Pumping the Emirates air!

[Yellow Rider 0]

Wow - that was some match and occasion!

Yellow Rider (and YR junior) were fortunate to secure access to the Aviva corporate box (offer via work) so made the trip to the stadium for the first time with trepidation but also some excitement as we couldn''t defend as badly as last week, could we??

The stadium from the outside is strange in some ways - a vast glass, concrete circular bowl - it all looked the same. Having said that the ground (and walkways outside) are draped in drawings, pictures, tributes etc. to the greats of the past. Now I''m no fan of Arsenal, quite the reverse in fact. Wenger may be a good coach producing teams of sublime quality but his behaviour and comments over the years have been disgraceful to be honest. Fact remains though that with 13 league championships and 10 FA Cups under their belt, today we took on one of the most famous clubs in the world. That club absolutely drips with tradition and heritage.      

Most of the party we were with were Yellows and the view we had immediately behind the North Bank end was awesome. After less than two minutes heads were in hands - why is it that we stand off attackers down our right back area, show them inside and they seem to almost leisurely curl in a goal into the far top corner!!

Within minutes though it was clear that the team were up for the challenge and with Arsenal thinking they could stroll through, it was no surprise when a sweeping move saw Wes slide in the equaliser (hash up by the keeper though). Equally, though, no surprise either when the boy Holt pounced albeit with a massive deflection that saw the ball sail over the keeper, I was up way before the ball hit the net as it was a goal all the way!

Second half saw Arsenal seriously stepping up the pace after what must have been the mother of all bollockings from the Frenchman! Even then Jackson spurned a gilt edged chance (and that''s why he must be moved on in the summer) to put us 3-1 up. The siege of the North Bank then set in with an amazing array of great defensive blocks, last gasp clearances and some seriously poor misses by Arsenal. The so called ''Library'' exploded with their two goals - some library!!  

A lot of stuff was kicking off and Wes needlesly got a booking whilst Morison could easily have walked after two clear bookable offences. Holt was taken off before he could be sent off and it was frantic action all the way. Once we actually got the ball down and moving again late on I knew there was another goal in us and what a finish by the boy Morison!      

It was a brilliant day and the team were an absolute credit. We can compete with anyone when we''re ''right at it'', anything less and we are no more than ''ordinary''. Defensively we were much tighter with Rusell Martin in the middle, Naughton at right back and a conventional left footer at left back! Marching back down to Finsbury Park, YR was proud, very proud to be ''all yellow''. To take a point at that stadium and against 55,000 fans was a stunning performance. Lets hope we can ''turn up'' against Villa and end the home matches on a high note. Today will live long in the YR memory bank that''s for sure!    

[stratton canary 164]

stratton rule on here tonight, we were in the lower teir,& sung our hearts out from start to finish, did''nt hear the gooners until they went 3-2 up,boys did well good today, now lets finish on a high & do villa next week

[yellow blood 0]

You make some interesting point YR but would just like to add that Arsenal could so easily have been down to 9 men in the first half for petulent kicks out at our players. Also we had two blatant penalties turned down. An Arsenal supporting acquaintance said they were the most obvious he has ever seen. 

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Great memory for you YR.

When Arsenal rolled into Norwich early in the season with a media bandwagon I felt the occasion got to us.

Fast forward a few months and Norwich refuse to lie down at The Emirates. Now, that''s progress.