'Jostling once again with Europe's elite? What a moment that would be'

If football is about moments, then we are having one of our best-ever seasons. Before this campaign, our return to the Premier League was characterised by our ability to beat the teams beneath us to prop us up in the table. It worked well - we finished 10th and 13th.

But we watched with envy as other clubs pulled off scalp after scalp against the top sides. We could not seem to get the job done against the big boys. Yet it is these victories that stick in the memory.



I still remember narrow wins over Liverpool and Chelsea from the 2005-06 season like they were yesterday, not two decades ago. Our win against the champions-elect at Craven Cottage on Sunday was the latest against the traditional, if a little outdated, top six. We have beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Manchester United at Old Trafford, and we have picked up wins against Newcastle United and Tottenham for good measure.

Our newfound ability to beat the sides above us is crucial as we enter the final seven games of the season. Of those remaining games, three of them are against sides currently sitting higher than us in the league table. What that means for us depends on your outlook.

A pessimist would say it is the hardest run-in of the "smaller" clubs vying for a place in Europe next term. I, an optimist, believe it means we can have the biggest impact on the race for continental football - and it puts us in the driving seat. We are just five points off our record total, and two wins away from equalling the most we have racked up in one campaign.

We will need to beat both of those to finish in the top eight. Fulham jostling once again with Europe's elite? What a moment that would be. Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish.