A beaming Marco Silva told the press he was ‘proud’ of his Fulham side after they clinched promotion to the Premier League with a resounding victory over Preston North End – and insisted that this is just the start of his journey at Craven Cottage.

The Whites shrugged off the disappointment of losing to both Coventry City and Derby County in the past nine days by scoring three times in 41 minutes as the league leaders overwhelmed a shellshocked Preston North End. Serbian scoring sensation Aleksandar Mitrovic took his Championship tally to forty goals for the season with a brace, whilst an instinctive finish from the clinical Fabio Carvalho effectively ended the contest ten minutes before the break.

A smiling Silva told his post-match press conference as the players and fans mingled in delight on the pitch:

“We got it tonight. A lot of energy from the first minute. We knew we wanted to get it done tonight. We were clinical. All of us have to be proud about what we have achieved. It was the reason we were invited here (to Fulham). I’m really proud of my players.”

It’s important for all of us. I know why I joined Fulham and this is just the beginning of a long journey, I hope.”