Source: Daily_Mail
Fulham stopper Mark Schwarzer aims for Europa League final after Hamburg shutout
Mark Schwarzer admitted the lure of a major European final ensured no obstacle would get in Fulham's way in Hamburg on Thursday night after an arduous 17-hour road trip to Germany.Fulham boarded a bus to reach their destination due to the uncertainty about flights brought about by the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Happily, the situation has resolved itself for the journey home, allowing Schwarzer and his team-mates a more comfortable way of assessing the goalless draw that makes Fulham slight favourites to reach the final, back in Hamburg, on May 12. On the Mark: Fulham goalkeeper Schwarzer kept a clean sheet in Hamburg No-one will forget the epic trip though, even if it was not allowed to deflect Fulham from their task. 'When we found out on Monday we were going to go by bus, nobody wasparticularly happy about it but we held it together,' said Schwarzer,who made three excellent second-half saves to keep Hamburg out. 'We would have liked different circumstances. We would have liked to come over by plane but it wasn't possible. Road trip: Schwarzer says nobody was happy Fulham had to travel by bus to Germany 'It was nobody's fault. We had to get on with it because we knew what a massive game for us.' Whilst for some clubs, not just the big four, but the likes ofTottenham, Aston Villa and Everton, major finals come around at areasonable rate, at Fulham they are a rarity indeed. For players many claim over-reached themselves in securing a EuropaLeague slot in the first place, a semi-final appearance represented anopportunity that simply cannot be wasted. 'It is not every day you get a chance to play in a European competition, especially at a club like Fulham' said Schwarzer. 'A lot of players have never reached this stage of a tournamentbefore and starting from the front down to the back everyone workedextremely hard.' Home comforts for Hodgson as he vows to earn final spot after stalemateEverton v FULHAM: Clint Dempsey set to cover for absent Bobby ZamoraHamburg 0 Fulham 0: Roy's well organised boys withstand onslaughtFULHAM FC