1998 FA Cup Final
Two weeks before the 1998 FA Cup Final Arsenal had already
won the Premier League. I’d been to the games at Anfield and Villa Park that
followed the win over Everton but they’d been absolute non-events. The players
and the supporters were already focused on Wembley and the chance to replicate
the greatest achievement in the history of the Club. Throughout my childhood my
Dad had told us all about “The Double Year”. To be honest it was completely
mythical to someone of 19 years-old and something that I never considered I
would ever see Arsenal do.
The most exciting view in football
May 16th 1998 was very hot. It really was what
you might call typical Cup Final weather. The black and white of Newcastle,
against the red and white of the Arsenal supporters provided as good a visual
spectacle as we’d experienced five years earlier against Sheffield Wednesday.
For some reason we didn’t go to the other end of the stadium this time to see
the teams arrive. Instead we went and found our seats good and early. We were
up behind the goal, a fair distance back, but right next to the exit on the end
of a row. Basically it was as good a view of the pitch as you could get at
Wembley in those days. On the way in I’d bought myself a new flag (my Wembley
flag from Luton in 1988 had started to show the effects of age and being flown
from a car window in 1993) and it was a big red beast with a yellow cannon on
it – I still have it to this day. That flag would get some serious action that
day.
Tony Hadley sang the national anthem before the game and was
met with loud cheers from our end as a famous Gooner. I suppose plenty was
already going our way. When the game started Arsenal were quickly in control
and Ray Parlour was setting about Stuart Pearce in a big way down our right. He
laid one on a plate for Nicolas Anelka but the youngster headed over the open
goal he’d been presented with. Aside from that Anelka’s pace was far too much
for Newcastle’s Dad’s Army side. A midfield including David Batty was never
going to be a match for Vieira, Petit, Overmars and Parlour, while Christopher
Wreh’s non-stop running was slowly wearing out Howey and Dabizas.
Marc celebrates
It was a matter of time really before we got the first goal
and Overmars was the man who did it, right in front of us Gooners. Again it was
a mad celebration. We continued to dominate the first-half though chances were
not too clear cut. Shearer was getting more and more frustrated and elbowy up
front for them and just before half-time he mowed down Tony Adams in the corner
of the pitch. TA6 got up and laughed at him, Shearer got booked (he should have
walked if truth be told) and the Arsenal fans launched in to “One England
Captain” to serenade the bitter idiot – remember Shearer was only playing after
he blackmailed the FA in to not suspending him for kicking Neil Lennon in the
head two weeks earlier by threatening to not play at the World Cup.
I can still see this clearly
Half-time came and went and Arsenal were comfortable. In the
ten minutes or so after the break it was apparent that we were too comfortable.
First of all Dabizas looped a header on to the bar and then Shearer capitalised
on a stumble by Keown to hit the post. This roused us lot behind the goal and I
recall clearly being one of the first off my seat to scream “COME ON!!!” at the players. The noise level
rose from us supporters as we could see the players starting to throw away
their clear superiority. That was the end for Newcastle, as it happened. Ray
Parlour and Lee Dixon down Arsenal’s right started to dominate the game
completely, and David Platt came on to play the supporting role to Anelka (as
well as kicking anything that threatened to move). When Parlour lobbed the ball
over the defence and we saw Anelka charge clear we all looked to the linesman.
From my seat I had the perfect view of Anelka’s shot and I could see it was in
long before it hit the net. We knew then that we were going to win the Double.
Again there was jumping about and deafening noise and cuddling people and going
mental.
Super Nic celebrates his goal
Parlour simply got stronger and stronger in the oppressive
heat. He hit the post late on after a storming run past most of their defence
and Overmars was about six inches away from scoring with a 40 yard volley that
Shay Given just about climbed for and clung on to. On the one occasion
Newcastle got in late on Nigel Winterburn came from nowhere to make one of the
great Cup Final tackles as Shearer drew his foot back to score. Standing
ovation for Nutty Nige. Then Gilles Grimandi appeared on the touchline,
stripped for action. A lot of us were bit incredulous at this as Ian Wright and
Steve Bould were also among the subs. The ball subsequently didn’t go out of
play before the end of the game – I suspect an Arsenal player would have booted
it out had one or both of the others been getting their deserved taste of the
Cup Final.
The final whistle brought delirium in the Arsenal end. As I said, it was something I never thought
I’d ever see. I’m sure all of us youngsters were the same. For people like my
Dad who’d been there in 1971 he’d been one of the few to witness both. I cried
at Wembley after the game ended – we’d done the Double!
Scorers with the Cup
I don’t really recall a lot more from inside Wembley after
the game. I do remember the PA blaring out “Walking On Sunshine” and the
Arsenal fans singing along to every word while the players dances in front of
us. Wrighty tried to orchestrate one of those run and dive things that the
Chelsea players had done the year before, but thankfully most of the others
weren’t up for copying those no marks. I also remember him planting an Arsenal
flag on the centre-spot and him and Lee Dixon sitting in the centre-circle with
the Cup for a while. We all filed away eventually.
Walking back to the car there were a lot of very gracious
Geordie fans (the older ones at least) who were applauding the Arsenal fans and
telling us we had the best side in the World. I’ll never forget that. Lots of
them were shaking hands with us as we all walked back to our cars or to the
station. Then, outside The Torch pub a couple of them put their hands out to
shake, only to pull them away and tell us to “f***-off”. It was a shame as the
vast majority of the Newcastle fans had been great that day. And, yes, they did
get a mouthful back.
The car journey back through North London was like nothing
I’ve ever experienced and never will again. It goes without saying that the
traffic was horrendous, but that doesn’t matter when you’ve won, does it?
Coming through Archway there were, randomly, a load of Newcastle fans outside a
pub opposite the station. What you thought might be ugly was nothing of the
sort as they raised their glasses to the Arsenal procession back to Highbury.
In the traffic jam in front of us was a limo from which emerged through the
sunroof the comedian Alan Davies, beer in hand and smile on face. There were
literally Arsenal songs being sung in the traffic jam. Behind us, meanwhile,
was a luxury coach. It was me who noticed that, sitting in the seat at the
front of it, was Charlie George – this was one of the Arsenal staff coaches. In
the stationary traffic my brother got out of the car and knelt in front of the
coach to bow before a beaming Charlie.
From the bottom end of Archway Road, all the way to Highbury
Corner, it was like being in a carnival. There were hundreds (probably
thousands) of people on the streets greeting us all back from Wembley like some
kind of returning war heroes. People were leaning in to the cars and hugging us
and shaking our hands and there was more singing and car horns blowing. Quite
simply it was the most amazing scene. All the buildings seemed to have Arsenal
flags on them that hadn’t been there earlier in the day. What a feast for the
senses.
Arsenal's Double Winners
You never want that sort of thing to end and I’d love to do
it all again. Sadly I don’t think I’ll ever have a better day at football than
16th May 1998 – glorious and memorable in every way you could
imagine, but if I do then it will be well worth it!
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