On Sunday I got up early and headed to the train station. I was on my way to Wembley for the League Cup Final between Arsenal and Birmingham City. Arriving at the station I rounded the corner to find a queue just to get on to the platform. Over an hour later I was on a train London bound. It was standing room only but the two hours passed quite quickly. The atmosphere was fantastic.Eventually I got to Marylebone and after a short walk to Baker Street met my brother and some mates. We found a small pub just around the corner (Bok Bar) and stayed there until it was time to head over to Wembley.
The weather, when I arrived, was lovely but by the time we left the bar it was raining and had become quite chilly.
Before I knew it I was walking up Wembley Way and within minutes was inside the stadium. It all seemed quite surreal.
I'd been to Wembley before to watch England but to walk in and see a sea of blue and white was something special.
The game itself seemed to pass quickly and a lot of it is still a blur. Luckily Clare has taped it for me so I can watch it back when I get the chance. Standing behind the goal was a great place to see Birmingham's Zigic rise to head in the first goal after 28 minutes. The Blues fans went wild but 11 minutes later Van Persie's great strike meant it was all level at half time.
The second half saw Arsenal have a good spell and most of the Blues fans were getting frustrated. We were expecting an Arsenal goal but as the time ticked away we were all thinking of extra time and penalties and then it happened. In the 89th minute a long ball from Foster is met by Zigic in the Arsenal area. Koscielny (Arsenal defender) should have cleared the ball but Szczesny (Arsenal goalkeeper) came out to collect. The ball is miskicked and rolls to the feet of Martins (Blues on loan striker) who is faced with an empty goal. He taps it home and the Blues fans cannot believe it. The 4 minutes added time seemed like forever but eventually the whistle blew.
Blues had won the the Carling Cup. Despite being written off by the bookies and the media we had done it. Our first major trophy in 48 years. Everyone was ecstatic and as the Arsenal fans filed out of Wembley the Blues sang. Keep Right On, Mr Blue Sky, Food for Thought.
When the team collected the trophy I don't mind admitting I had tears in my eyes (I wasn't alone). Eventually we left Wembley and the party continued.
Blues were going to party all night but I was shattered so eventually made my way back over to Marylebone to catch the train home. I could have caught it at Wembley but figured I had a better chance of a seat by heading back across London. I was right.
3 days later and I still can't believe we have done it. It's not a cheap day out but it was worth every penny!
The game itself seemed to pass quickly and a lot of it is still a blur. Luckily Clare has taped it for me so I can watch it back when I get the chance. Standing behind the goal was a great place to see Birmingham's Zigic rise to head in the first goal after 28 minutes. The Blues fans went wild but 11 minutes later Van Persie's great strike meant it was all level at half time.
The second half saw Arsenal have a good spell and most of the Blues fans were getting frustrated. We were expecting an Arsenal goal but as the time ticked away we were all thinking of extra time and penalties and then it happened. In the 89th minute a long ball from Foster is met by Zigic in the Arsenal area. Koscielny (Arsenal defender) should have cleared the ball but Szczesny (Arsenal goalkeeper) came out to collect. The ball is miskicked and rolls to the feet of Martins (Blues on loan striker) who is faced with an empty goal. He taps it home and the Blues fans cannot believe it. The 4 minutes added time seemed like forever but eventually the whistle blew.
When the team collected the trophy I don't mind admitting I had tears in my eyes (I wasn't alone). Eventually we left Wembley and the party continued.
Blues were going to party all night but I was shattered so eventually made my way back over to Marylebone to catch the train home. I could have caught it at Wembley but figured I had a better chance of a seat by heading back across London. I was right.
3 days later and I still can't believe we have done it. It's not a cheap day out but it was worth every penny!
