The average price of petrol was 57p a litre - but few Fulhamites fancied a day out in Rotherham the last time they were there.
In fact, the gate was a spawny 2,667 - the lowest anywhere for a Whites game in a disastrous season that ended in relegation on the final day.
For the record, Blackpool were the beneficiaries of a 2-1 Fulham defeat at Swansea right at the death as they finished fourth last. Then, as in this game, the scorer was Gary Brazil - not that it mattered.
Losing 8-1 on aggregate to Liverpool in the League Cup at the beginning of October was expected, but it did little for morale as the team went on to claim just a single point from their next seven games before fetching up at Millmoor.
The old ground had been built on the site of a flour mill, hence the Merry Millers moniker, but there was little home pride in evidence - did you see what I did there?
And the not-so Merry Millers felt the vitriol poured on them by joint managing team Archie Gemmill and John McGovern, steeped in the ways of one Brian Clough when all three were at Derby and Nottingham Forest.
The boy called Brazil was to be the leading scorer that season with 15 all told including this brace. By the end of March he was looking at a different manager when Don Mackay was infamously dismissed at half time during the away game at Orient.
Ian Branfoot took over, but could do little to prevent Fulham sinking to their lowest league tier.
Mackay never managed a club outright again it might be noted, but Brazil did.
After 214 appearances and 48 Fulham goals, the man signed from Newcastle in 1990 for £110,000 went on to manage Notts County and then last year was interim boss at Nottingham Forest until Shepherds Bush-born Stuart Pearce arrived on the scene.
At the same time as Fulham were winning this game, current Millers manager Steve Evans was gearing up to become AFC Stamford boss, and Oscar Pistorius was two days from celebrating his seventh birthday little aware of what the future held for him.
It does all seem like a very long time ago.
Fulham: Stannard, Ferney, Jupp, Thomas, Hails, Farrell, Brazil, Angus, Baah, Eckhardt, Herrera; subs: Harrison, Tierling, Bedrossian
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