Hodgson hails Fulham history makers (News Feature)

By Jonathan Wilson Apr 30, 2010, 10:28 GMT

London - Fulham woke on Friday morning to find that it is true, that they really did reach a European final by beating Hamburg in the semi-final of the Europa League.

This is one of the Premier League's smaller club, with a quaint ground stuck at the end of Bishop's Park on the north banks of the Thames.

For most of the club's 131-year existence, it seemed the real sport in the area was going on in the boat-houses opposite.

Excitement was what happened when the Omen was filmed in the graveyard of All Saints' church at the other end of Bishop's Park or the university boat race slid past on its journey from Putney Bridge up to Mortlake.

But this season they have beaten the likes of Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and Wolfsburg, and then, on Thursday, two goals in six second-half minutes, saw off Hamburg.

'To reach a European final, I don't care if you're a top-four team or Fulham, it's an amazing achievement,' said their manager Roy Hodgson, who has masterminded their rise.

He led Inter Milan to the UEFA Cup final in 1997, where they lost to Schalke 04, but Fulham has surely outstripped his achievements in Italy.

When he took charge three seasons ago, they seemed certain to be relegated, but three wins in the final three games of the season kept them up, and made this season's fairy-tale possible.

'I know I'll remember this night and many nights like it,' he said.

'This team has produced better results and better football than we're entitled to. We are in the final for no other reason than we have played very well in some difficult games.

'We made a major piece of history here. The atmosphere is something we will remember for a long time.

'I'm a little bit drained of emotion. You go through a roller coaster out there but cannot be more delighted than I am with the performance.

'The time at Fulham has been quite magical for me. I established a rapport with the chairman, who has been very good and given me the backing I needed.

'And the fans, right from the off, even during the moments when it was not going too well, were still behind us. That is reward for those fans who will now watch their team in the Europa League final.'

After a goalless draw in the first leg, Malden Petric put Hamburg ahead with a ferocious free-kick.

But Simon Davies levelled after some immaculate close control, before Zoltan Gera swivelled to lash the winner with 15 minutes remaining.

'It was a great performance because it would have been so easy to have lost our heads after Petric's great goal,' Hodgson said.

'It was fairly even but we are suddenly one down and an away goal (down). It would have been easy to forget our plans but we didn't and our movement was very good.

'At half-time we were determined to play our game as we planned and hope it would work and with a bit of fortune that is what happened.

'The character of this team has been proved time and time again. They consistently surprise me that they continue to show such character.

'Normally such success softens you and you are not so determined to get such success.'

Fulham face Atletico Madrid in the final on May 12.