The North London Derby - January 2025

The North London Derby for me is one of the highlights of the season.  

The North London Derby

Not because of the excitement, nor the quality of the game, but that Tottenham aka Spurs aka Vermin, are the nearest neighbours haling from the former Middlessex borough and now the London Borough of Haringey.

Until the expansion of London and the destruction of Middlesex as anything other than a postal county in 1965, Tottenham was in Middlesex. Not London.  

Anyway.  The day game-day started for me at 1625 when I set off for the four mile journey to Folkestone West train station for the 1657 high speed train to London. I arrived just in time to park and rush across to the platform.  Why does it take 20 minutes to go four miles? You'd have to ask the clowns in front of me that go 24mph (indicated) through the fixed speed cameras that are set to 30mph!

I got a seat and that can be a miracle some times. We arrived on time at 1754 and I met up with friend Helen and we went straight up to the Emirates Stadium and into the ground. Luckily there was a table free in the main under stand concourse. Coffee whilst we waited for my brother Neill to arrive. More coffee and tea, and discussion how nervous we were.

After two poor displays that resulted in losing, at home,  to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup last Tuesday and on Sunday to Manchester United in the FA Cup, we were very nervous and pessimism ruled the day.

After all Spurs had beaten mid-table fifth tier Tamworth 3-0 in 120 minutes extra time!) at the weeend and would be buoyed by that massive underdog performance!

It was all Arsenal until Son scored for Spurs against the run of play.  Once again it looked as though the tippy-tappy side to side football that is nicknamed "Artetaball" was going to be as crap as the previous two games.

Then two goals in four minutes before the half-time break saw the Gunners go in for their cocoa and slippers break leading 2-1.

Ant that's the way it stayed. "Artetaball" also means that when the opposition have had their arses kicked at half time that we immediately do the opposite. We slow the play down, We defend deep to give the opponent a chance to get a chance at a goal.  In the end we survived.

Not a game for the faint hearted though. I was glad to get out and back to the tube and train home. Arriving a fraction after midnight!