There are some magnificent memories of Fulham triumphs at Huddersfield in recent years – it was tough to narrow our selection ahead of our first away game of the season down to just three. We have to start with one that Luis Boa Morte still remembers fondly, his late winner against the Terriers’ confirmed promotion in 2001 at the end of a magical season. The incredible backs-to-the-wall win under Kit Symons is certainly worth recalling – that game had absolutely everything – and the masterclass from Slavisa Jokanovic’s side in the 2016/2017 season was a simply sensational awayday. Feel free to add your own recollections in the comments.
Boa Morte clinches promotion
Huddersfield Town 1-2 Fulham (14 April 2001)
It took a late Luis Boa Morte winner, expertly squeezed into the bottom corner after he surged clear down the right flank, to formally confirm Fulham’s promotion to the Premier League after Jean Tigana’s side had put together probably the most magnificent season of football in the club’s storied history. The Portuguese forward poked a finish past Nico Vaesen after the goalkeeper had dashed off his line to try and avert the danger after Boa Morte had linked up impressively with Steve Finnan.
Louis Saha’s 28th goal of an incredible campaign came from the penalty spot after Boa Morte had been clumsily felled by Chris Lucketti, but the celebrations at the end of an incredible week that included Sean Davis’ dramatic winner at Blackburn looked like being deferred when Delroy Facey fired in an excellent equaliser after bursting away from Kit Symons. But that reckoned without Boa Morte’s brilliant finish, which ensured Fulham were not left ruing a succession of missed chances in the second half.
Tigana and his heroes were serenaded by the travelling fans in emotional scenes following the final whistle, which also included the players discreetly passing around the bottles of champagne provided by the sponsors as they briefly beat the French maestro’s ban on alcohol!
Fofana seals surreal win
Huddersfield Town 0-2 Fulham (21 March 2015)
This game quite literally had everything. Fulham scored direct from a corner, Huddersfield missed two penalties and there was a case of mistaken identity as the referee got Cauley Woodrow and Shaun Hutchinson mixed up. Right at the death, with Kit Symons’ side somehow surviving yet more home pressure, Seko Fofana sprinted half the length of the pitch to seal Fulham’s first away win in eight matches – tucking home at the second attempt after he had appeared to miss a much simpler opportunity. It was quite simply exhilirating.
Alex Kacaniklic got the crazy afternoon off to a surreal start when his right-wing corner went straight in, having somehow crept past both goalkeeper Alex Smithies and former Fulham defender Mark Hudson at the near post. Huddersfield laid siege to the Fulham goal but couldn’t score. As well as Nakhi Wells’ two failures from twelve yards, Ishmael Miller twice hit the post and Jack Butterfield rattled the bar from 20 yards. Fulham clung on with ten men and made sure of all three points in stoppage time when Fofana finished off a fine counter-attack and sprinted into the travelling support to lift the Whites further away from trouble.
Johansen double caps Fulham fightback
Huddersfield Town 1-4 Fulham (22 April 2017)
This was one of the classic away days under Slavisa Jokanovic as Fulham’s flowing football blew our promotion rivals away in the blink of an eye. The visitors weathered an early scare when Chris Lowe crashed home a fourth minute penalty after being brought down in the box by Floyd Ayite. That they fought back with such style was a credit to the confidence the Whites were playing with under Jokanovic, especially as the season was quickly approaching that make-or-break period.
Scott Malone equalised with his sixth goal of a productive campaign from left back, driving home with aplomb after offering an overlap for the adventurous Ayite, who was desperate to make amends for his earlier error. The Togolese winger was then felled in the area and Tom Cairney stepped up to score from twelve yards – a rarity in a season where the Whites missed thirteen spot-kicks. The peerless Stefan Johansen then added two more of his own in the space of nine minutes, firstly following up when Ryan Sessegnon saw a shot blocked and then robbing Jonathan Hogg to give Fulham further breathing space.
It was a commanding display that hinted at what was to come from Jokanovic’s side and stunned the home crowd into bemused silence. They did brilliantly join in with the away fans’ chant of ‘Leeds are falling apart again’ on a sunkissed afternoon that will live long in the memory.
