The Craven Cottage Experience

Bright Boots, Soft Fouls and Ronaldo Celebrations: a Youth Game at London's most Traditional Football Club.

April 5, 2019

The player's view through the tunnel.

The original terraces are still intact at the Cottage. The clatter of wooden seats snapping back to their folded position caused a ripple of noise every time the boys in black and white launched an attack. Obscured vision with rusted scaffolding was an accepted part of the fan experience when in Hammersmith. And it’s a rookie error to buy the spare tickets going on the cheap directly behind the stone pillars that support the club. That was a lesson that the lifetime fans learned years ago.

The unlucky few are sat behind the pillars.

Fulham have a proud heritage since 1879, and having witnessed London grow up, they refuse to sell their history. The ground has a passionate feel of dedicated fans, and my visit felt like I experienced a true English football club.

I had come to Fulham to watch the Under 23’s side face Reading, which expectedly didn’t gather the biggest crowd, as the majority of those sat in the stands were parents and friends, chatting about their plans for the weekend. The occasional Fulham Old Boy sat quietly in his seat, with his flat peak cap keeping the sun out of his eyes. He analysed the team sheet and had his pen ready to jot the names of the scorers, to take home the memory of another game at his favourite ground, as he had done so many times before.

The Fulham and Reading youth players warming up, they're looking to impress today.

The young lads took to the pitch, and suddenly the old school club had a new generation vibe. Illuminous orange, blue and pink boots emerged from the pop-up tunnel and lit up the antique arena, reminding the club that they were in fact in the 21st century. The match kicked off and within the first five minutes Reading had a penalty. A soft foul as the goalkeeper ran out to make a save and clipped the striker who exaggerated his fall.

Sure, there was contact, but not enough to take him off his feet. The flamboyant forward was rolling on the floor, to persuade the referee that he had been assaulted. Behaviour like that seemed out of place at the traditional ground, and the disapproving shouts from the stands echoed a previous time; when studs up slide tackles was just another part of the game.

The penalty was slotted calmly, and the game was restarted. Intermittent shouts of “Gowan Fulham!” rang around the rafters to motivate the players, as the match began to open up more evenly. However, the Cottagers weren’t able to keep up with Reading’s pace of play, and before too long conceded a second, as the goalkeeper was left stranded as a low drilled shot whizzed past his hands.

Seconds away from the start of the second half. Fulham had an uphill battle ahead of them.

The second half seemed more promising for the Lilywhites, as they kept Reading quieter up until injury time. A poor touch on the half way line, by a Fulham defender gifted the Royals a chance.

Substitute Tyler Frost took the shot well, and after the ball hit the net, he imitated one Portuguese winger with a ‘Siii!’ celebration, as if he were a 12-year-old who had just won his county cup. The fact that the game was already won, and he insisted on showboating, prompted some unfavourable remarks from the fans, and caused a tense atmosphere for the remaining minutes.

The final whistle blew, and the spectators left in a collective murmur of hindsight. The floodlights cut out, and Craven Cottage was once again seen as the same ground graced by George Best and Rodney Marsh in the late 70’s. Football’s future had left for the night, and the club’s history was ever present once again.