After a 2 hour each way commute to The Cottage yesterday afternoon and some time to reflect, It seems rather trivial to sit at a laptop and bemoan a below par Fulham performance, a woeful referee and non existant transport links. The critical incident in the Hammersmith after just 10 minutes that unfortunately resulted in the passing of a fan not only had an effect on the game but without doubt most of us in the ground, especially those in the immediate vicinity.

Sometimes things happen that just put into perspective how insignificant football is in the wider scale of things. Without wanting to comment too much on what is undoubtedly a tragic day, I can only add a few thoughts based on a spectator’s view from 10/15 yards away at that end of the ground. The response not only from the fans but more so the medical teams, in particular those from Blackpool it must be said who were the first on the scene have to be commended. The decorum of spectators and their initiative to use the flags to create an element of privacy and security was human behavior at its very best.

The thirty minutes or so that passed with both teams returning to the dressing room and eventually re emerging was met with impeccable patience and understanding as we all looked on in hope that the medical team’s efforts would result in a positive outcome. It has of course since come to light that this was not the case and so one can only further distance themselves from caring too much about the result and individual player analysis on a day like this.

Much like the performance of the team after the restart, the atmosphere never really managed to get going again for the remaining 80 minutes. There was singing and passion, anger and frustration for sure but with all that had gone on, the on pitch action felt more like a distraction than anything else. By the time we had started to find a bit of rhythm again after the restart, the half time whistle was blown.

Most will agree that Fulham didnt do enough to win the game. The second half in particular with the exception of a Carvalho chance hitting the post was riddled with misplaced passes and corners that promised so much and delivered so little. It was inevitable that sooner or later one of the many defensive mistakes and loose passes would cost us. Josh Bowler was the main threat for the visitors all afternoon having struck the bar in the first half and it seemed inevitable that it would eventually be him to find the net against his old club. Whether or not Rodak could have done better was hard to say from the Hammersmith end.

On any other day we would have exited the ground with a feeling of dissapointment, annoyance and dissatisfaction but in fact it felt more melancholy than anything else. At the end of the day we still sat 6 points clear at the top of the league and the buffer does allow for the occasional poor performance. We can only hope that next week sees a more composed defensive performance as we face Man City at the Etihad.

A final note on a day like no other at Craven Cottage. Despite not knowing the supporter who lost his life at the game on Saturday we as a collective are forever tied together in our love and support of this Football club. In turn it is natural that we should feel some affinity and a kinship to all those on our side. We share our hopes and dreams as a Fulham family are at this time are united in our sympathy and condolences to the grieving family. Rest in Peace and know that you will be forever Fulham.