Football's Forgotten Seasons: Inside Fulham's 09/10 Campaign

Football's Forgotten Seasons: Inside Fulham's 09/10 Campaign

Everyone loves to blame nostalgia as the thing that makes us wish the Premier League returned to what it was before. However, it's true that whilst football now might be at the best (in terms of quality) that it has ever been, nothing beats the old Premier League days.

Blinded by nostalgia or not, one team in the place that many call home in West London, somehow went against all odds and reached the Europa League final - the first time in the club's history.

With a squad full of new signings and a future England manager, it was an incredibly impressive display of togetherness within a squad as huge signings aren't always necessary for success. Spearheaded by many notable names such as Bobby Zamora, Mark Schwarzer and a young Chris Smalling, Fulham were a mix of youth and experience.

18 Europa League league games might have ended with heartbreak in the final, but sometimes the journey is more impressive than actually winning a trophy. Let's take a trip to 2009.

20,000 Fulham fans in Hamburg, 2010. #ffc pic.twitter.com/ZgiAhl1rf3

— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) June 3, 2014

Nothing To Lose

The magic of Fulham's Europa League run in the 2009/10 season was that there were no expectations on them even progressing past the first couple of rounds. However, Fulham knew that records were there to be broken, as the year prior under Roy Hodgson they recorded their highest ever Premier League finish in 7th.

That was enough for Europa League qualification, as one spot went to the FA Cup winner, the League Cup winner and the highest finisher not already in a European competition - which was Fulham in 7th.

Before we dive into their Europa League campaign, a much younger Roy Hodgson was deserving of many plaudits. The now 78-year-old had managed several teams across the globe including Italian giants Inter Milan, Blackburn Rovers and the Switzerland national team before landing the job at Fulham. It was a surprise appointment at the time, but one that not only changed Fulham's trajectory but also Hodgson's future roles.

His first year or so at Fulham wasn't easy, as he came into a relegation threatened squad in the 2007/08 season but was able to guide The Cottagers to safety in what many Fulham fans call 'The Great Escape'. A 1-0 win against Portsmouth at Fratton Park in the last game of the season was enough to keep them from a return to the Championship. That was enough to hold Hodgson in high regard.

The 2008/09 team was a much improved side with notable signings such as Zoltan Gera, Mark Schwarzer and Bobby Zamora who helped them reach their highest ever Premier League finish.

However, Hodgson came into his own during the 2009/10 campaign as he had built the squad he needed to take Europe by storm. By the end of the season, he was nominated as the LMA Manager of The Year award by a record margin and earned a managerial move to Liverpool, one that unfortunately did not work out for him.

Europa League Magic

So, you now know the context behind the 2009/10 season. Fulham had a well-equipped squad and a well-respected manager, but how did they still manage to defy all odds?

Fulham began their first European campaign in seven years with a third qualifying round against Lithuanian side FK Vetra. Funnily enough, the match was held in July whilst most of the league were still on a sunny beach somewhere across the world. Heads remained concentrated though, as Fulham won both legs by three goals to nil and faced Russian side Amkar Perm in the next round. A 3-2 win on aggregate across both legs was enough for qualification, and next came the group stage.

In a group with Basel, Roma and CSKA Sofia, it wasn't a straightforward path for Fulham. However, they played as they were told to; win the games you can, but make sure you don't lose the rest. That was enough to place them 2nd in the group with 11 points behind Roma - the only side that Fulham had lost to in the group stage with a 2-1 loss away from home.

Their first big test came in the round of 16, as they were drawn to Juventus, a side filled with legends like Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini - just to name a few. The first leg went as badly as you could've imagined; a 3-1 loss away from home and a mountain to climb in the next leg.

Roy Hodgson's boys in white and black welcomed Juventus to Craven Cottage to make their home stand. A Zoltan Gera double and goals from Bobby Zamora and USA international Clint Dempsey helped Fulham claim a shock 4-1 win. Dempsey's masterful chip will never be forgotten, and it was the moment in which Fulham fans really started to dream.

🇺🇸🤩 Clint Dempsey's chip vs Juve! ✨

Fulham's days in the Europa League... pic.twitter.com/cTWHw74KqM

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 4, 2024

Bundesliga winners Wolfsburg awaited Fulham next in what looked like another test. However, another test meant no problem, as they won both legs comfortably and went through 3-2 on aggregate. Another German side came Fulham's way in the semis and this time it was Hamburger SV. Fulham brought over 20,000 fans in support to Hamburg for the first leg in what was a steady 0-0 draw. Knowing the second leg could mean a historic place in the final, one that was taking place in Hamburg itself, Hodgson made sure the second leg was Fulham's and that it was. A 2-1 win booked The Cottagers place in the final.

It might be where the fairy-tale ended, but Fulham gave a brilliant account of themselves in the final. The final was held in the infamous Volksparkstadion where they faced a strong Atletico Madrid side. There was added pressure for both Fulham players and Roy Hodgson as they had to win the final to qualify for European football in the next season as they had only finished 12th in the league.

Madrid started off the better of the two sides with Diego Forlan opening the scoring just after the half hour mark after a wayward shot from fellow Argentinian Sergio Aguero fell to him. Their lead was short lived as Fulham equalised just five minutes later as Welshman Simon Davies scored from Zoltan Gera's cross etching his name in history as Fulham's first and only goal scorer in a Europa League final.

The second half could've gone Fulham's way as they had multiple chances with Davies coming closest and nearly getting his second of the game. The second half concluded with neither team able to score and the tie heading into extra time. Unfortunately, Atletico's experience and squad strength proved superior on the night and the heartbreaking moment came in the 116th minute when Forlan netted his second of the game off another Aguero assist. Whilst the dream ended there, fans could only be proud of what their team had achieved that season and that fairytales really do exist.

A proud yet heartbreaking day.

15 years since our first Europa League Final. 🗓 pic.twitter.com/ugDJRJfWZr

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) May 12, 2025

The Season In Review

Fulham fans now remember the 2009/10 campaign as one of the most successful in the history of their club. It wasn't based on pure luck or some easy wins here and there - they were well coached and had a deep squad which is necessary for any cup run. It was just unfortunate that for Fulham never reached these heights again after floating between the Championship and Premier League in the seasons that followed.

The 2009/10 season wasn't just Europa League success for Fulham as they reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup but narrowly lost to 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur in the replay. Unfortunately, it wasn't as magic as their Europa League run as the teams they faced in each of the previous rounds were all in divisions below the Premier League.

It was also expected that Fulham's focus being on the Europa League meant that their league campaign would suffer. A 12th-placed finish wasn't the end of the world for The Cottagers and fans didn't mind a sub-par league finish.

Despite no silverware to show for it, Fulham's 2009/10 season should never be forgotten.

The Fulham starting XI that beat Juventus 4-1 ten years ago today...

🇦🇺 Schwarzer
🇮🇪 Kelly
🇬🇧 Hughes
🇳🇴 Hangeland
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Koncheskey
🇬🇧 Baird
🇳🇬 Etuhu
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Davies
🇭🇺 Gera
🇮🇪 Duff
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Zamora

Hodgson masterclass#FFC pic.twitter.com/4IcrG3EXx2

— William Hill (@WilliamHill) March 18, 2020