Fulham fans searching for a good omen ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final
with Chelsea at Villa Park need look no further than Steve Marlet.
Last season, the striker helped Lyon beat Monaco in the French Cup Final,
to give the club its first trophy in almost three decades.
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Fulham striker Steve Marlet
already has one cup winners medal
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Marlet, 28, left Lyon for Fulham in an £11.5million deal last September
and he is now preparing for the London club's biggest Cup game for 27 years.
He said: "The French Cup Final was very important because Lyon had
been waiting 28 years to win something and really wanted a trophy.
"That's a long time for the fans and the club to wait and it is
a similar period since Fulham made a final so it would be good for us
to win something in our first season in the Premiership."
Although Fulham have never won the FA Cup, they did reach the Final in
1975, when they lost 2-0 to West Ham.
Another appearance this season would be a partial vindication of the
vast sums of money spent by the club.
A bad run has seen Fulham dragged into the relegation battle and Marlet's
first spell in England has been frustrating.
"I have mixed emotions about the season because I started badly
with a knee injury and then got another one," said Marlet, who was
promoting a series of Nike football training sessions in London schools.
"I was playing again in January, was starting to score and was picked
again for France.
"Personally, things were better then but collectively at Fulham
we started to lose some games and went on a bad run.
"Maybe people's expectations of us were not realistic. We've had
some nice things said about us but I think we lost the focus.
"The most important thing is the team stays up and to get to the
FA Cup Final as well would be very good."
Fulham's creditable 1-1 draw at Newcastle on Monday helped their self-belief
and they go into Sunday's game in good spirit.
But if they lose, Marlet says it will have social implications next time
he is in the French squad. He said: "Playing against my national
team-mates Marcel Desailly and Emmanuel Petit will make the game special.
"If we beat them I don't know what we'd say if we were together
with France. But I really don't like to lose and if that happens we won't
be talking about it. We could talk about the World Cup but nothing else."