Jack and Loz in the Play-Offs - Blog 81

[EastEndWhite]

As ever, another great  blog.  Brings a smile to your face.

Jack and Loz in the Play-Offs - Blog 81
Date (with destiny): 14th May 2018

Opposition: Derby County

Score: 2-0 (2-1 on aggregate)

Weather: a late spring evening at Craven Cottage. The sun set on our ground but not on our season

Atmosphere: mind-blowing. From the wall of solid noise which greeted the players as they emerged from the tunnel to the deluge of fans on the pitch after the final whistle this was the best atmosphere at the Cottage since we sang "Stand Up if You Still Believe"

Opposition fans: the Derby fans bounced ("what the f**king hell was that?") and were present in large numbers but we simply could not hear them over the noise generated by 23,000 Fulham fans in full voice

MOTM (football): Tom Cairney has come in for some criticism recently (some of it from us) but on Monday night our Midfield Magician became Captain of our hearts. He led, he fought, he tackled, he battled, he passed, he shot, he controlled, he created. He took the blows, he ran the game, he led the celebrations, he gave everything he could to the team. He will be the first Fulham captain for 43 years to lead us out at Wembley. And he will do us proud

MOTM (non-football): David Button, Floyd Ayite, Cyrus Christie, Rui Fonte, Lucas Piazon and Neeskens Kebano didn't play in Monday night's game but they have all played a part in getting us to Wembley and they celebrated the win as wholeheartedly as the fans

Pub: our last visit of the season to the OSP

Good things, they say, come to those who wait. Fulham fans have waited patiently, politely, graciously, as is our nature, to return to Wembley Stadium for 43 years since we lost the 1975 FA cup final. This is the longest absence of any team in the football league and, as self-effacing as we are, the wait was becoming tedious. We have come close several times, but a match at the home of English football has remained frustratingly just out of our reach.

The story of the play-offs begins at Birmingham where Fulham's 23 game unbeaten streak came to an unlikely end. Was it nerves? Was is fatigue? Was it an inability to fully focus on the prize because the play-offs were playing on the players' minds? To make matters worse our two-legged tie against Derby got off to an inauspicious (some might say a Fulhamish) start with a loss at Pride Park on Friday night despite Fulham being, in many ways, the better team.

But this is where the suserb Slavisa Jokanovic showed his calculating cleverness, and showed he has learnt from last year's travesty against Reading. He treated the play-off semi-finals as one 180 minute game and managed it according. The away leg was all about containment and conserving energy, despite the vastly superior possession and the impressive pressing in the last half hour Fulham barely got out of third gear. Even though we left Derby having lost the match we were really only one goal down at half time with 90 minutes to play at Craven Cottage where we haven't failed to score in the league since October.

And so, after a long and nervous weekend the Fulham faithful gathered at the Cottage on Monday night, some in suits, some with briefcases, all in a state of nervous anticipation. There were flags, there were clappers, there was surround sound at a level off the decibel scale. There was the familiar pre-match huddle in which Kevin told his teammates that Fulham Expects Every Man To Do His Duty. And then the game started, and the noise got louder, and the nerves got worse. And Fulham started to play the Perfect Game.

We have blogged about perfect games before this season - the 6-0 destruction of defenceless Burton, the 2-0 masterclass against almighty Wolves, but Slavisa got the second 90 minutes of his 180 minute game exactly right - start fast and get faster, put the pressure on and keep it on, take possession, keep possession, drive further and further forward, create chances, take chances, never let up. We came close to scoring several times in the first half and maybe we should have done better but you know you've got your opponent in the ropes when the only defensive tactic they have left is putting the ball out for a corner again and again.

Half time was a well-earned break for fans and players alike. All that standing and singing is hard work! And after half time, as London Calling was blasting around the ground and a few, foolish fans still weren't back at their seats, the magic began.

Ryan Sessegnon was one of the first players to come out of the tunnel, the first to take his place on the pitch in readiness for kick off. He looked eager, alert and poised. He didn't look like a man about to play his last 45 minutes for Fulham at Craven Cottage. He looked like a man calmly following his manager's plan, a man ready to do what he does best and take his beloved team to Wembley.

When his goal came it was a terrific one and he showed his elite class by finding a split second to pick his target and place the ball rather than blasting it and hoping for the best. We were on level terms, we had 40 minutes left to play, we had the upper hand and we all knew it - the fans in ecstasy in the stands, the players - first Mitro, then Stefjo then Ryan himself urging us from the pitch to up the noise levels still more.

The second goal was always coming. With around 30 minutes to go we hit 6th gear. With a sonic boom, AK reached his natural cruising speed and began, with Mitro strong and solid beside him and TC just owning the midfield behind them to utterly dominate the game. Derby were worthy play-off opponents. They defended valiantly, they counter attacked expertly but they didn't stand a chance against the speed of AK and Fredericks, the control of our 3 midfield musketeers and the defensive bulwark which is Tim Ream. If you were going to bet on who would score that second goal though, particularly a headed goal from a corner you'd expect to see long odds on the diminutive Denis Odoi. But when Sess fired in a lob of perfect line and length one man rose higher than any other (look at the pictures - his feet are at the same level as other players' waists!) made perfect contact with the ball and directed it goalwards.

For seconds, it felt, the ball and the whole world seemed to hang in the air.

Then the ball hit the post and fell down into the net. And we got to Wembley.

Random musings:-

- this is one of the best team performances we have seen even in a season full of them and if we were writing a book rather than a blog we would devote a lot of words to every player. Suffice to say that picking Tom as our MOTM wasn't easy. Both goal scorers, Fredericks and Ream were in the running and we have to mention Stefjo and his endless energy

- what does 3 Reams in a row make? Some sort of jackpot!

- we love AK but his one fault is that his feet are faster than his brain. They would be faster than Einstein's brain too so it's not really his fault but sometimes he just needs to slow things down and take a bit longer to make a decision

- Kevin McDonald got a yellow card for drinking. What did the ref think was in that bottle? Whisky? A go-faster potion? Irn Bru???

- as the 4th official signalled 6 minutes of additional time Mitro took the ball to the corner. Did he actually mean to try to keep it there for 6 whole minutes???

- it wasn't so much a pitch invasion as a pitch celebration with fans apparently asking stewards if it was ok to go onto the pitch

This was a match that you lived rather than watched. That you experienced in such a visceral way that it is hard to analyse it objectively. By any standards it was a great match but for Fulham fans to watch this team not just play fancy football but fight like demons for what we all want so much, and have wanted for so long, made it a night we will never forget. A night almost beyond compare.

The job is only half done. Aston Villa and an old, old enemy await. 2 weeks of hard work are ahead of the team and 2 weeks of planning a day out to remember are ahead of the fans. But for now let's savour this achievement. Little Fulham from by the river are going to Wembley. The players left it all on the pitch, we left it all in the stands. We are going to Wembley. We deserve it. And we will relish it.

https://werdsmith.com/p/K4NN4YGQ4f

If there is a prize for best blog(gers) they should win it.

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[Sherlock]

That was a great read. Described the game exactly as I saw it. While watching it I kept thinking Cairney was playing at his very best. He was at a level that would not look out of place in even the top PL teams, much in the same way Dembele used to look. Of course, Dembele did it against Man Utd and Chelsea among others, but I would love to see what Tom can do at a higher level - he really deserves the chance.

[mrmicawbers]

Excellent  :beer:

[Twig]

Terrific read, brought back all those wonderful memories.