Hodgson lines up one final push for glory (News Feature)

By Jonathan Wilson May 11, 2010, 5:01 GMT

London - On the Fulham website, they are advertising a flight to Hamburg for Wednesday's Europa League final as the 'trip of a lifetime', and for Fulham it probably is.

Nobody expected this at the start of the season. Nobody is pretending this could be the start of a dynasty.

This is a glorious one-off, and already fans know that in a decade they will be looking back on this season and wondering how on earth they beat the likes of Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, Wolfsburg and Hamburg to get to their first final since West Ham beat them in the FA Cup decider in 1975.

Founded in 1879, Fulham are a small club. Their Craven Cottage ground is quaintly ramshackle, and even their extended tenure in the Premier League feels like a long and implausible holiday.

Getting into the Europa League was seen as a ridiculous adventure; being one game from winning it is an impossible dream.

'Since the semi-final it's been hard to bring ourselves back to reality for the Premier League matches,' manager Roy Hodgson admitted.

'I'd be lying if I said the Europa League wasn't the match in hand for us and as we get closer we get more and more excited about it.'

Midfielder Damien Duff and striker Bobby Zamora, who have both played key roles in Fulham's progress through the competition are both injury doubts and missed Sunday's 4-0 defeat at Arsenal.

'They both have a good chance of playing in the final,' said Hodgson.

Duff was set to recover, but Zamora, who limped out of both legs of the semi-final with Hamburg with an Achilles problem, is more of a concern.

'Every day there is improvement,' Hodgson said, 'but we're not seeing that magical improvement from injury to injury-free.

'He obviously wants to play and we'd like him to play because he's been very influential in helping us get where we are.

'But he can only play if he's fit.'

For his possible replacement, Norwegian striker Erik Nevland, who will leave in the summer, the final could be the perfect way to end his two-and-a-half seasons in south-west London.

'We want to win every game we play but for me personally it would be an absolute dream to leave with a Europa League medal around my neck,' said the 32 year old.

'Obviously I want to play in the final. It's one of the biggest games I will ever play in and I want to be a part of it.

'There is still a big game to play so it's going to be exciting and we are looking forward to it.'

Even were Fulham to lose, this would still have been arguably the greatest season in the club's history, but Hodgson is determined to push on a lift his first European title, having lost in the UEFA Cup final to Schalke 04 when Inter Milan manager.

'It's been a magnificent season, one that will live long in the memory,' he said. 'The team has played well and we've got great results.

'We bask in the glory and of course reaching the final is an achievement, but I don't think any team worthy of the name will ever get to a final and think, 'well, we've done enough, now we can take our foot off the pedal and it doesn't matter what happens.'

'We're going to be as desperate to win the final as we were in the semi-final, and it all boils down to whether we're good enough.'

Against all expectations, so far, they have been. This Fulham side is already great; one more step will make them immortal.