WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO STAND ON THE NORTH BANK?

[merson_is_god]

We were indeed at home to Newcastle United that day...I was only two at the time so I dont remember it though!

[flash gunner]

Sorry to bring up Hillsborough again but i'm sure we were home to Newcastle that day, can't remember the score but sure we won. Anyhow it was kenny Sansom 1st time back at Highbury, kenny ran over to the North Bank in his Newcastle shirt....... the NB went mad, i mean fucking mad singing his name jumping up and down "ONE KENNY SANSOM THERE'S ONLY ONE KENNY SANSOM"
The look on kenny's face, i think he was a bit shocked at the roar we gave him. I was so proud to be a gooner that day..........

I was in the NB that day Sansom scored too but it was ruled out for offside.... We eventually won 1-0

[Only One Tony Adams]

Oh yeah, he scored too, i forgot that!!
Good old kenny......

[Dan_85]

The look on kenny's face, i think he was a bit shocked at the roar we gave him. I was so proud to be a gooner that day..........

I've got an Arsenal DVD, I think it's "The Highbury Years", where he mentions that reception as the best moment of his career

[BournemouthRED]

what a brilliant thread guys

although i must say im gutted i never experienced the proper NB (first game at highbury as a kid was the year the seated NB was ready) but sadder still that i never will have that true football experience.
we all go to the football to see our beloved arsenal play, but the matchday experience is tepid at best.
anyone fancy helping me make a time machine?

[topgoon]

what a brilliant thread guys

although i must say im gutted i never experienced the proper NB (first game at highbury as a kid was the year the seated NB was ready) but sadder still that i never will have that true football experience.
we all go to the football to see our beloved arsenal play, but the matchday experience is tepid at best.
anyone fancy helping me make a time machine?

I agree with you mate, NB was all seated by the time I got in, but still loved being there. The atmos at the Grove is just awful, not helped by the bollocks Elvis Presley music, even Fat Boy Slim's Right Here, Right Now was better than the wonder of you.

Sad to say, only really enjoy watching the Arse away, Grove is a sterile bowl that could belong to any team in the world, even with Arsenalisation.

[Reg Niseth]

If you want more stories on the NB I recommend getting Tom Watt's book THE END.

I've got a couple of pics from the last game against Saints in there.

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/6-/Sear ... chsource=0

[Reg Niseth]

Aston Villa at home.

The CE was all Villa. We'd had a run in with some of them before the game on HR. We got in the ground about 2.30. NB was packed so we went in West Stand Paddock. There were three small pitch invasions before the game as Arsenal ran from WSP into the CE.

Pele came out and did a lap of honour and a couple of lads joined him.

Over 50,000 there that day. McDermott (Reading manager) got both I think. Certainly scored one after picking it up i=on the half way line.

Terry Neill had said in the papers that day that he expected a part atmosphere and fans could run on the pitch at the end.

If you find the clip on youtube you'll see Arsenal coming on from three sides. Villa wouldn't come on for ages and plod lined up to protect them.

some eventually came on but plod lost control as both sets of fans came off the pitch into the East Lower.

One great night was Man City in the League Cup. We'd drawn 0-0 up there thanks to Pat Jennings. NB was packed so had to go in CE that night. You could see the NB bouncing after we scored.

[franksav63]

Aston Villa at home.

The CE was all Villa. We'd had a run in with some of them before the game on HR. We got in the ground about 2.30. NB was packed so we went in West Stand Paddock. There were three small pitch invasions before the game as Arsenal ran from WSP into the CE.

Pele came out and did a lap of honour and a couple of lads joined him.

Over 50,000 there that day. McDermott (Reading manager) got both I think. Certainly scored one after picking it up i=on the half way line.

Terry Neill had said in the papers that day that he expected a part atmosphere and fans could run on the pitch at the end.

If you find the clip on youtube you'll see Arsenal coming on from three sides. Villa wouldn't come on for ages and plod lined up to protect them.

some eventually came on but plod lost control as both sets of fans came off the pitch into the East Lower.

One great night was Man City in the League Cup. We'd drawn 0-0 up there thanks to Pat Jennings. NB was packed so had to go in CE that night. You could see the NB bouncing after we scored.

Did Brady score from a pen? Believe the crowd was around 57,000??

[potter]

Believe the crowd was around 57,000?? The game against Busby's babes had 63,000 plus as well.

Just goes to show how things have changed, look at the hoops we had to jump through to get 60.000 at the grove.

[WalesGooner71]

The NB was a magical place for me - I always stood there as soon as I was old enough to take myself to matches. A quick hop on the tube from Arnos Grove and a 2 minute walk from Arsenal station meant I was allowed from about age 12!!

The atmosphere was superb and the prices were cheap!! You could turn up on the day with no ticket and still get in and even if you were going to a big match and had to resort to a tout double face value was only a tenner!! £10 out of £100 was far less of a dent than £55 out of £250 like it is now even to buy officially!!

I remember seeing people get on the roof to see one match - cant remember which one but I think it might have been against the spuds!!

Just thinking about it brings memories flooding back - watching match of the day to see if we could see ourselves jumping about after a goal - a pitch invasion due to getting crushed getting half way and being chased back by police dogs!! Asking Johnny Lukic "Whats the score?" and him pointing to the big number one on his shirt !!

It really was football for the people then - the players earned more in a week than you got in a year but not 10 years and they seemed more on your level. The game has changed at the top level - no terraces and too much money but at least if we have to have a new stadium at least we got one of the best in the country!!

