Some memories of Highbury

Recently, I befriended a gentleman from London who is married to a friend of my wife. Our wives were playing cards the other night, so the Englishman and I went to dinner, followed by a visit to a local Irish pub.

Ironically, as I discovered, he is a lifelong Arsenal supporter, so obviously we had a lot to talk about.

I asked him why and how he became an Arsenal supporter. He said his family were Spurs fans, so he chose the Gunners as his club just to piss them off.

So, after talking about the current state of our club, I asked him what it was like to attend games at Highbury. From there his stories flowed like water.

Even though his father was a longtime Spurs supporter, he would on occasion take his son to Highbury to watch Arsenal play. He described the old stadium’s smells and colors and how it was overwhelming to a young boy to be standing in “The Home of Football.” During our talk, he experienced goosebumps as he talked about those experiences, the players he saw play, the results of the matches he attended, and warm memories he has of those great times with his father.

He said his father never switched his allegiance to Arsenal from Spurs, but also he never once said a discouraging word about the Gunners in front of his son. My friend thinks those trips to Highbury softened his father’s hard line stance against the Arsenal Football Club.

Even though I never was in London during the Highbury days, I do have a story of my own to tell.

On my first visit to London I made a special effort to walk the short distance from the Arsenal tube station to the club’s old home ground. After walking up Avenell Road, I saw in front of me the legendary Highbury Stadium. Like my friend, that image produced goosebumps. As I got closer, my mind started to wonder and I began to daydream. In my mind I could swear I heard the crowd rumbling inside the ground, I could see the ghost of Herbert Chapman entering the front door and I could sense the magic this famous place produced so many times.

There is something about the old stadiums that just sparks your imagination. It reminded me of going to Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Boston’s Fenway Park. You could envision Babe Ruth and Stan Williams slamming home runs over the ivy wall at Wrigley, and the green monster at Fenway.

I will never forget those times, and also the short time I spent in front of Highbury. I’m so glad someone decided to keep the old stadium in place. Now it is full of condominiums, and how cool it must be to live in this place.

I wonder if those residents ever get those goosebumps? I know I did.

Thanks to my new friend for bringing my memory of Highbury back to me, plus, I think he really enjoyed reliving those memories of going with his father to see Arsenal play at Highbury Stadium.

Cheers.

Gunner1953