After the high excitement of the 1962 Cup run, Fulham reverted back to their old habit of early elimination, and this time without the consolation of thrilling matches. Following relegation to Division Three in 1969, they lost their exemption until the Third Round, and in November 1969, Fulham fell in Round One for the first time since the Cup was restructured in 1925. For the rest of the 1960s and through to the Wembley year of 1974-5, they never got beyond Round Four.
A 4-1 Third Round win at Sunderland in 1969 (when the Cottagers were stranded at the foot of Division Two) was the closest they came to a 'highlight', although Alan Mullery probably gained a lot of personal satisfaction when his goal in Round Four against Leicester in 1973-4 was voted the BBC's 'Goal of the Season'.
It was a long time coming but, when Fulham finally made it through to the Cup Final in 1975, it was well worth the wait. And, in a typically Fulham way, they took the longest and hardest route.
Every one of the five ties that was won on the way to Wembley was won away from the Cottage, and no club, before or since, has played as many matches to get there. In many ways, the toughest obstacles were the two Second Division clubs the Cottagers met in Rounds Three and Four.
It took seven games to dispose of Hull City and Notts Forest, and then Fulham went north for part three of the Everton trilogy. At the time, the Toffees were top of the First Division and Fulham stranded in mid table in Division Two but, as in 1926 and 1948, League status counted for nothing.
Where Beecham and Taylor were the stars of those earlier encounters, so Viv Busby was elevated to folk hero amongst the Fulham faithful with both goals in the 2-1 win. The stunning success owed as much to the superbly organised defence in which Mullery and Moore were outstanding.
In Round Six there was a long trip to Carlisle, then enjoying their only season as a First Division club, Les Barrett got the goal that mattered but Peter Mellor was the star. The semi final draw put the Cottagers up against their third opponents from the top flight, Birmingham City, which meant they were spared a trip to the Villa Park bogey ground but there was something eerily familiar about the outcome of the match.
As in 1958 and 1962, Fulham had the better of the play, led with a splendid goal (from John Mitchell) but let their opponents back into the tie and had to settle for a draw. From Hillsborough, the teams moved on to Maine Road, and the ending of the semi final jinx that went back nearly 70 years.
It is doubtful whether any of Mitchell's other 59 goals were as scrappy as the one in the 119th minute of the replay against the Blues: certainly none was as joyously received nor as significant to the club. Against all the odds and in the most improbable manner, the Cottagers won through to Wembley, with a team of veterans, modestly priced journeymen and homegrown talent.
For manager Alec Stock, it was the ultimate Cup triumph in a career built on cup successes and nobody denied him his brief place in the sun. For many, the Final itself was anti-climatic, West Ham winning a match played in an abnormally good spirit 2-0. If it was true that the Fulham players felt as many of the supporters did, that being there was the achievement, no Fulham fan blamed them, but, as is apparent from the video today, the team really played very well and the first goal was the turning point.