Greatest ever memory at Highbury

EC3 · Post by **EC3** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 12:02 am

West Ham home. smoke bomb, sticks in my memory.

donaldo · Post by **donaldo** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:17 am

olgitgooner wrote:Nice post from Martin Hayes. Not at all soppy, ya nanna

Best experience at Highbury for me HAS to be the Fairs Cup Final v Anderlecht.

We had won bugger all for years. Suffered League Cup Final defeats against Leeds and Swindon (fucking SWINDON, for fucks sake!!!).

We are 3-1 down from the first leg of the Final. We need to win by two clear goals. I am NOT confident. Then we end up stuffing them 3-0!!!!

The match was not all ticket. You just paid at the turnstile. I took a mate who had never been to a top flight football match before. The lucky bastard. I wait for years and years to see something like that. He gets it in his very first game. It's not fair.

Couldnt agree more olgitgooner.I was 10 at the time and was in the schoolboys.Always remember Raddy hanging in the air when he scored the 2nd goal in front of a delirious North BankAnd ended up on the pitch with thousands of others at the end.Will always be my number one.

digger · Post by **digger** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:12 am

g88ner wrote:
digger wrote:One of my fondest Highbury memories was the game vs Spurs, same day that Rocky died. We beat them 2 - 0 and the atmosphere was as good as I've ever seen at Highbury. It was my first NLD and just fucking magic, loads of Rocky songs.
Yeah, that was a strange day!

The way I remember it (and I could be wrong) but, before the Sp*rs game started, we were also told of the death of young Arsenal defender Niccolo Galli who died in a car crash whilst on loan in Italy

I'm probably wrong, but that's how I remember that day.

Don't remember that bit, you could be right though. I just remember the Spurs fans actually giving Rocky the respect he deserved, and it genuinely felt like he was in the stadium.

Just googled it, Galli died about 3 weeks before DR

Bring Back Pires · Post by **Bring Back Pires** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:44 am

b) For odd reasons, a victory (3-1??) over Newcastle Utd on a Friday night in 2003. Unless someone can tell me otherwise, the only Friday night game at Highbury in the comon era?

It was 3-2, and played on 26.09.2003 (can't believe it's almost six years ago!). The Arsenal 5-0 Leeds United game was also played on a Friday night during the same season (16.04.04).

Strangely enough, there were even more Friday games during the 03/04 season at Highbury - the 3-0 victory over Wolves (26.12.03), and the 4-2 defeat of Liverpool (09.04.04) - taking the tally to four home games on a Friday during that season. Wonder when that last happened during a campaign?

vs West Brom, the day we "officially" beat the record for the most consecutive games without defeat (this must have been about match number 43 or so?) and the whole NB singing "we're making history"

It was actually Blackburn Rovers that we defeated (3-0), beating the record and taking the tally to 43 as you indicate.

Anyone remember how many other goals [Jensen] scored for us?

That was his only goal. I was also slightly puzzled about the whole thing though - yes, it seemed like a lifetime waiting for him to score, but it was only 15 months after signing for us. In this era of Wengerball where anyone is capable of scoring, it seems a long time. But remember, those were the days when the ball was played long and Wright or Campbell did the finishing.

To compare Jensen's strike against QPR in a meaningless mid-table match to Michael Thomas' goal at Anfield, perhaps the greatest moment in AFC history?

Exiled in Cornwall · Post by **Exiled in Cornwall** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:45 am

For me it was the last ever game of the old North Bank, last game of the season 91/92? Ian Wright scored twice against Southampton to beat Spinker to the Golden Boot, after the game noone wanted to leave, looking at the north bank knowing it was never ever going to happen again

donaldo · Post by **donaldo** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:43 am

cornish gooner wrote:For me it was the last ever game of the old North Bank, last game of the season 91/92? Ian Wright scored twice against Southampton to beat Spinker to the Golden Boot, after the game noone wanted to leave, looking at the north bank knowing it was never ever going to happen again

I remember it well.There was a protest by about 500 Goonners who stayed behind for an hour before plod moved them out.I can honestly say i was one of the last 10 people to leave the North Bank that day.I think that compares with the men who walked on the moon

Martin Hayes · Post by **Martin Hayes** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:15 am

The Arsenal 5-0 Leeds United game was also played on a Friday night during the same season (16.04.04).

Oh yeah!...wasn't it Good Friday, and at about 6ish???

Bring Back Pires · Post by **Bring Back Pires** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:19 am

Martin Hayes wrote:
The Arsenal 5-0 Leeds United game was also played on a Friday night during the same season (16.04.04).
Oh yeah!...wasn't it Good Friday, and at about 6ish???

No, the Liverpool game the week before was Good Friday, and kicked off at noon.

