…I was a lot younger, but was able to be more involved due to actually living there at the time. For wont of a better description, I was one of the “pimply ones in their jeans and trainers, capering and yelling,” mentioned in this article from the time. I still have video of me meandering on to the pitch at half time.
Still, eventually nature intervened, the chairman, David Bulstrode died of a heart attack and his plans collapsed with him on the dance floor of a nightclub.
CRAVING FOR LIFE AT THE COTTAGE
Ronald Atkin at Craven Cottage
The Observer – Sunday 1 March 1987
Theres still a lot of life in the old girl and her followers. At the end of this match the fans danced to the rousing strains of the grand old (borrowed) refrain Viva El Fulham and applauded – yes, applauded – Walsalls supporters, who had pulled off a nifty piece of PR by bringing along a banner pleading Dont Kill Fulham.
At half-time more than a thousand of the seasons best league attendance at Craven Cottage of 5,944 had staged a peaceful invasion of the pitch, and a moving sight it was, too. First came the pimply ones in their jeans and trainers, capering and yelling; they were followed at a dignified pace by pensioners, family groups, ordinary people who form the nostalgic, diminished following of Fulham.
They all made for the directors box – empty, alas, of directors at that moment – had their say and then dispersed as quietly as they had entered. A hard core of youngsters occupied the centre circle, extending the interval to almost half-an-hour, and in the end had to be escorted back to the terraces, sympathetically but firmly, by the police.
There was a further brief, foolish foray onto the field by half-a-dozen fans towards the end, but Fulhams players persuaded them to leave before the law got to them.
Thus passed off the first of what is certain to be many demonstrations in the battle to save Fulham from death by merger at the end of this season. Appropriately, their team also refused to lie down, fighting back from two goals down to brighten this day with a draw.
Somebody had been busy with the spray paint and hacksaws during the night at Craven Cottage, the stadium they want to pull down to erect yuppie dwellings on this attractive riverside site. Both crossbars were broken and the old red brick walls of the ground were daubed with messages of lament and defiance at the clubs threatened demise.
Hasty repairs ensured that the goals were stable, but the damage inflicted on the soul of Fulham in the past few days will require more skilful surgery.
Even the re-entry of the burly former chairman, Ernie Clay, improbably mounted on a white charger and bearing a blank cheque with which to buy back the club, was treated with scorn by the graffiti merchants. Clearly, they lack faith in his intentions, and so does the manager, Ray Lewington, who said afterwards: We are taking it that we are going to be broken up at the end of the season.
Tomorrow Lewington will call on Jim Smith, manager of Queens Park Rangers, the club with which Fulham are to be merged, to sort out the future of his players.
Tomorrow, too, there will be a meeting, organised by FANS (Fulham Association of Non-stop Support), at Hammersmith Town Hall, where speakers will include Bobby Robson and Roy Hattersley. Today the Football League are in urgent discussion about the merger. There is much more than talking to be done, however, if Fulham are to be saved.
On an afternoon of spring-like sunshine, the air of the Cottage was laden with symbolism. As they filtered into the ground the crowd were greeted with a lively rendition of United we stand, divided we fall from the loudspeakers, and there were banners galore draped over the railings around the pitch.
One announced defiantly: Well never leave the Cottage and others were extremely uncomplimentary about Messrs Clay and David Bulstrode, the club chairman and boss of the property company which owns both Fulham and QPR. Asset Strippers Are Barstards said one, and you could appreciate the sentiment if not the spelling.
Fulhams exciting revival apart, the match itself wasnt up to much, but then theyre used to that down by the riverside. Walsall had their sights on tomorrow nights Cup replay with Watford, but even so it required three fine saves by Vaughan to keep them out in the first half.
With an hour gone, and only seconds after refusing Fulham a penalty, the referee awarded one at the other end when Elkins brought down Cross so heavily that he needed treatment. Christie thumped home the kick, and three minutes later Cross headed in Kellys precise centre for Walsalls second.
A Donnellan penalty put Fulham back in the match after 73 minutes, and 10 minutes later Barnett ran in the equaliser from close range amid much rejoicing onfield and off.
So to that extraordinary conclusion, with rival supporters applauding one another as the visiting fans flaunted that banner Dont Kill Fulham.
So say all of us.