Our member Joel Thong shares his visit to The Arsenal to watch the team take on Bournemouth

It was a lovely Saturday afternoon in North London walking to the Emirates. As a fan for the past 22 years, I was brimming with anticipation at the chance to visit our home ground for my first competitive live Arsenal match. Many, like myself, were expecting a whooping. 3-0 was a common score in conversations on the way to the stadium.

Alas, it was not the start we wanted when Bournemouth scored after 9 seconds straight from kickoff. The whole stadium (except for the away fans below us at the clock end) was stunned. Nevertheless, the spectators rallied behind the team and egged the boys on.

We plugged away and created some chances but lacked a true cutting edge and after Bournemouth scored the second goal in the 57th minute, it was starting to feel like one of those nights. Tensions were visibly mounting and frustrations from the stands were starting to kick in. However, In true Arsenal style, Thomas Partey – who has been a real boss in midfield for us this season, pulled back a goal after ESR’s looping header into the box. This relieved some of the pressure and the fans were starting to sing again. Substitute Ben White then leveled the game in the 70th minute and the stadium roared back to life. We had 20 minutes to chase the winning goal and you can feel all the supporters in red and white collectively willing the team to push for it.

When THAT Nelson goal hit the back of the net, my word – the whole place was bouncing. It was as brilliant as any atmosphere I have felt at a sporting venue and the whole Arsenal family celebrated as one. You might have seen some of the celebrations on TV and I can tell you it was every bit as wild as the broadcast showed. Players ran to the stands to celebrate (Gabriel, Zinny, and of course our skipper Martin who never once looked like giving up and took every opportunity to spur the crowd on). Sweet Caroline was sung long after the final whistle.

I am extremely fortunate and was extremely excited to visit the Emirates   Many, like myself, were expecting a whooping. 3-0 was a common score in conversations on the way to the stadium.

Alas, it was not the start we wanted when Bournemouth scored after 9 seconds straight from kickoff. The whole stadium (except for the away fans below us at the clock end) was stunned. Nevertheless, the spectators rallied behind the team and egged the boys on.

We played decent and created some chances but lacked a true cutting edge and after Bournemouth scored the second goal in the 57th minute, it was starting to feel like one of those nights. Tensions were visibly mounting and frustrations from the stands were starting to kick in. However, In true Arsenal style, Thomas Partey – who has been a real boss in midfield for us this season, pulled back a goal after ESR’s looping header into the box. This relieved some of the pressure and the fans were starting to sing again. Substitute Ben White then leveled the game in the 70th minute and the stadium roared back to life. We had 20 minutes to chase the winning goal and you can feel all the supporters in red and white collectively willing the team to push for it.

When THAT Nelson goal hit the back of the net, my word – the whole place was bouncing. It was as brilliant as any atmosphere I have felt at a sporting venue and the whole Arsenal family celebrated as one. You might have seen some of the celebrations on TV and I can tell you it was every bit as wild as the broadcast showed. Players ran to the stands to celebrate (Gabriel, Zinny, and of course our skipper Martin who never once looked like giving up and took every opportunity to spur the crowd on). Sweet Caroline was sung long after the final whistle.

I am extremely fortunate to have the chance to witness this as my very first Arsenal game. and a huge thank you as well to Arsenal SG for this opportunity. Looking forward to cheering on the lads at WTF as we approach the final few weeks of the season. Victory Through Harmony. Let’s bring it home, boys.