Arsenal met Stoke City twelve months on from the double-winning season, at Hillsborough that time, this one at Villa Park. Again, a draw, the replay would come at Goodison Park
Arsenal met Stoke City twelve months on from the double-winning season, at Hillsborough that time, this one at Villa Park. Again, a draw, the replay would come at Goodison Park
I was at this game.
I also travelled to Goodison for the reply.
99% of my football travels were by train, due in part to the fact I’m one of the “Railway Children” and was allowed cut-price tickets, but also because I didn’t own a car. However, on the occasion of the replay, I travelled by car with a good friend (a fellow Arsenal fan).
The point of this boring story is ?… the crowd was a mere 38,970.
The reason ?… there was a train strike on that very day/evening.
There were ticket touts at the game who had travelled from London (by road obviously), hoping some mugs would purchase. I recognised two or three, one of whom I had purchased from before at Highbury (a chum of Fat Stan Flashman aka “King of the Touts”). They caught a cold that night, big-time.
My friend and I had travelled without tickets, and upon buying two good upper-tier seats, were told by a steward we could “sit anywhere you like, lads”. So, half-way line it was.
attendance stat : http://stats.woolwicharsenal.co.uk
(thanks, Andy)