Winner gets £1.8m
Loser gets £900,000
Att 89,283
Different approach going to the Final. Darren and James went on the train so I was on my own. Same format once in London and arrived at Wealdstone Football Club around 1200 am to find the place packed with Villa supporters. Didn’t stop for a drink went straight for the tube. Usual atmosphere along Wembley way. Very busy. The night before some of the lads went down and were staying at an hotel along Wembley Way and invited to meet me to have a drink with them. Needless to say that when I rang them there was no reply, in fact never saw them for days. Pickled all weekend no doubt. Darren and James were in a bar along Wembley Way. He rang me 3 times. I rang him back 3 times and on all occasions couldn’t make head nor sense what was being said. Gave up and went to the ground. An hour and a half to kick off. A £2.20 cup of tea seems in order. I had a job getting a ticket for the final. Put out feelers everywhere and eventually got one (Actually got 2) from a Director of Solihull Moors. Not a problem to me but they were excellent tickets, 10 rows back from the pitch but in the Arsenal end. So, not many takers for the other ticket then. The week before the final I said to my daughter that I would sell the ticket for as big a profit that I could get which would go some way to recoup some mileage money from the months of travelling. She was disgusted with this and told me that I was to do no such thing and was to sell it face value to a needy supporter. Well here goes. I’m here now and how do you spot a needy authentic supporter? Spent a very interesting 20 minutes outside the Wembley Club entrance watching celebrities and their wives going in. Half of them never seen a football kicked. At one point a very large car drew up. A big black man got out looking round making sure all was ok. For what?? Not sure but frightened me. A couple then got out followed by another henchman. The couple were dripping money and didn’t look as they cared where it came from. At no point did either of the henchmen look at the couple they just looked all around them in military fashion. Scarry. Wandered round and 30 minutes before kick-off I went to the ticket office area. There were quite a few people milling around hoping to get ticket. I approached one Arsenal supporter and asked if he was after a ticket. Yes please was his reply. £120 changed hands (face value) and that was it. Made my way to my seat and watched the fireworks. Five minutes before kick-off a chap who I had never seen before came and sat beside me. I said to him “how much did you pay for your ticket?, I sold it half an hour ago at face value”. £270 he said and he said the chap wanted £400 for it. Ah well, I tried.
The game began. Well, it
began for Arsenal. It never began for the Villa. Where was the team that had
floored Liverpool a few weeks before.
What had gone wrong. Where was the Grealish magic? He couldn’t pass a
ball. Nobody could pass a ball. Arsenal could and Walcott put them ahead and
went in 1-0 at half time. For the Villa this was damage limitation. At least it
gave them chance to regroup and come out fighting in the second half. That was
the theory anyway. Didn’t happen. Sanchez gave them a second and it was obvious
it was going to be a case of how many. In the row behind me and a few seats
down was a Villa supporter covered top to tail in claret and blue. Oh what a
mistake that was. He was ever so brave and fronted it out. The big German
centre half Mertesacker was left on his own in the six yard box to head in the
third goal. I had seen enough. In fact, I couldn’t see anything else, because
all the Arsenal supporters were now on their feet and didn’t look like they
were about to sit down anytime. I motioned to the Villa fan that I was off and
did he want to come with me. He declined. He must have been hoping for a
miraculous Villa fightback. Some hope there. I was walking out through the open
gates when another cheer went up. Yes 4-0.
Felt lonely going down
Wembley Way to the train station. The journey was over. 3,230 miles and lots of memories. I really
enjoyed it and so glad I did it. Think I enjoyed the early games more than the
later ones. I liked the set up at Guisley and thought the supporters bar at
Grimsby the best. The most disappointing ground for me was Oxford. Totally
soulless and only 3 sides of the ground built. The most enjoyable game for me
was the defeat of Liverpool in the semi-final and the worst was Halesowen Town
v Sutton.
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