Mohamed al-Fayed's dream has come true.
Fulham will be entertaining Manchester United, Liverpool and Leeds on a regular
basis after they claimed promotion to the Premiership following their 2-1 win
at Huddersfield.
The First Division leaders, whose rise from the lower reaches of the Nationwide
League has been financed by their billionare chairman, will take their place
in the top flight next season for the first time since 1968.
Their star striker and top scorer Louis Saha got the party going when he hit
his 29th goal of the season from the penalty spot at the McAlpine Stadium, only
for Delroy Facey to give struggling Huddersfield a lifeline with the equaliser.
But Luis Boa Morte struck the winner with five minutes remaining to crown a
wonderful first season in charge for manager Jean Tigana. Fulham now need another
point to clinch the title following Blackburn's 0-0 draw at Stockport.
The final whistle prompted jubilant scenes as thousands of Fulham fans celebrated
their team's return to the top flight with the players and their hero Tigana,
who raced to the Cottagers fans to receive a prolonged bout of acclaim.
His style maybe unique - crunching matchsticks in the dugout is hardly de
riguer on these shores - but the Frenchman has revolutionised the Craven
Cottage club in a way reminiscent of his fellow countryman Eric Cantona's impact
at Premiership champions Manchester United.
Training, tactics and an unquenchable desire to be better than the rest: at
this rate the new kids on the block could end up being serious rivals to Old
Trafford's domestic dominance as an £80million windfall for reinforcements wends
it way to the banks of the Thames.
And with the money in the hands of the prudent Tigana, Fulham could end up
being a genuine force in the top flight.
Poor Huddersfield. Their battle against relegation took second-place to the
Londoners lengthy celebrations but the drop is real possibility as the defeat
leaves them just one point above the bottom three.
Fulham showed them no sympathy, however, and they demonstrated the secret
to their success in the opening stages when their forward line kicked into action
after just seven minutes. Boa Morte, who had earlier been unlucky not to get
on the end of a Saha flick-on, got clear in the box, but blazed wide from 12
yards out.
Clark hit a low drive from 30 yards which was safely gathered by home keeper
Vaesen and then Boa Morte's pace again took him into the box but his shot was
blocked for a corner.
Three minutes later Saha met Goldbaek's corner with a firm header which grazed
the bar from 12 yards out. The corner had been won by Boa Morte, who showed
blistering pace to race into the box before being denied by a last-ditch tackle
from Dyson.
However Fulham did not have the game all their own way and Huddersfield's pressure
led to a corner on 28 minutes, which visiting keeper Taylor clawed from
under the bar following an Armstrong inswinger.
Clark missed an easy chance to seal the game for Fulham after 68 minutes when
he somehow slipped the ball wide from only six yards out and it was against
the run of play when Huddersfield equalised 10 minutes later.
Facey, who was operating as a lone striker, ran at the visiting defence, took
the ball past Symons and crisply finished with a shot from 12 yards out.
This gave the whole team fresh heart and Facey again went close with a shot
from the edge of the area. Fulham were sufficiently rattled for manager Jean
Tigana made a double substitution, bringing on Sean Davis and Karlheinz Riedle.
This paid off on 84 minutes when Boa Morte scored the decisive second goal,
toe-poking Finnan's pass into the net from the edge of the area as Vaesen rashly
raced off his line.
However the whistle went and the visitors celebrated in style. The good times
have arrived in west London but the good news for them is that it could
be only the start of things to come.
Huddersfield: Huddersfield: Vaesen, Heary, Lucketti, Dyson,
Jenkins, Thornley (Gallen 68), Armstrong, Holland, Gorre, Facey, Baldry.
Subs Not Used: Margetson, Moses, Brennan, Irons.
Booked: Dyson, Lucketti, Gallen.
Fulham: Taylor, Finnan, Melville, Symons, Brevett, Sahnoun
(Davis 80), Clark, Stolcers, Goldbaek (Riedle 71),
Saha (Moller 89), Boa Morte.
Subs Not Used: Hahnemann, Neilson.
Att: 15,882
Ref: K Hill (Royston).
Source sky