Fulham, Stoke and Hearts through in Europa League

It was a good night for British teams in Europe yesterday as Fulham, Stoke and Hearts all managed to overcome humble opposition from the continent to book their places in the final qualifying round of the Europa League.

Andrew Johnson was the man who got the ball rolling in Fulham's 2-0 second leg defeat of Croatia's RNK Split at Craven Cottage. Following a scoreless draw in the first leg, the Englishman drew first blood with a headed goal in the 19th minute. Danny Murphy then ended any hopes of a Split comeback with a second-half penalty before Johnson thought he'd added another, only to be ruled offside.

The victory continued an impressive qualification from the Cottagers who, under new manager Martin Jol, are unbeaten in Europa and have yet to concede a goal at home. With the central defensive partnership of Brede Hangeland and Philippe Senderos joined by new summer signing John Arne Riise, Fulham's back four will prove tough to beat for any team this season.

Stoke had a similarly successful (if slightly more nail-biting) night over in Croatia as they defended a slender 1-0 first-leg lead against Hajduk Split. New signing Jonathan Woodgate was at the heart of the Potters's efforts to stave off increasing pressure from the home side, urged on by a boisterous crowd.

Despite coming close to an equaliser on numerous occasions, Croat hearts were broken late on as defender Ljubo Milicevic sliced Dean Whitehead's cross into his own net in extra time, sending Stoke through to the next round with a 2-0 aggregate victory.

Edinburgh club Hearts meanwhile made it three wins out of three for the Brits as they dispatched of Hungary's Paksi in emphatic style. A first-half brace for Ryan Stevenson was followed by goals from John Sutton and Rudi Skacel, leaving the Scots flying high. An 89th minute consolation from Paksi's Daniel Bode couldn't spoil the celebratory mood as Hearts won 4-1 on the night, heading through on a 5-2 aggregate.

The team's performance, the first under new manager Paulo Sergio, was an emphatic way for Hearts to end a dismal 15-game run without a victory. Sergio, however, was quick to credit his predecessor Jim Jefferies, who left the club on Tuesday. "Nobody changes everything within two days," he said. "I want to dedicate this win to Mr Jefferies."

All three teams now find themselves in the final Europa League qualification round: a two-legged play-off later this month that determines who enters the group stages. While every club craves European success, progress may come at a cost – if any British team wants to make it to the final they will need to play well over a dozen matches in a nine-month campaign - and Fulham will have already played eight if they even qualify. Such an added burden on relatively small squads would likely have a negative impact on their league positions. ·