Fans of West Ham United are eagerly awaiting their Europa League semi-final with Eintracht Frankfurt, having embraced the competition with relish this season – but they’re not the first non-Big Six side to reach this stage in Europe in the 21st century.
While the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United participate in continental competition every season, perhaps taking the edge off from these occasions, the rarity of a European adventure creates a different type of excitement among fans of less successful clubs.
West Ham have already seen off Sevilla and Lyon in the Europa League knockout stages and face their biggest game in decades against Eintracht, with their supporters looking for omens that they’ll succeed.
Four other non-elite English sides have progressed to a European semi-final since 2000 and, while two have suffered defeat, the other pair progressed to the final.
We’ve recalled each of their unforgettable journeys in Europe.
Fulham (2009-10)
Fulham’s run to the Europa League final in 2010 under Roy Hodgson was truly remarkable, encompassing 19 matches and seeing them triumph against Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk, Wolfsburg and Hamburg.
Never mind that the Cottagers lost the final to a star-studded Atletico Madrid – the side included David de Gea, Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan among others – because their fans were left with memories that’ll warm their hearts till the end of their days.
“We were so unlucky,” goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer told the BBC in 2020. “Both goals involved heavy deflections – but I think after the disappointment people realised we had done something special.
“We had a fantastic manager, but we also had the right group of players with the right mentality and approach.
“Everyone had a common goal to be as successful as we could, to prove all the doubters wrong. We wanted to rewrite the history books and create something special and there was an opportunity.
“Did anyone expect Fulham to get to a…
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