TIME after time the experts on the telly dismissed Fulham's chances of survival in the Premier League.
And then, when the position looked hopeless, came a string of results to give the fans a glimmer of hope. Just keep on winning and you can stay up.
The last chance came at Portsmouth on Sunday and The Whites grabbed it with a Danny Murphy goal against the FA Cup finalists.
The final whistle went and Fulham supporters in Fratton Park were ecstatic as they celebrated with the players and management.
Meanwhile, people were also leaping about in Fulham itself.
Many fans planning to watch the game at the Golden Lion had to peer through the windows from the street because the pub was so full.
Ann Carroll who has managed the Fulham High Street pub for 17 years said: "It was such a fantastic atmosphere, we must have had a thousand people at one time or another.
The Fulham fan said: "I had gauged it would be like a busy Sunday, and somebody did not turn up for work so we were rushed off our feet."
Regulars who were tending their allotments 400 yards away off Fulham Palace Road later told Ann they heard her customers roar when Fulham scored.
The 52-year-old, who went to Holy Cross Primary School, which was in Ashington Road, and Fulham County School, in Munster Road added: "When the ball went in, I was in the bar and thought I would be crushed because everybody was jumping up and down."
Jen Milne is manager of The Cottage, in Colehill Road, 10 minutes walk from Fulham's ground.
The 27-year-old said the pub was 'absolutely rammed' with between 150 and 200 fans.
She added: "After Reading and Birmingham had scored, the noise dropped a bit, but there was still a lot of shouting.
"When Fulham went ahead, I thought my roof was going to come off.
"Every chandelier in here was shaking either from being hit by customer's heads when they jumped up, or from their feet thumping when they landed.
"It was so loud I had to stop serving because I could not hear people's orders.
"At the final whistle it was like they had scored again and I have never seen so many smiles on these guys' faces."
