Roy Hodgson has told his players to seize the opportunity tomorrow night against Tottenham and take Fulham to their first Wembley outing in 35 years by winning their FA Cup quarter final.
The Cottagers manager needed little prompting at his pre-match press conference to talk about the prospect of a trip to the famous stadium.
It would be great on a personal note to lead a team out in the semi-final at Wembley. But more importantly it would be great for the club. These are the type of goals you set yourself at the start of the season.
When you get this close you realise you’ll never have a better opportunity to get across the line. Our players know this is a great opportunity. We worked hard for it, it’s been handed to us and now we need to do what’s necessary to bring home the bacon.
You know you’ll have to knock a very good team out if you’re to reach the semi-finals and our moment has now come. The scenario is set – it’s a London derby between two teams who play good football.
Hodgson seems just as excited about the month of March as the Fulham fans, with a trip to Manchester United sandwiched between two games against Juventus in the Europa League.
This is a big month and it’s amazing that the games come back to back. First we have Tottenham, who are fourth in the Premier League, and having a great season in the quarter-final. Then a last 16 game in Turin.
It just makes me realise more and more what a fantastic job the players have done for this club. The players aren’t satisfied at having got this far. They want to take a step further. The question is if we’re good enough.
It would be a tremendous achievement if we could do something this month and get something from either of the fixtures against Tottenham or Juventus. It would give us reason to be proud and would make the club’s history books.
It’s simply amazing what the team has done this year. With all the injuries and all the games, we’re in the final 8 in the FA cup & final 16 in Europa, and nowhere close to the relegation zone. Last year, I thought the consistency of lineup & lack of injuries, was big reason for our success – I thought that if we had a bunch of injuries that we might be in trouble. This year, we’ve had those injuries, and our team hasn’t missed a beat. Simply amazing.
It is astonishing isn’t it, Tim? I’m just going to enjoy this evening as the achievements have been remarkable. Let’s hope the boys give us something to cheer about.