De yen Hughie Gallacher? The Scot who starred for Chelsea (and Newcastle) before WW2. A life story that would bring a tear to a glass eye

So dear reader I am still basking in the warm afterglow of securing a ticket for the FA Cup final. Thanks once more to Peter Tissington for sourcing a pair of golden briefs (!) and also to Craig McGlasson at Penrith FC for also going on the hunt for tickets on my behalf. Back to football matters.

Regular readers will know that for each match I try to establish a link between the competing teams and Bonny Scotland. It has been previously reported that Arsenal do not have any Scots in their current squad but that they do have a rich Scots heritage. Similarly, although the current Chelsea team do not benefit from the Caledonian connection the history of Chelsea FC has been shaped by men from north of the border. Before the Abramovich era Scots featured prolifically for Chelsea. Indeed in the mid nineties the Blues starting line up would regularly include 3 or 4 strapping Jocks with Steve Clarke, Craig Burley, John Spencer, Robert Fleck and David Hopkin all on the payroll at that time. Prior to this Scotland international, and now erudite TV pundit, Pat Nevin entertained fans at Stamford Bridge. However my meander through the Scots in royal blue will concentrate on players from further back in history. In a post on Sunday I will celebrate the contribution of Tommy Walker, Eddie McCreadie and Charlie Cooke. Today step forward Hughie Gallacher.

Hughie Gallacher at The Bridge: Proudly sporting the blue colours of Chelsea

I have been aware of the story of Hughie Gallacher ever since I was a wee boy. In fact I would bet that anyone born on Tyneside who is vaguely interested in football will have heard the tragic story of the ‘wee Scots lad’. Gallacher’s tale would bring a tear to a glass eye and for many years I have thought that his life story would make a great period-piece sports film in the ‘Chariots of Fire’ style. Hughie was arguably the first superstar footballer. He was the first to play with such flair and ability in the centre forward position for Newcastle that the black and white striped number 9 jersey became a cult garment. To this day there is massive interest on Tyneside as to who wears the number 9 shirt and the most popular NUFC fanzine is called simply ‘number 9’. Jackie Milburn, Malcolm MacDonald and Alan Shearer were all to follow Gallacher’s footsteps but Hughie was the original number 9. Gallacher was only 5 foot 5 but was spring heeled and could out-jump any 6 foot tall centre half. He was blessed with dynamite in his boots and could score with rocket shots from outside the box or with clever deft finishes from close range.

Newcastle signed Hughie from Airdrieonians in 1925. While with Airdrie the young Gallacher scored an amazing 91 goals in 111 appearances for the Diamonds and he was 22 years old when he signed for the Magpies. According to my late Uncle Eddie an informal part of this transfer deal was that Newcastle would play Airdrie annually in a friendly match and my Uncle reckoned that these games were indeed very friendly. With the games staged on Wednesday afternoons the Newcastle fans would be waiting at lunch time for the buses and trains from Lanarkshire to arrive to clap the Airdrie fans off their carriages and welcome them to Geordie Land. A few refreshments were downed before the game. After the final whistle Geordies would organise which Scots visitors they would take back to their homes for their tea. Following some sustenance the lads would gather again in the town centre for a few more beers and some communal singing. ‘Scots wha hey’ was followed by ‘The Blaydon Races’ according to my Uncle Eddie. At about 10.00 pm the Scots were applauded back on to their transport and bid a merry goodbye. Apparently the same hospitality was extended to the Newcastle fans on their visit to Lanarkshire for the return match. “With it being a friendly and on a Wednesday afternoon you never got much of a crowd – only about thirty or forty thousand” (!) said Eddie.

Hughie’s time at Newcastle was probably the happiest time of his career. He was made captain at the tender age of 23 and Newcastle won the league in 1927 under his leadership. His goal scoring prowess was unparalleled. In a 5 year period at Newcastle he scored 133 goals in 160 games. During this period he was also Scotland’s ‘go-to’ man and in 20 games for Scotland he scored 24 goals. To this day only Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law have scored more goals for the national side. In 1928 he was part of the Scotland team who will be forever know as ‘The Wembley Wizards’ who humiliated England at their famous home ground romping home by  the outrageous scoreline of 5 goals to 1.

Hughie front row second from left: At Wembley ready to put England to the sword

Gallacher is also credited with being the inspiration for one of the earliest terracing songs. In the 1920’s to the tune of ‘de ye ken John Peel’ the Newcastle fans would sing:

"Do ye ken hughie gallacher the wee scots lad,

The best centre forward Newcastle ever had,

If he doesn't score a goal then wu'll put him on the dole,

and wu'll send him back to Scotland where he came from."

I can personally verify that this song was popular and indeed had longevity because my father used to sing it to me when I was a toddler!

All good things come to an end and in 1930 the feisty Gallacher fell out with the hierarchy at Newcastle United and they sold him to Chelsea for a then massive transfer fee of £25000. Newcastle’s loss was to be the Blues gain. Hughie was in his prime and he went on to score 72 goals in 132 games whilst at Stamford Bridge. His return to St James Park following his transfer is still talked about on Tyneside to this day. It is evidence of how much this 1920s footballing God was adored by the Geordies that on the 3^rd September 1930 a crowd of 68386 crammed into St James Park to see the return of the prodigal son. It is reported that tens of thousands more were locked out. This match is still the record attendance at St James Park. What makes this even more remarkable is that in the days before floodlights this was a midweek match with a 6.30 pm kick off and many must have had to rush from work to get in to the ground in time.

