Farewell Highbury

I went down to Highbury today, even though I didn’t have a ticket for the match against Wigan, to see the stadium on its last ever game.

Unfortunately the police were out in force to make sure no one without a ticket could get too close the ground.

It was an important game not just because it was Highbury’s finale, the last Champions League spot was up for grabs with Tottenham starting the day one point ahead of Arsenal. The club had given every fan inside the ground a red or white t-shirt and watching on tv the banks of red and white looked really good around the stadium.

Arsenal had the perfect start with a Pires goal after just seven minutes but then the Gunners went on to concede two soft goals before Henry made it 2-2 before halftime.

Arsenal had to get a better result than Spurs, who had tried to get their game with West Ham postponed at the last minute because of some supposed food poisoning. It went ahead and Tottenham were drawing 1-1 when their favourite old boy, Teddy Sheringham, missed a penalty for West Ham. The conspiracy theorists will have a field day with that one.

It was a nervous time in the second half but once Henry had nailed his hatrick and West Ham got a second, the party could begin.

It’ll be very strange Arsenal never playing again at Highbury, their home since 1913, but the good thing is how close the new Emirates Stadium is. Come out of Arsenal tube station, turn right instead of left, walk about three hundred yards and bang, there it is. Still being worked on but looking good for the start of the new season.

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