Rodders 999, absolutely brilliant post mate! I'm now the wrong side of 50rodders999 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 8:53 pmI remember as a kid I used always buy Shoot or Match (maybe both) every single year when the Cup final special was released even though it was never Arsenal in the final.
Then the 6 hours coverage on the BBC the day of the final, the players seen taking a stroll around the hotel grounds right after their breakfast, chatting nervously amongst themselves, a few laughing and joking to ease the tension. The excitement building as the buses arrived at the stadium, the twin towers and Wembley way pictured from above.
The commentary team out on the Wembley turf, normally in the goal mouth where someone would make themselves a hero later that afternoon, discussing the game with the vast empty stands in the background.
Then the fans would start to arrive and the stadium began to heave, the players from both teams would be out on the pitch in their suits breathing in the atmosphere. The tension would rise, back to the studio inside the stadium for the final discussion before kick off.
Both teams came out of the tunnel in their tracksuits, led by their managers. Line up, meet and greet, Abide With Me, tensions at an absolute fever pitch and then KICK OFF.
Fucking hell I was so excited for those games, dreaming of the day Arsenal would finally be there. My first Arsenal cup final was ‘93. My dad brought me to the pub for it, nervously drinking glasses of coke and when Wrighty put us 1 nil up I started to dream that finally I would get to see us lift the trophy, see the players walk up those famous steps one by one, red and white scarves wrapped around their heads or over their shoulders and we’d lift the trophy. My time had finally come.
Then David Hirst equalised and I cried my eyes out at the cruelty of it all, my dreams were shattered and I was brought home thinking that was it, I’d never get to see us win the cup.
Then the replay the Thursday night, the tension so high I could barely watch, Wrighty again you absolute fucking legend, surely this time we’d do it, then another equaliser. FUCK. Extra time, this is all to much for a young kid, a penalty shoot out on the horizon, what the fuck is a penalty shoot out???
A corner at the death.....ANDY LINEGHAN HAS WON THE CUP FOR ARSENAL.
What a fucking header, a bullet, unstoppable, and Chris Woods was a brilliant keeper. The feeling of sheer elation when the ball hit the net Just cannot be put in to words. We walk up the steps and Tony lifts the trophy and I’m crying again. This is what I’ve waited my whole life to see. We’ve done it and even though it’s really late I’m outside replicating the goal over and over and over again. What a night, one of THE great nights.
When I kicked a ball in my back garden as a kid the goals I would score would never be league winning goals, nope, the commentator in my mind would be describing the cup final and I would always score the winner for Arsenal right at the death. He’s done it, and the crowd would go wild.
Andy Lineghan got to live my dream and the dreams of countless other boys my age that night.
The cup has been devalued from them days no doubt for a whole host of reasons and fuck knows what it will be like for future generations, but for people like me who grew up with it being the biggest game of the season and one of the very few live on tv it will always be magical.
And even now when I’m kicking a peppa pig ball around the garden with my kids and I turn and fire in a goal it’s still a last gasp winner in the cup final for Arsenal that I score.
So next Saturday’s match is so much more than 90 minutes of football for me, it’s a lifetime worth of dreams and if we get to lift the trophy once more there’s a good chance I’ll be crying again.
THE ARSENAL.
!1 But I just spent the last two days visiting my father (now 85!) talking about the three back to back Cup Finals and what we did to make sure we were there on the day and the shire fun we had leading up to the day and the whole experience of Cup Final day. When my Father and I were at the 1980 Final my Mum and her friend were caught for speeding on the North Circular at 15:35 leaving Brent Cross Shopping Centre because of course there was no other bugger was out on the road at that time of day on Cup Final day.................................
I remember crying for ages after Alan Sunderland scored in the 3-2 that day and how damn hot it was on the tube home ............................. Happy Days!
I showed your post to my Dad and it brought back some back memorises for him in a troubled year for him personally.
Well played and I hope we bring home another Cup on Saturday..
