Cairney: ‘It is Fulham’s time to get to a final’

Fulham have been consistent in cup competitions in recent seasons.

In fact, for the last four seasons, they have reached either the quarter-final or semi-final in either the FA Cup or Carabao Cup.

And now, Fulham are on the verge of reaching yet another cup quarter-final, as they host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup round of 16.

On paper at least, it has come at the perfect time for the Cottagers, who have found their groove, having won their last two Premier League matches, and seemingly turned a corner.

Palace, meanwhile, have been abject in all senses of the word, losing again at the weekend to Newcastle and dropping down the table.

So, it is no surprise then that Tom Cairney has put so much emphasis on this year being the year for Fulham to finally make the jump to a final - something the club has achieved once when they reached the 1975 FA Cup final.

“It’s huge. We have done well in the cups in the last few without getting that last bit right,” Cairney said.

“So you’d like to think it is Fulham’s time to try and get to a final, and we will do everything we can to get there.”

One of Fulham’s recent cup runs saw them reach the FA Cup quarter-finals, having overcome Manchester United at Old Trafford in the last 16.

Given a home tie against Wednesday night’s opponents, it was a huge opportunity for Fulham to reach Wembley, 50 years since they last did in the FA Cup.

But, things went badly wrong for Fulham that day, as they suffered a 3-0 defeat as Palace booked their spot at Wembley, on the way to the Eagles winning the FA Cup that year.

It is one that Cairney still thinks about, and it gives him and the Fulham squad added motivation this week.

“The FA Cup quarter-final, that was a bad day that one, that one stung badly,” he said.

“To be fair, they have been fantastic at the Cottage, but Wednesday night, we need to turn that around.”

Fulham have already faced Crystal Palace this season, suffering a 3-2 defeat after twice throwing away a lead.

Cairney was out of action at the time as he was out injured but watching on from the sidelines, he admits it was a game his side should never have lost.

“I remember watching the game and I remember thinking it was one of those games that you should not lose,” he said.

“I think eight, nine times out of 10, you probably don’t lose, but it was a bit of a freak goal as well, wasn’t it and the own goal or whatever it was.

“For 60 or 70 minutes we have been good at the start of the season in games; we just didn’t see out key moments, and that killed us a bit.

“A lot of the squad is in a better place; we’re a bit more confident. There have been a lot of new players, new things going on and everyone’s adjusting; it is still early on, and a lot of the positive signs are there, so need to keep them going.”

And Cairney is right regarding the positive signs, after a tricky start to the Premier League campaign which saw some serious pressure on Alvaro Arbeloa’s shoulders, they have turned a corner.

Two wins from two and eight points from their last five matches is a big change from three straight losses to start the season and Cairney is confident this will prove to be decisive for Fulham going forward.

“Winning breeds confidence; I think back-to-back wins shoot you up the league and that is kind of what happened after the game,” he said.

“I think the performances overall throughout the season have been good; it is just 15/20 minute periods that were not managed right, sometimes not being brave enough or not seeing it out.

“But I think we have got that right the last couple of games.”