Written by Adam Gold Monday, 28 March 2011 18:34

GunnerTalk Blog

By Adam Gold

We recently welcomed back the famous Clock-End Clock (Arsenal 6 – Blackpool - Boys 2 Men at Last?) But just why was there such a demand to return this little bit of Highbury? Well we had 2 famous ends and to illustrate why they are so fondly remembered here are a few stories about one of them - the mighty North Bank. (Lindsay Sheehan)

We’re the North Bank

An extract from

The Arsenal Miscellany

By Adam Gold

Forward by Frank McClintock

Published by Vision Sports Publishing

On-sale here -  http://www.visionsp.co.uk/viewcategory.aspx?id=6

Along with the likes of the Kop at Anfield and the Stretford End at Old Trafford, the North Bank at Highbury was one of football’s best-known stands.

The stand went up in 1913 with the rest of the ground, was covered and refurbished in 1935, and then rebuilt again after it suffered a direct hit from the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Traditionally, Arsenal’s most die-hard supporters stood on the North Bank, a bounding and swaying mass of excited, singing North Londoners.

For 79 years Arsenal fans had been standing on the old North Bank, but in the summer of 1992 it was ripped down to be replaced by an all-seater stand. And its’ final game as an old-style terrace was to be a highly memorable one.

Arsenal’s Ian Wright and Tottenham’s Gary Lineker were locked in a neck-and-neck tussle at the top of the goal scorers charts as the 1991-1992 season reached its conclusion. Wright lay in second place, with Lineker leading the race for that season’s Golden Boot award by one goal.

In the Gunners’ fixture at home to Southampton Wrighty got off to a fine start with a penalty as Arsenal led the Saints 3-1, Kevin Campbell and Alan Smith netting the other two Arsenal goals.  At this point, Wright needed just one more goal to become the First Division’s undisputed top scorer in his first season at Highbury. Then, disaster struck – well Gary Lineker did – In Tottenham’s match at Old Trafford, leaving Ian Wright requiring a Hat Trick to pip the Spurs star.

The Tension built until the game reached injury time. Surely it couldn’t go Wrighty’s way now? But as the seconds ticked away Satchmo yelled to Keeper David Seaman to throw him the ball, collected it and skipped past two defenders, before unleashing a fierce strike low into the corner. The North Bank erupted. 

The Saints kicked off, lost the ball and – as the ref thought about blowing his whistle – a cross flew into their box and Wrighty bundled the ball in to score. The goal, the last ever in front of the North Bank terrace, ensured that Wright won the Golden Boot with just about the last kick of the season. And gave the old North Bank the send-off it deserved.

Red Faced

While Highbury was being turned into an all-seater stadium in the early 1990s, its famous North Bank terrace had a mural erected in front of it to cover the reconstruction work. The 70-yard mural – the width of the pitch – featured the faces of happy home fans. Add noise from the rest of the stadium pumped out through a set of loud speakers and who would know the difference.

The era of the Mural End began badly, with a shock 4-2 reverse against Norwich City. But then things got very strange as people started to notice that all of the fans on the mural were white – something of an own goal, especially as Arsenal were proud of their record of having officially the most ethnically diverse fan base of any club in England.  Happily, with a couple of pots of different coloured paint, the oversight was quickly put right.

(I remember when the new stand was finally revealed the Clock End sang happily for 90 minutes at the audience sitting in it “We want our mural back!” Funny chaps.)

Ghosting In At The Far Post

Highbury is said to have been haunted by a dead horse. The animal died on the ground in the 1930s when Highbury’s new art deco stands were under construction. The fatal incident happened after a contractor’s horse and cart fell into a huge hole beneath the North Bank. A rescue bid proved fruitless, so the horse was put down and its remains covered up.

Years later, Arsenal supporters claimed to hear anguished equine cries from the North Bank – but when the stand was redeveloped again in the 1990s, mysteriously, no horse bones were found.