Old Gunners and Gooners : Poetic Justice.

The Squad.

C. Nicholas - G. Rix - S.Williams - K. Sansom all moved on.

Paul Merson - Brian Marwood - Alan Smith - Nigel Winterburn - Lee Dixon - Steve Bould established themselves as first team regulars.

David O’Leary - Paul Davis - Niall Quinn - Martin Hayes - Perry Groves provided quality back up.

Clock End gets a face lift.

My East Upper Season Ticket.

On the way to Trophy number One.

Merse outruns Gazza.

The first of 3 Trophies.

We’re on the way to Trophy number two.

The League starts away with a 5-1 win at Wimbledon - The Biggest Trophy is coming.

First home game for Arsenal Fans “F U Troop”.

Arsenal lose 3-2.

Arsenal win 3-2 at the Lane.

Apart from the result - this is memorable for when Gazza was pelted with Mars bars by Arsenal fans, when he was waiting in the penalty area for a corner kick to be taken.

You fat bastard was the main chant.

Paul Davis lands an “Henry Cooper on Glen Cockerill” days after beating the “Cockerel”.

He gets banned for 9 games and then injuries finish his season.

Sheffield Wednesday next up.

Trophy number 2.

Arsenal beat Man Utd 2-1.

The scorers - Mickey Thomas & Paul Davis.

Arsenal were marching on nicely and challenging Liverpool & Norwich for top place.

Brian Marwood was having an excellent season until he got injured.

So was Kevin Richardson after coming in for the suspended Paul Davis.

In the League Cup, Arsenal beat Hull and then travel to Liverpool where Rocky Rocastle scores a wonder goal in a 1-1 draw.

Highbury is crammed to the rafters for a dull 0-0 replay.

The Arsenal Fans can sense big times ahead for this team though.

Liverpool win the 3rd game 2-1.

Back to League business - Norwich Away.

In the FA Cup 3rd round, Arsenal draw 2-2 at West Ham and then lose replay 1-0

Knock’em down the Old Kent road.

“Bushwacker” Territory.

Tony Adams thinks it’s a goal - Ref says No!!

We still win 2-1.

This was Arsenal’s first visit to Millwall and we all met up in JC’s pub off the New Kent road.

He’d recently moved there as he wanted a quieter life after the Sebright Arms.

Elephant & Castle, quieter?, was he sure?

Anyway, we all troop in about midday and there’s a couple of old regulars sitting there, ex dockers apparently. They ask us if we’re all the guv’nors Arsenal mates?

When we say yes, they launch into a diatribe of hate about Arsenal.

According to them, in the 1950’s there was a midweek cup for the reserves of all the London teams.

The South East Counties Cup I think.

As they were working in the docks at that time, they used to watch Millwall reserves on Wednesday afternoons, and one season Millwall reached the final.

They had to play Arsenal reserves but Arsenal put out their first team and won the cup.

These blokes had carried that hate for 35 years.

We all fell about laughing!!, especially, JC.

We then went to the game with thousands of other Gooners.

Millwall were boasting that Arsenal Fans wouldn’t turn up.

For some reason Arsenal played France at Highbury.

I think this was the first time Arsenal had played a national team since Italy in 1934.

Arsenal vs France.

Arsenal were marching on again in the League and either winning or drawing most games.

Then as we were beating Newcastle at Highbury, news was coming in of the tragedy at Hillsborough involving Liverpool Fans.

I mentioned before about the crush we endured getting into the Leppings Lane End in 1973 against Sunderland.

Apparently fans of the team from the Lane suffered the same as us in 1981 against Wolves.

At least there weren’t any fences in those days and we could have got on the pitch if necessary.

This meant that our League game at Anfield would be postponed until the season’s end.

We carry on, with only 7 games to go, I ain’t missing anything.

Man Utd Away 1-1.

I went with JC - Spandau & a workmate, Bernie (the radio).

JC got us our tickets from a source at Old Trafford.

Yep, you guessed it, in the Stretford End. Luckily, we were near the front between the penalty area and the corner flag.

JC was sitting in the Main Stand behind Matt Busby.

We could spot JC’s yellow jacket a mile away.

This was the game when the media called Tony Adams a “Donkey”.

We didn’t care, we got a draw and despite Bernie, attracting some unwanted attention, by forgetting to keep his gob shut when we scored, came home safely.

Then Arsenal beat Everton 2-0, Norwich 5-0 and incredibly lost to Derby 2-1 all at Highbury.

3 games to go and we’re neck and neck with Liverpool.

Middlesbrough Away.

Memorable for not just Martin Hayesy’s long range goal but also the scenes amongst the Arsenal Fans who had been kept in at the end.

Many had blow up champagne bottles and all sorts of other blown up items.

Then 2 drunken ‘Boro fans try to climb a fence separating the fans but luckily for them they fail.

This prompts the arrival of the fattest female police Inspector you will ever see and you can only imagine the abuse she got. Even the other coppers were laughing.

Happy days!!

Then in a way that only Arsenal could manage, we draw at Highbury with Wimbledon.

After Liverpool have played, we now have to go to Anfield and win by 2 clear goals.

As we’d already bought the tickets for the original game, Putney and myself had decided to go unless we needed more than 3 goals.

We left London early as it was a Bank Holiday weekend and traffic would be heavy

We even diverted so that we entered Liverpool through the Birkenhead tunnel against the traffic.

On arriving at the stadium, we met Hoyboy and his son and went in early. We found a good spot next to a wall that separated the Anfield road end from where we were, on the side near the corner flag.

If you watch the match replay, at the end, when the players come over to the fans, we’re to the right of the Exit sign and you can spot Putney in his white jumper.

About 2 feet up this wall was a ledge about 6 inches wide and we stood on this in single file holding onto the wall with one hand.

A fantastic unspoilt view of an historical night.

After Alan Smith scores, you can also see Denton jumping up and down on the tarmac next to the goal.

Just before kickoff, Paul Davis & Niall Quinn took their seats amongst the Arsenal Fans behind the goal and received a great reception.

The rest is ARSENAL HISTORY.