Given today is the anniversary of that great night at Anfield in ’89 I thought I would share with you one of my previous posts recalling my memory of that great night:

Arsenal had a feature a couple of years ago to celebrate Arsenal’s emphatic win at Anfield in ’89

They invited Arsenal fans to recall their memories of that great night by emailing their recollections and a few were selected and published on the Arsenal.com site. http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/anfield-89-where-were-you-that-night

I was lucky to have my memory published.

Have a read.. have a laugh

post in all its glory:

Michael Thomas’ goal was a defining moment in defining my love for Arsenal and cementing me as an Arsenal fan. I was around 11 at the time and considered myself an arsenal fan but coming from a household that wasn’t full of football fans I wasn’t as engulfed in football as some of my friends at school. It was my local team and that was enough to start supporting them.

I knew the names of a few players but didn’t ‘know’ the team inside out. On this particular night of the game I was in the local youth club (called lions boys club in Pitfield street) and apart from the usual high jinks an 11-year-old gets up to some of the bigger boys went upstairs to watch the game on the big tv. I followed and proceeded to watch the game with them. Fascinated by their conversations about who was rubbish who was great what a great pass that was my mind was like a sponge taking in everything. I particularly remember one of the older boys commenting on John Lukic’s stance and technique before kicking the ball out. The pressure the atmosphere everything about this game captivated me. I was really drawn in as a true football fan. Unfortunately my curfew was up and I had to go home. I so wanted to stay I so wanted to listen to the older boy conversations about Lukic Smith et al but i had to go.

I ran home as fast as I could (it was a lot safer in those days) and when I got home my mum was watching the game on tv. Even my mum was into it? Where had this intense football feeling been all my life? It was from this moment at home that I started to show off and repeat the bigger boy comments about the game pretending like I was a fan in the know and correcting my mum for getting names wrong and explaining to her the importance of the need to score once more. When time was running down and the chance of the elusive 2nd goal was slipping away my mum was congratulating arsenal on putting in a good effort and that maybe next year they might win something.

The intensity was so high I was half blocking out what she was saying. But then the moment came the move seemed to happen so quickly and in a flash Mickey Thomas was through on goal. Could this be it? Come on Thomas!! Yes!!!! Goal!!! Mummy mummy! We did it! My screams must have disturbed the neighbours but I didn’t care arsenal did it. My Arsenal did it!! We were the champions. I love football I love Arsenal I love Michael Thomas I want to be an Arsenal player and score like that (steady). All be it I was at home in the living room with my mum when Michael Thomas scored. But I really can look back at it being one of the defining moments in making me an Arsenal fan. I had never been to a match I had probably never sat through 90 mins of an Arsenal game on tv. But that moment changed everything.

yeah,yeah I shouted mummy. and what?  lol

Enjoy Michael Thomas day people