Near Misses

[NorfolkJim]

When I was about 11 I lived in Latimer near Little Chalfont. I'd tell the kids at school that I supported Chelsea (Because at that time they had a song in the charts "Blue is the colour" and I didn't know the names of any other teams) but in truth had zero interest in the game. Then a friend over the Road who supported Leeds Utd kept raving on about how good it was going to a match and it peaked my interest.

I asked my dad if he would take me to a game. He was a Crystal Palace man but didn't want me to have anything to do with Palace (Not sure why). The Local team was, I suppose, Watford but Dad didnt want to go there either. I got the pools coupon out and started down through the matches. Back then I had no idea where Arsenal was or that Aston Villa were not in London but Dad rejected Arsenal and Villa, Sprus were away, West Ham was rejected as well and Chelsea were away

First London club at home in Division 2 was Fulham. Dad couldnt find anything bad to say about Fulham and Wolfie Smith on TV supported them so we took the tube to Putney Bridge. I didn't have much of a relationship with my dad so it was a real treat to me. We walked through Bishops park together and got to the ground way too early to get in. I was busting for a P so an elderly guy in the Cottage let me in and took me to a bathroom in the cottage - There I was able to have a pee next to Bobby Moore (So we are now Pee brothers), not that I knew who he was then - but I got his autograph.

We went in the Enclose, it was againsts Portsmouth (2-2 I think) and it was the very end of when you could have a box / crate to stand on, so I stood on one at the front and fell in Love with Fulham FC, the Cottage, the fans and everything about it. Having moved all round the country since I've kept on returning to watch Fulham, it holds many happy memories for me.

But just think - If Chelsea had been at home that day - I'd probably have gone there. If dad wasn't negative about inflicting Crystal Palace on me, we could have gone there - Had dad not had quals about Watford and Arsenal and West Ham I might have gone there, had I gone with my friend over the road, I'd have been Leeds Utd (Esp as I lived a good decade in Harrogate, a Leeds Utd town) - But God is good so I went to Fulham

Talk about a near miss

[GloucesterWhite]

That's a lucky escape Jim. I used to live in Little Chalfont back in the 1950s. The actor Dirk Bogarde had a masive estate there and we used to play in the wood and field that were in his grounds. It's probably a big housing estate now.

[copthornemike]

That's a lucky escape Jim. I used to live in Little Chalfont back in the 1950s. The actor Dirk Bogarde had a masive estate there and we used to play in the wood and field that were in his grounds. It's probably a big housing estate now.

Think it is still a privately owned 'estate' - subsequently owned by Ozzy Osbourne then Robert Kilroy-Silk (remember him).

[Mokes]

Growing up in Aus before the Internet was really a thing and with parents who would not pay for foxtel (sky for you guys) I never got to see any of the English game. I played the sport since I was 5 and wanted to follow a team but there was not really anyone to go for. The old NSL was a bit of a joke and to be completely honest I didn't even know it existed until I was about 16. The club I used to play for was called the Marton Hammers and I didn't realise it for a few years but we were a complete rip off of West Ham. Same colours and Logo. I figured this would be my team. But then I was sitting around watching my coaches game later in the day and some idiot on the other team attacked the referee and pushed him over and my coach came off and said "this clown thinks he's f****g Paolo Di Canio". Who's that I ask. Then he told me the story of Paolo Di Canio and I decided there that I would never want to go for a team that had him in it.

Literally the next day, I was watching TV (this was before digital TV so if it rained If the weather was bad we could only get 2 channels to work on our television ABC and SBS) and a documentary came on about English football stadiums. If the weather was nice and I could have tuned in to one of the main channels I probably wouldn't of watched it, alas I did and they did a little feature on Craven Cottage and showed the little cottage and how it was located on the edge of a river and then I fell in love with it.

Looking back the near misses were there but it was fate. When I moved to London in 2010 I had no Idea when I was going to live, but figured Fulham would be as good as anywhere. Turned out to be the best part of London to live and the best couple of year of my life.

If I didn't stick around that day watching my coaches game and find out about the monster that is Paolo Di Canio, I probably would be a West Ham fan.

If it was not raining the day later I wouldn't have known anything about Fulham and probably would have picked another team. Probably Arsenal come to think of it; the only English guy I knew (and didn't like) was a Tottenham fan and Tierry Henry was my favourite player. Having gone to the Emirates to see the Arsenal v Fulham game a couple of years back, and seeing how the Arsenal fans carry on, the thought of that near miss actually makes me shiver.

[Andy S]

My twin brother went to watch QPR and although a twin I always felt in the shadow of my brother. So I decided to watch Fulham as they were in div 1 and had the England captain playing for them as well as the England full back George Cohen. I first went after the 66 world cup. I fell in love with the ground and I have been supporting the whites ever since. The first game I saw was Fulham V West Ham it finished 4-2 and 4 world cup hero's played that day. Ahh the memories