Having been given a ‘plum’ FA Cup 3rd Round draw of an away trip to Premier League Arsenal, the Harding Family set-off on into the cold morning air of the 3rd January 2009 heading for the bright lights of London……    Peter and Abi were joined by John and Kate and of course Sienna, who didn’t want to miss out on adding the Emirates to her list of stadiums attended!

The journey to London was rather eventful, with frequent stops required to de-ice the car, as the -6°C temperatures defeated even BMW’s technical advances!  We had been invited for lunch at Steve & Clare’s in Barnet, from where we could catch a train direct to Finsbury Park, just a short walk from the Emirates stadium.  After a bite to eat, and a play for Sienna with Chloe, we headed off to get the train.  Unusually (well, in my experience anyway), the train was both on time and cheaper than we had been advised when we checked online!

Accompanied by plenty of Arsenal fans, the train deposited us at Finsbury Park, and we enjoyed the 20 minute walk to the Emirates, passing the site of the old Highbury stadium on the way, which is now being converted to luxury flats!  On arriving at Ashburton Grove, to give it the correct name, the stadium certainly impressed.  At a cost of more than £360 million, it is a fine home for one of the country’s top teams.  As the pictures (click an image to enter the slideshow) and short video here show, the view from our seats was great, if a little far from the action, and the atmosphere generated by the 9,000 Argyle fans who had made the trip must have been superb for the players.

The game itself was somehwat of an anti-climax, with Argyle being outplayed for long periods, but always resolute in their defense.  Goalkeeper Romain Larrieu was outstanding in the first 45 minutes, making a number of fine saves and as the second half started, there was a real belief among the travelling ‘Green Army’ that a draw might just be possible.  However, Arsene Wenger’s half-time teamtalk obviously worked wonders, with Arsenal coming out all guns blazing, scoring two goals inside the first 5 minutes after the break, effectively ending the game as a contest.  Argyle fought back with a goal from captain Carl Duguid, but it was not to be, as Arsenal broke forward late in the game as Argyle chased an equaliser and Van Persie struck at the second attempt to put the result beyond doubt. 

All in all, it was a super day out, if rather long, and Sienna enjoyed her first taste of being an Argyle away supporter.  The return trip home was somewhat eventful, as we were put on the wrong train back to Barnet, but we eventually got back to the car and arrived back in Tavistock at 10.30pm. 

Best thing about the day:    Probably the help from the Arsenal fans en-route back to Barnet after the game…..

Worst thing about the day:  The completely inadequate toilet facilities at the Emirates……… (from a male perspective anyway!)

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