Colours and Light | Created by Alex Wain

If you’d asked me at the start of 2009 if I would get the chance to see Arsenal play at The Emirates Stadium in North London as part of their 2009-2010 campaign, I would have said “No chance in hell sadly!”

But due to sheer luck, I was able to see my favourite team not once but TWICE this season. Both times I used a Thomas Cook Match Day Break package, you essentially get one night in a cool hotel in London and tickets to a premiership game. There’s no way the public can access tickets because every game is a sold out to members. People who have season tickets to see Arsenal keep them in the family haha they’re like the golden ticket handed down from generation to generation.

I’d see them play previously back during The Invincibles campaign back at Highbury, but this was the first time I’d seen them at the new stadium. The date December 27th 2009, the opponent Aston Villa. It was a truly amazing experience sitting in that stunning stadium watching my heroes. From staying up early to watch their games online, to reading club updates every day, to buying the shirt and wearing the merch, from engaging in banter with all my soccer friends and championing the Arsenal cause, all the way back to supporting them at highschool – to be sitting there, part of the new era for the club, in a wonderful stadium swelling with 60,000 red shirts really did blow my mind.

It was a fantastic game, one of the highlights of the season for the team. Locked at 0-0 after an frantic first half and desperately needing a win to stay in the title chase, Arsene Wenger opted to bring on the Arsenal Captain and talisman Cesc Fabregas (aged 22).

This is what happened in 28 short minutes. Absolute genius.

Fabregas vs Aston Villa

The match actually ended 3-0 to Arsenal, with Abou Diaby sliding in a neat finish right near full time.

Arsenal 3 Vs. Aston Villa 0 In The Preimer League 09\10, Round 19

As you can imagine, I went home a very happy camper indeed! To see your team win is one thing, to see them win in such dramatic fashion really was the icing on the cake. The atmosphere as you can imagine, was simply electric, literally you could hear the energy of 60,000 people going bananas crackling in the air.

Less than three months later, I got to see them play again, this time against relegation threatened West-Ham – who were literally fighting for their lives. I was actually in the UK with my mum at the time, so I thought it would be great to bring her along and let her enjoy the atmosphere and see how football SHOULD be played in the purest sense of the word. One touch passing, vision, skill, tricks, twists and turns – all carried off with confidence, class and style, the Arsenal way.

It was another standout game of the season, not because we went 1-0 in 13 minutes, but because defender Thomas Vermaelen we red carded soon after for what can only be describe as a “dubious” tackle directly in the box. West Ham stepped up for the penalty, if it had gone in Arsenal would have had a mountain to climb, a man down and drawing level inside 20 minutes….but instead, this happened…

So there you go, two visits to Arsenal in the 2009-2010 season, two stunning wins, a world-class cameo from Captain Cesc Fabregas, a fine penalty save from Manuel Almunia and 60,000 friends hugging, screaming, chanting and rejoicing at the effort, performance and dedication the team displayed.

As it stands, Arsenal finished the season a very very respectable 3rd (considering the amount of injuries we had) and I am so proud to have been a part of their season, it’s an experience I’ll never forget.

GO THE GUNNERS!

Alex