[charliegeorgewhocanhitem]

Aston Villa at home.

The CE was all Villa. We'd had a run in with some of them before the game on HR. We got in the ground about 2.30. NB was packed so we went in West Stand Paddock. There were three small pitch invasions before the game as Arsenal ran from WSP into the CE.

Pele came out and did a lap of honour and a couple of lads joined him.

Over 50,000 there that day. McDermott (Reading manager) got both I think. Certainly scored one after picking it up i=on the half way line.

Terry Neill had said in the papers that day that he expected a part atmosphere and fans could run on the pitch at the end.

If you find the clip on youtube you'll see Arsenal coming on from three sides. Villa wouldn't come on for ages and plod lined up to protect them.

some eventually came on but plod lost control as both sets of fans came off the pitch into the East Lower.

One great night was Man City in the League Cup. We'd drawn 0-0 up there thanks to Pat Jennings. NB was packed so had to go in CE that night. You could see the NB bouncing after we scored.

Did Brady score from a pen? Believe the crowd was around 57,000??

57,000 was the "official" attendance but this was back in the days when the turnstile operators did there little fiddle by letting two go through at once for a small fee so I'd be surprised if the real crowd was'nt over 60.000 that night, another one where you could hardly move in the NB. Same goes for the Chelsea game in 73, think the official attendance was something like 62,000 but It would'nt suprise me it was nearer to 70.000 than 60,000, it really was that packed. We did win the City game 1-0 from a pen but can't remember who took it, Brady makes sense but something in the back of my mind is telling me Malcolm Macdonald.

[flash gunner]

Aston Villa at home.

The CE was all Villa. We'd had a run in with some of them before the game on HR. We got in the ground about 2.30. NB was packed so we went in West Stand Paddock. There were three small pitch invasions before the game as Arsenal ran from WSP into the CE.

Pele came out and did a lap of honour and a couple of lads joined him.

Over 50,000 there that day. McDermott (Reading manager) got both I think. Certainly scored one after picking it up i=on the half way line.

Terry Neill had said in the papers that day that he expected a part atmosphere and fans could run on the pitch at the end.

If you find the clip on youtube you'll see Arsenal coming on from three sides. Villa wouldn't come on for ages and plod lined up to protect them.

some eventually came on but plod lost control as both sets of fans came off the pitch into the East Lower.

One great night was Man City in the League Cup. We'd drawn 0-0 up there thanks to Pat Jennings. NB was packed so had to go in CE that night. You could see the NB bouncing after we scored.

Did Brady score from a pen? Believe the crowd was around 57,000??

57,000 was the "official" attendance but this was back in the days when the turnstile operators did there little fiddle by letting two go through at once for a small fee so I'd be surprised if the real crowd was'nt over 60.000 that night, another one where you could hardly move in the NB. Same goes for the Chelsea game in 73, think the official attendance was something like 62,000 but It would'nt suprise me it was nearer to 70.000 than 60,000, it really was that packed. We did win the City game 1-0 from a pen but can't remember who took it, Brady makes sense but something in the back of my mind is telling me Malcolm Macdonald.

I remember my dad asking the turnstile operator if me and my brother could jump the turnstile

[charliegeorgewhocanhitem]

Aston Villa at home.

The CE was all Villa. We'd had a run in with some of them before the game on HR. We got in the ground about 2.30. NB was packed so we went in West Stand Paddock. There were three small pitch invasions before the game as Arsenal ran from WSP into the CE.

Pele came out and did a lap of honour and a couple of lads joined him.

Over 50,000 there that day. McDermott (Reading manager) got both I think. Certainly scored one after picking it up i=on the half way line.

Terry Neill had said in the papers that day that he expected a part atmosphere and fans could run on the pitch at the end.

If you find the clip on youtube you'll see Arsenal coming on from three sides. Villa wouldn't come on for ages and plod lined up to protect them.

some eventually came on but plod lost control as both sets of fans came off the pitch into the East Lower.

One great night was Man City in the League Cup. We'd drawn 0-0 up there thanks to Pat Jennings. NB was packed so had to go in CE that night. You could see the NB bouncing after we scored.

Did Brady score from a pen? Believe the crowd was around 57,000??

57,000 was the "official" attendance but this was back in the days when the turnstile operators did there little fiddle by letting two go through at once for a small fee so I'd be surprised if the real crowd was'nt over 60.000 that night, another one where you could hardly move in the NB. Same goes for the Chelsea game in 73, think the official attendance was something like 62,000 but It would'nt suprise me it was nearer to 70.000 than 60,000, it really was that packed. We did win the City game 1-0 from a pen but can't remember who took it, Brady makes sense but something in the back of my mind is telling me Malcolm Macdonald.

I remember my dad asking the turnstile operator if me and my brother could jump the turnstile

Used to be a very popular thing to do back in the day I think any big game from that era could have at least an extra couple of 1000 added to the attendance because of this little ruse

[Kiwi Gooner]

What a fantastic thread!
And thanks for the pics, Basil.
I'm still gutted that I never got to see a match at Highbury.
I'd followed Arsenal fanatically from here in NZ for nearly 30 years when we moved to the Grove.
I finally got over there in October, 2007 (first match Arsenal 2 Bolton 0).
The first thing I did when I got to London was head to Highbury. The workmen there went and got me a brick from the East Stand.
It sits on my desk at work where I'm sitting now.
I envy all you Gooners who stood on the North Bank.
And for those of you who were at the '89 match at Anfield, I'd happily cut off your heads and drink up your memories!