The Leeds game was at 8pm IIRC. Found this online:

The game had been scheduled for Saturday, April 17 [2004], but with the Gunners likely to be on the brink of the Premiership title and Leeds potentially closer to relegation, the match has been brought forward to accommodate the TV cameras.

northbankgooner · Post by **northbankgooner** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:32 am

As i am still young.

It has to be one of these two:
1) 0-0 against real madrid. An absolutely amazing night, the best atmosphere i remember at highbury. and we nearlymade it perfect when bobby shot into an empty goal from halfway at the end but carlos saved it!!

2)5-3 against boro at the start of 04/05 season. To keep the run going in such dramatic fashion was unbelievble and i will never forget bobby scoring and then reyes scoring 30 seconds later!

charliegeorgewhocanhitem · Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:40 am

olgitgooner wrote:Nice post from Martin Hayes. Not at all soppy, ya nanna

Best experience at Highbury for me HAS to be the Fairs Cup Final v Anderlecht.

We had won bugger all for years. Suffered League Cup Final defeats against Leeds and Swindon (fucking SWINDON, for fucks sake!!!).

We are 3-1 down from the first leg of the Final. We need to win by two clear goals. I am NOT confident. Then we end up stuffing them 3-0!!!!

The match was not all ticket. You just paid at the turnstile. I took a mate who had never been to a top flight football match before. The lucky bastard. I wait for years and years to see something like that. He gets it in his very first game. It's not fair.

Bugger, another one I was just too young to be alowed to go to

followed it on the radio. Know people who were there and all agree it was the greatest night at Highbury. I remember following the 1st leg away on the radio when we lost 3-1 and crying in bed after

then waking up the following morning hoping that it had all been a bad dream

Percy Dalton · Post by **Percy Dalton** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:46 am

Everton 98 was incredible and something I will never forget.

That Tony Adams moment was almost surreal and nobody could have written a better script.

I was in the North Bank Lower and we was actually pretty worried as the Upper Tier was bouncing up and down above us. Some of the players loked pretty concerned too.

If something similar to that happend at The Grove we woill probably be told to sit down.

Oh I miss the old place.

charliegeorgewhocanhitem · Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:48 am

One that always sticks in my mind is an FA Cup quarter final replay at home to Chelsea in 1973. Went straight from school and arrived at Highbury about 5.30. The queue for the north bank Gillespie Road gates went most of the way up to Finsbury Park, certainly past the Plimsoll Arms (Auld Trinagle nowadays) and we got in the ground about two minites before kick off. I remember it being a free for all as you got nearer and nearer to the turnstiles and nearly getting crushed before I could force my way through the gap. Once up the top of the stairs to the nb we could'nt move into the middle, it was so packed you just could'nt move. Never felt so crushed at Highbury. The official attendance was given as 62,000 but this was back in the day of the old turnstile fiddles so there was a lot more than that inside the old girl, would'nt surprise me if it was nearer to 70,000. We won the game 2-1, Alan Ball pen and a Ray Kennedy header so it was a good night all round

hanny73 · Post by **hanny73** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 12:00 pm

Loads of great memories from Highbury....

One that sticks out was 2002, West Ham at home. Sitting in the East Upper (not my usual seat) - the game was 0.0 at half time after the Hammers had a goal disallowed in the first half, I was so tense I became a smoker for the 15 mins of half time.

As the second half continued, there seemed no break through, then up steps the magical Ljungberg with 2 late goals, sheer relief all round.

Post by **g88ner** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 12:02 pm

Percy Dalton wrote:Everton 98 was incredible and something I will never forget.

That Tony Adams moment was almost surreal and nobody could have written a better script.

I was in the North Bank Lower and we was actually pretty worried as the Upper Tier was bouncing up and down above us. Some of the players loked pretty concerned too.

If something similar to that happend at The Grove we woill probably be told to sit down.

Oh I miss the old place.

Well, I was in the Upper Tier that day and I was fucking worried the tier would collapse, too!

Great day. Tony Adams' moment really was perfect. I have a framed photo, with ticket, of him stood there, arms raised after just scoring... even now it sends a shiver down my spin

(by the way, that Upper Tier ticket I had cost Â£18... you'd get a pie and a pint at the Grove for that now!

)

olgitgooner · Post by **olgitgooner** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:40 pm

I doubt if many on here are old enough to remember THIS one......

9th December 1967.

Home to Sheffield Wednesday. Match abandoned just before half time. Snow. Lots of snow.

It was the only game on in London, because of our under-soil heating.

So we attracted a mottley crew of footie fans from the postponed games.

The Sheffield lot were on the west terrace. Standing with them were (I think) fans of Coventry, Wolves, etc. All having a great time.

The atmosphere was fantastic fun. Very surreal. Complete with snowball fights.