Town supporters thrive on their Emirates experience

Huddersfield Town yesterday displayed premier class, both on the pitch and in the Emirates stands, as they pushed Arsenal all the way in their FA Cup meeting. Richard Sutcliffe reports.

ON the front wall of the middle tier at the Emirates Stadium can be found pictures of the trophies Arsenal have won during an illustrious history.

From the club's first FA Cup triumph of 1930 through to the lifting of the same trophy 75 years later by Patrick Vieira, every single one of the Gunners' 27 major successes are depicted.

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It is a simple, but typically classy, touch from a club who have, over the years, established a reputation for doing things the right way.

Arsenal has long since become a byword for prestige and pride, as even the most notorious programme notes in football conceded earlier this month when Leeds United chairman Ken Bates described the Gunners as "the acceptable face of football".

Nowhere is this more evident than in the building of their new home. Situated a hefty Tony Adams clearance away from Highbury, the Emirates Stadium is a magnificent structure and the very antithesis of all the identi-kit new stadia that have sprung up across the Football League over the past two decades.

Yesterday lunchtime, it was the turn of Huddersfield Town supporters to enjoy their first visit to a stadium that is as impressive from the outside as it is on the inside.

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The visiting hordes from Yorkshire were clearly intent on making the most of their day out in the capital, the vast majority of the 5,188-strong travelling army of fans being in their seats more than half an hour before kick-off.

Due to the East Coast railway line passing within a few yards of the stadium, the first sighting many of those blue and white clad visitors had had of Arsenal's impressive home was the images of Robert Pirs, John Radford, David O'Leary, George Male that adorn one part of the outer wall.

In total, 32 Arsenal legends ring the outside of the Emirates in a fitting nod to the club's rich heritage. It means any visitor to N5 is in no doubt as to the traditions of the club, something that can put teams at a psychological disadvantage.

For Huddersfield, however, there was to be no such inferiority complex – either on the pitch or in the stands.

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Once inside the giant bowl that houses more than 60,000 seats, there are further tributes to the past with the recent installation of the famous clock that once gave its name to one end of Highbury being a particularly nice touch.

For the visiting dignitaries from West Yorkshire, a familiar face was also on hand to welcome them to the capital due to the bronze bust of Herbert Chapman, the manager who led Town to back-to-back League titles before leaving for Arsenal, that used to reside in the marble halls of Highbury having been transported to the Gunners' new home.

Chapman, the game's first true managerial great, is quite rightly revered after building footballing dynasties at both Leeds Road and Highbury – a point proved by the warm ovation that met the playing of a video tribute on the giant screen.

As 'stand up if you love the Town' and the elongated cry of 'Huddersfield' poured down from the Clock End, it was clear the visiting fans were determined to do their bit.

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As the noise levels continued unabated during an opening quarter that saw Arsenal dominate, they even tried to give their players a much-needed respite by refusing to return the ball to the pitch for the best part of a minute.

Even Arsenal going ahead could not keep the visitors quiet, as the ironic cheers that greeted any attempt by the locals chanting '1-0 to the Arsenal' proved.

A lusty rendition of 'we support our local team' also left the natives in no doubt as to how the thousands from Huddersfield viewed the 'glory hunters' that every team's success attracts.

Sebastien Squillaci's red card just before the break raised the noise levels even further before the moment they had craved arrived with Alan Lee's equaliser.

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The second the striker's header hit the net, the away section descended into pandemonium. Once the celebrations had died down, the big question was, 'Could Town win it?'

In the end, it proved beyond the men from Yorkshire as Cesc Fabregas netted a dramatic winner just four minutes from time. It was a heart-breaking end, though Town could still feel proud of their efforts – both on and off the pitch – at the final whistle as the home fans stayed behind to give the League One side a deserved ovation.

It is an accolade afforded only Barcelona and Leeds United in the past year and a gesture that, just like Arsenal as a club, oozed class to ensure Huddersfield's day in the capital would be one they are unlikely to ever forget.