Dougal
Staff
- Jun 4, 2004
- 60,371
- 130,286
- Staff
- #1
I check in to the Lane on Facebook every time I go. Part of my ritual. Usually it's just 'Come on you Spurs', occasionally a bit more descriptive. Started thinking about what it would be this Sunday and came up with this so far. What would yours be?
For over 30 years, man and boy, I've made my pilgrimage. The struggle for sleep after my Godfather Georgie told me the night before he'd be taking me to my first game. The many 100s of games of games since, I lost count a long time ago. Rising up the steps and entering the arena. Stepping onto the terraces, not tall enough to see past the crowds, but making my way through to the front of those awful cages. The joys, the despair, the songs I sang, the friends I made, the memories cherished. The things I have since forgotten but enthralled me at the time. The players I saw grace the pitch, the managers (of which there were many) on the touchline. Meeting and shaking hands with the one and only Sir Bill Nick in the reception area on a Stadium Tour. Grabbing Ossie for a quick pic. Bowing at Gareth Bale outside the ground and having him wave back. The Legends of The Lane. The familiar faces I never put a name to. The Colonel selling burgers. The goals that hit the back of the net, savoured many and too often suffered too. Sitting and standing in every side of the ground. Ken Dodd's Dad's Dog's Dead. The little moments that you can only experience by being there. The big moments too. Witnessing a man dying on the pitch and coming back to life. Spending 2 years of my A-Levels on a project dedicated solely to one place. Stepping onto the pitch and standing alone in the centre circle in an empty ground. Sitting in the dugout. My old buddy Paul who has lived it all with me. For a whole season being the last face on the big screens at either end of the ground as the players made their entrance. Robbie Keane. The stall selling t-shirts of one of my designs. I never did get a penny. In all weathers, in all seasons, in all times of my life. Being there within 24 hours of tying the knot. My Home, my Place of Worship, my Sanctuary and Refuge. My children will never set foot there but both visited from the womb. Isabelle for one crazy European night, Imogen for 3 games! From the unforgettable moment I first set foot on the High Road, 30th August 1986, and a fan turned round to me and shouted something I have repeated so many times since. Come on you Spurs!
For over 30 years, man and boy, I've made my pilgrimage. The struggle for sleep after my Godfather Georgie told me the night before he'd be taking me to my first game. The many 100s of games of games since, I lost count a long time ago. Rising up the steps and entering the arena. Stepping onto the terraces, not tall enough to see past the crowds, but making my way through to the front of those awful cages. The joys, the despair, the songs I sang, the friends I made, the memories cherished. The things I have since forgotten but enthralled me at the time. The players I saw grace the pitch, the managers (of which there were many) on the touchline. Meeting and shaking hands with the one and only Sir Bill Nick in the reception area on a Stadium Tour. Grabbing Ossie for a quick pic. Bowing at Gareth Bale outside the ground and having him wave back. The Legends of The Lane. The familiar faces I never put a name to. The Colonel selling burgers. The goals that hit the back of the net, savoured many and too often suffered too. Sitting and standing in every side of the ground. Ken Dodd's Dad's Dog's Dead. The little moments that you can only experience by being there. The big moments too. Witnessing a man dying on the pitch and coming back to life. Spending 2 years of my A-Levels on a project dedicated solely to one place. Stepping onto the pitch and standing alone in the centre circle in an empty ground. Sitting in the dugout. My old buddy Paul who has lived it all with me. For a whole season being the last face on the big screens at either end of the ground as the players made their entrance. Robbie Keane. The stall selling t-shirts of one of my designs. I never did get a penny. In all weathers, in all seasons, in all times of my life. Being there within 24 hours of tying the knot. My Home, my Place of Worship, my Sanctuary and Refuge. My children will never set foot there but both visited from the womb. Isabelle for one crazy European night, Imogen for 3 games! From the unforgettable moment I first set foot on the High Road, 30th August 1986, and a fan turned round to me and shouted something I have repeated so many times since. Come on you Spurs!
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