It is far from outrageous to suggest that Fulham are one of English football’s lesser lights. The club is often seen by opposition fans as being generally inoffensive, with Craven Cottage considered a nice place to go as far as away games are concerned. If you are there in the summer months it can be even better, with the sun shining on the river and the drinks flowing in the stands. That lack of competitive edge might help to explain why it is that the Cottagers have struggled to add major trophies to the cabinet, with many of the ones that they have enjoyed success in being referred more as ‘minor titles’ than ones worth writing home about.
The West London club has also come close but missed out more than a few times. They missed out on the FA Cup in 1975, for example, and the Europa League in 2010. Even the lower leagues have seen Fulham come close but ultimately end up disappointed, finishing as runners-up in the Second Division in 1959, the Third Division in 1971 and the fourth tier of the English game in 1997. There have been some successes to speak of in there, though, with even so-called ‘minor titles’ being ones that the supporters can get behind as something worth shouting about from their point of view, even if bigger clubs might not think so.
League Titles

Whilst the Premier League will always be the division that all clubs in England aspire to win, it isn’t always the case that every club will get to do so. Even when it was known as the First Division, it was a trophy that every club got to lift up, even if it something felt like that when sides such as Nottingham Forest were promoted into the division and then won it the following season. For Fulham, top-flight success has evaded them, with the truth being that the Cottagers haven’t even looked as though the might trouble the league leaders at any point.
Second Division / First Division / Championship
Whilst Fulham haven’t managed to add a top-flight title to the club’s list of accolades, the same can’t be true of the second tier of the English game. The Cottagers have troubled the top of the table on more than one occasion, as well as making it out of what was known as the Championship at the time courtesy of the play-offs in both 2018 and 2020.
In the 1958-1959 season, they got the glory of promotion without winning the title, coming second to Sheffield Wednesday and missing out by two points. Back then it was known as the Second Division, then it became the First Division when the Premier League was formed and eventually the Championship. Here is a look at Fulham’s second tier wins over the years, including the team that finished second and the points that both teams managed to accumulate:
Season | Points | Second Place | Second Place Points |
---|---|---|---|
1948-1949 | 57 | West Bromwich Albion | 56 |
2000-2001 | 101 | Blackburn Rovers | 91 |
2021-2022 | 90 | Bournemouth | 88 |
Interestingly, Fulham won the second tier under each of the names that it has borne so far. Their 1948-1949 title came when it was the Second Division, then their win in 2000-2001 was when it was called the First Division on account of the Premier League’s existence. The win in 2021-2022 came when it had been rebranded as the Championship.
Third Division South / Third Division / Second Division
Fulham’s success hasn’t always been limited to the second tier of the game, with supporters also getting to celebrate them winning the third tier on more than one occasion. Just as what is now known as the Championship has had some confusing names over the years, so too has the division that is League One in modern parlance.
It was the Third Division South for a time, which was when it was split into North and South with teams playing in the league that was most appropriate for them. Then it became the Third Division in it’s own right, prior to being the Second Division when the Second Division became the First Division. Confusing enough?
Fulham came second in the 1970-1971 season when they finished just one point shy of winners Preston North End. They also gained promotion in at the end of the 1981-1982 campaign when they finished third. Here is a look at the seasons in which they won the third tier of the English Football League pyramid, as well as how many points they got, who finished second and how many points the second place team got:
Season | Points | Second Place | Second Place Points |
---|---|---|---|
1931-1932 | 57 | Reading | 55 |
1998-1999 | 101 | Walsall | 87 |
Lesser Leagues
Whilst the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea wouldn’t get overly excited when talking about the likes of the Southern League Second Division, it would be pure snobbery to not even mention it at all. In the case of Fulham, the club won many lower league titles during football’s more formative years and it is only right that they are given their fit and proper respect here.
As far as supporters are concerned, these wins were ones that they were able to celebrate and so are certainly worthy of being included in the list. Here is a look at them, including which team came second and the points totals of both teams if known:
Competition | Season | Points | Second Place | Second Place Points |
---|---|---|---|---|
Southern League First Division | 1905-1906 | 50 | Southampton | 45 |
Southern League First Division | 1906-1907 | 53 | Portsmouth | 51 |
Southern League Second Division | 1901-1902 | 26 | Grays United | 25 |
Southern League Second Division | 1902-1903 | 15 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 15* |
Western League Division One Section A | 1906-1907 | 15 | Queens Park Rangers | 11 |
West London League | 1892-1893 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
*In the 1902-1903 Southern League Second Division season, both Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion finished the season on 15 points. The system of Goal Average was used to separate them, with Fulham winning then to their Goal Average of 3.857 compared to Brighton & Hove Albion’s 3.091.
Cups & Trophies

The history of Fulham Football Club is hardly one adorned with countless major trophies wins. Even so, there have been more than a few occasions in which the captain has been able to lift a trophy above his head in celebration of a great achievement. The club has also come close to winning more trophies than it actually has. In the 1974-1975 season, for example, the Cottagers made it to the FA Cup final but lost 2-0 to fellow London side West Ham United. In the 2009-2010 campaign, Fulham made it to the final of the Europa League but lost 2-1 to Atlético Madrid after extra-time.
The only trophy that Fulham have won that one might call ‘big’ is the UEFA Intertoto Cup, but even that might be pushing things a little. Here is a look at the various tournaments that they have won in order to be able to put the trophy in the cabinet at Craven Cottage. Where known, we’ve put the name of the opposition and the scoreline in the final:
Competition | Year of Final | Opposition | Score |
---|---|---|---|
UEFA Intertoto Cup | 2002 | Bologna | 5-3 aggregate* |
London Challenge Cup | 1910 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4-1 |
London Challenge Cup | 1932 | Crystal Palace | 2-1 |
London Challenge Cup | 1952 | Charlton Athletic | 1-0 |
West London Cup | 1887 | Unknown | Unknown |
West London Cup | 1891 | Unknown | Unknown |
West London Cup | 1893 | Unknown | Unknown |
London Fives Tournament ** | 1955 | West Ham United | 4-1 |
London Fives Tournament ** | 1957 | West Ham United | 3-2 |
London Fives Tournament ** | 1982 | Charlton Athletic | 2-0 |
*The way that the Intertoto Cup worked was such that there were actually three winners, one each for the various groups. In 2002, Fulham made it to the final, which was played over two legs, and drew 2-2 in the first-leg then won 3-1 in the second. The other winners that year were Málaga and Stuttgart, with all three teams getting to play in the following season’s UEFA Cup.
**The London Fives Tournament was, as the name suggests, a five-a-side tournament in which teams sent representatives along. Fulham certainly consider their wins in this to be worthy of a mention.