FLAGS were swaying, the cheers were loud and the Crown Ground was packed – Saturday was everything that football should be about.

No talk of tax bills, ownership or winding up orders – just 3,000 or so Accrington fans willing their team to pull off a massive FA¿Cup upset against Premier League millionaires Fulham.

It was one of those days that will live long in the memory for all that is good about football.

Everyone coming together, painted faces, scarves waving and the anticipation and excitement that comes with the big boys coming to town – and the prospect of the Reds making history by getting into the fifth round for the first time ever.

The national media made a lot of the affluent Fulham players dashing straight onto the pitch and then straight onto their coach after the game without spending barely a minute in Accrington’s less-than-glamorous dressing room.

But Fulham’s hasty departure was certainly not taken as a snub by the Accrington team who battled hard and, while the surroundings may have been alien to the European-glory hunters from Craven¿Cottage, they played their part in the unique FA¿Cup atmosphere.

The sight of Fulham winger Bjorn Helge Riise giving his shirt to a young Reds fan; Stanley’s young Aussie keeper Dean Bouzanis getting advice from veteran Oz stopper Mark Schwarzer and Schwarzer patiently signing autographs as more and more children surrounded him - that’s what the FA¿Cup is all about.

And the Fulham fans enjoyed the "getting back to grass roots" experience – they were in the old third division in 1995 – with around 800 visiting fans having the chance to get "up close" to their team at the cosy Crown Ground and being stunned that Reds boss John Coleman came into the pub after the game – perhaps their manager Roy Hodgson doesn’t pop into their local.

Okay there was no romance for Accrington – although Michael Symes’ equaliser almost lifted the long-awaited Clayton End roof – but for the Reds the rollercoaster ride of this season was definitely at a high point as the good times came back to Stanley.

The press box was packed with 56 media personnel all tightly squeezed in, wanting an upset and everyone went away praising the Reds’ battling qualities and – despite no half-time brews and the usual posh media facilities – they were glad to have witnessed a true FA¿Cup tie where the underdog almost came through.

And but for the sending off of Darran Kempson for two yellow cards – one debatable – League Two Stanley could have done it.

Cottagers boss Hodgson admitted his team, who arrived spot on at 2pm, were slow to get used to the conditions on a muddy-in-patches pitch while everyone agreed with Coleman that Stanley played the top seven side in the country ‘off the park’ in the first half as the gutsy Reds more than stuck with the big boys.

Tired legs meant Fulham went onto make the score convincing but it didn’t tell the story of the afternoon with Fulham keeper Schwarzer by far the busier stopper.

But in the end 10-man Stanley’s dogged determination couldn’t live with the swift passing of Fulham and their hasty exit from East Lancashire was probably tinged more with relief than an urgency to get home.

"I have no problem with them leaving straight away – it’s each to their own," said boss John Coleman who did have a drink with Hodgson after the game. "I remember Burton Albion doing it in the UniBond days. I have no sympathy as we have to get changed in our dressing rooms every week!

"But I am obviously disappointed with the result as I want to win any game, no matter who we are playing, but we gave a good account of ourselves.

"I am proud of the lads though and can’t have many complaints as, although there were gaps at the back, we were down to 10 men.

"It was a big game for the club but I get excited before every match. I love football, I love the challenge of preparing a team, I love watching the lads and I love the desire they show and while they keep doing that I will be proud to manage them.

"And the fans have been magnificent too – they always have been with me since I have been here, but this year they have upped their game."

Both teams came out to a crescendo of noise and it was weird to see the likes of Damien Duff, Schwarzer and Zoltan Gera in front of you, rather than on¿‘Match of the Day.’

But Stanley certainly didn’t stand on ceremony and were simply superb in the first half.

Schwarzer won’t have been so busy in some Premier games, denying Symes and Sean McConville in the early stages.

John Miles went on a mazy run to test Norwegian captain Brede Hangeland who, while strong in the air, struggled with his passing and this helped the Reds create openings.

But then, on Fulham’s first attack, they were clinical. A Duff corner found the unmarked Gera at the near post and he flicked it into the danger area for Erik Nevland to toe poke home.

But if the Fulham players thought that was it and they could sit back and let the goals come, they had to think again.

Within five minutes, a looping Jimmy Ryan ball in was pushed out by Shwarzer, McConville pounced and his effort was cleared off the line before Symes rushed in for his 14th goal of the season.

The sight of Liverpool loan keeper Bouzanis running the length of the pitch to celebrate with his team-mates showed how much it meant, and even some of the usually quiet Reds fans were up out of their seats.

It was simply brilliant and, on another day and with a different referee to Stuart Atwell, the Reds could have been given two penalties for a push on Symes and a handball by defender Aaron Hughes.

Highly-rated striker Bobby Grant was also a constant threat and he nicked the ball off Hangeland and forced Schwarzer into another good save as it looked like a cup upset was on the cards.

But then came the turning point. On 27 minutes Kempson, who had coped with the Fulham frontmen well, received a booking for a challenge on Nevland.

Both men jumped for the ball with arms up, the striker went down and replays showed that Kempson’s arms had connected with the Fulham man. It wasn’t malicious or meant but Atwell showed a yellow card.

It was always a danger after that for the centre-half and when he slid in from behind on Gera just before half-time, out came a second yellow and a red card and the mountain to climb suddenly became Mount Everest.

Kempson looked gutted and it was harsh on a player who had done so much to get the Reds onto the verge of the League Two play-offs.

But that’s not to say Stanley were out of it – and tv replays showed that Grant’s volley across the goal only just missed out on tucking in the bottom corner by centimetres just after the re-start.

However then a quickly taken free-kick by Danny Murphy was flicked on by Gera to Duff who found the back of the net, off the post. Up until this point, the ex-Blackburn star hadn’t done a lot but this broke the Stanley hearts.

Coleman immediately put on substitute Billy Kee and Stanley went two up front pushing for an equaliser but the Reds boss admitted, with hindsight, it was a mistake. "I tried to get us back into the game quickly and put on Billy and that opened up gaps at the back and made us disjointed."

And Fulham exploited this as they began to find space amid the tiring Reds with Bouzanis keeping out Nevland three times before Gera finished off the scoring 10 minutes from time.

When the final whistle went, there was a sense of what might have been but the players received a resounding reception and the fans stayed behind long after the game to thank their team for a memorable day.

"We were the better team until we went 2-1 down – we played them off the park in the first half and it was a travesty that we went in level," said Coleman.

"Their class then showed in the end but I would like to think our class would show against 10 men from the UniBond League.

"If it was 11 against 11 I do not think we would have lost the game. I can’t comment on the referee as I will get into trouble but I am sick for Darran.

"But now we have got to kick on. We can’t get to Wembley in the FA¿Cup so we will try and do the next best thing and get there for the play-offs."