cottage, a quaint but historic footballing landmark, and it is for reasons like this, you hope Fulham don’t decide to move elsewhere.

Seating approximately 26,000 these days, it does the job for what it’s intended, and with plans to expand the Riverside Stand upwards, clearly Craven Cottage is here to stay for the medium term at least.   

With seats at the very bottom corner of the front row in the Hammersmith End, we had a pitch side view of proceedings, and the first thing to strike us was the sheer volume of the support from Oldham. Close on 5,000 fans had packed the away end, and throughout the game, especially as the second period panned out in dramatic fashion, they created a quite brilliant atmosphere.

It was pretty muted amongst the home fans, with many arriving after kick off, unsure of where they were seating, so maybe today was a game for the casual fan, with many lost souls wandering around with pieces of paper in their hands! As Derek and I got in early, we found our way round to the al-fresco bar on the Riverside of the ground, which offered lovely views across the Thames towards the canoeing clubs on the far bank.

The first half was pretty duff to be honest. The Tinkerman had many several changes to the Fulham side and many of the new faces ponced about trying to play pretty passing moves without any end product, and God forbid if they put a tackle in, it might muddy their pristine white socks!

At half time it was 0-0, but then shortly after the break the hosts took the lead when Denis Odoi took advantage of a ball that was only half cleared. You couldn’t help but feel that the goal would only spur the hosts on, and Oldham would be deflated, but that was far from the case.

Fulham missed a great chance to make it 2-0, before substitute Ryan Sessegnon bundled Peter Clarke over in the box following a corner. Anthony Taylor rightly awarded a spot kick and up stepped Sam Surridge to score.

Fulham had a great chance to restore the lead in the 84^th minute when they were awarded a penalty for a trip on Tom Cairney, albeit it was reviewed by VAR for a lengthy period before the final decision was made. Aleksander Mitrovic was sent on as a substitute to take the penalty, but Daniel Iverson made a superb save to his left.

The drama was not over, with two minute to go a ball from the left was met by Wigan Athletic loanee Callum Lang who headed the ball home, which was cue for carnage in the away end.

Oldham hung on and the Putney Bridge end erupted at the final whistle, and to be fair, based on effort alone, it was a richly deserved victory.

As we walked back to the tube, the away fans could be heard singing long after the final whistle,  and as a good chunk of the crowd were still in the stadium, getting on to the first available train proved to be far easier than we expected.

Premier League survival is all Fulham have to focus on now, a status they regained at the end of last season after a spell out of the top flight. Of course, on the way to beating Aston Villa in the Play-Off Final at Wembley, they disposed of Derby County, deservedly so in the semi-final.

Revenge, is best served over 180 minutes, not 89…..