Hodgson Leads Fulham to Promised Land

Roy Hodgson, the Fulham FC manager, is considered something of a messiah at Craven Cottage, having transformed the West London club from relegation fodder to Europa League finalists in a little over two seasons.

Last night, in front of a partisan crowd at their picturesque stadium on the banks of the River Thames, Fulham defeated Hamburg 2-1 in the Europa League Semi-Final, second leg, to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory, and earn a place in the final on 12th May against Atlético Madrid.

There were wild scenes of celebration at the Cottage from the majority of the 27,500 crowd, difficult to put into words, as Fulham battled back from 1-0 down, knowing they needed to score twice in the final 20 minutes, and like so many times under the guidance of Hodgson, they overcame the odds, and with late goals from Welshman Simon Davies, and Hungarian Zoltan Gera, they passed the test. Only this time it was different prize. Fulham had never reached a European final before since their formation in 1879, in fact their only ever major trophy final was back in 1975, the Cottagers suffering a 2-0 defeat to London rivals West Ham at Wembley Stadium.

For a relatively small London club to reach one of the two major European finals is a monumental achievement in itself, yet the accolades don't stop there. Fulham are the sole British team left in European competition this season, and so will fly the flag in the HSH Nordbank Arena with most of the island behind them.

For the modest Hodgson, last night, there was a brief foray onto the pitch before leaving the field so the players could lap up the glory. Hodgson is a man of great humility, and one whose reputation as a successful football manager is gaining widespread weight, after a colourful managerial career mainly spent abroad. The whispers of a future England manager to one day succeed Fabio Capello have already started.

For Fulham fans, they have seen a modern-day miracle, journeying from the fourth tier of English football, through the leagues to the Premiership, and now into a major European final. Win or lose in the final, the Londoners have already been lead from the darkness and into the light.