Hughie was a popular figure at Chelsea where he continued to score goals. He was helped to settle in by the fact that Chelsea employed a number of Scots at this time. Fellow Scots internationalists Alex Cheyne (the man responsible for allegedly creating ‘The Hampden Roar’ when his goal against England in 1929 was greeted with noisy delight) and Chelsea stalwart Andy Wilson played alongside Gallacher at Stamford Bridge in the 1930-31 season.

Wee Hughie flanked by fellow Scots Cheyne and Wilson

By this time it was reported that the mercurial Gallacher liked a wee bevy and as the pic below shows he was partial to the old woodbines too.

Match off due to snow in Feb 1931 so Hughie (centre) and Wilson (left) enjoy a wee smoke

Despite the fact the goals continued to flow, he was the top scorer for Chelsea for each of his 4 seasons in West London, Hughie’s behaviour as a Chelsea player became erratic. His time at Stamford Bridge was marred by suspensions for indiscipline including a two month ban for swearing at a referee. There were off pitch controversies too and Gallacher was declared bankrupt due to a prolonged and acrimonious divorce. He was sold to Derby County in 1934 where he continued to score goals. In 1934 he also remarried. He got hitched to the barmaid from Tyneside who it had been long rumoured that he was having an affair with when he was playing for Newcastle. Hannah was clearly the love of his life and they had three sons.

After leaving Chelsea, Gallacher’s career was in decline as old father time was catching up with him. He had spells with Notts County and Grimsby and despite his advancing years he continued to score goals. In 1938 he signed for Gateshead who were then a league club. “It's grand to be back on Tyneside,” said an emotional Gallacher, when he climbed off the train. “My heart has been here ever since I left United eight years ago. I intend to spend the rest of my life with my adopted folk in Gateshead”.  Crowds at the Gateshead ground soared to 20,000 a week. He hit 18 league goals for the club before retiring from football with the outbreak of World War II.

Gallacher continued to live in Gateshead, trying a number of careers, one of them being a sports journalist, a role that led to him being banned from St James’ Park for his outspoken remarks about Newcastle United. However, he continued to be a popular character on Tyneside. Gallacher turned out in charity matches even at the age of 52.

With no savings from his footballing days, Gallacher took numerous unremarkable jobs, often menial, to earn a living to support his family. After the sudden death of his wife Hannah in December 1950 from a heart complaint, Gallacher became very depressed and lonely. One evening in May 1957, Hughie went home after a few drinks. His youngest son Mathew (aged 14) was at home reading a newspaper. When Mattie, as he was known, ignored him, he picked up a heavy ashtray and threw it at the newspaper. It bounced off the top of Mattie's head, drawing blood. Mattie left the house and went to a neighbour's, attempting to find his big brother Hughie Junior. Later when Hughie Junior arrived, he saw the blood and hurried home to confront his father. An altercation took place and as a result the police were summoned. The police reported the assault on young Mattie to the authorities. Mattie was taken into his Aunt’s care and was prevented from returning home until the assault charge could be resolved.

For weeks after the alleged assault, Gallacher began wandering the streets. Many people spoke to him including Newcastle players and staff offering support and assuring him that no one would believe the press and their scandalous statements. Many offered to speak on his behalf. Denied access to his son and with the court appearance looming, Gallacher began to get increasingly irrational. A local reporter friend said he looked like ‘a traumatised man walking in a glassy-eyed dream’. Gallacher said to a friend, “It's no good fighting this thing now. They have got me on this one. My life is finished. It's no use fighting when you know you can’t win.” He was summoned to Gateshead Magistrates Court for Wednesday 12 June 1957. On 11 June, he posted a short message to the Gateshead Coroner expressing his regrets at what he had caused, adding that ‘if he had lived to be 100 he would never be able to forgive himself for having hurt Mattie’. He then wandered aimlessly through the streets ignoring the greetings of several people.

On the day of his death, two young trainspotters watched him for half an hour pacing backwards and forwards on a footbridge over the London-Edinburgh railway line at Low Fell, Gateshead. He was openly weeping, talking to himself and occasionally pounding the bridge rail with his fists. He stepped down from the bridge and killed himself by walking in front of an oncoming express train.

Rest in peace me bonnie lad.

Yesterday I posed the question for Chelsea fans … who was the last Scot to play for Chelsea? I did not receive any correct responses! The answer is the unremarkable Aberdonian Steven Watt who is still only 32 years old and is now the player manager of Margate.

Aberdonian Steven Watt: The last Scot to play for Chelsea - 12 years ago !

Steven played for Chelsea in the FA Cup in Jan 2005 and whose only other appearance for the Super Blues was a cameo as an 89^th minute sub for Chelsea in a Premier League match against Newcastle on the 15^th May 2005. So, it is 12 years since a Scot last played for Chelsea and I have a feeling it may be at least another 12 years before a Scot dons the famous blue jersey.

Come back here on Sunday for more on the Scots who helped shape Chelsea Football Club … and keep reading !

The football fraternity comes up trumps again. I now have my ticket for the FA Cup Final. Thanks to Peter Tissington

The big news from yesterday is that I have a ticket for the FA Cup Final! Every year there are a small number of individuals who are doing the ‘Road to Wembley’ from the Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup right through to the final. I like to think that my ‘Road’ is special as it is from Scotland but the truth is that everyone who undertakes this journey has a unique and memorable exoerience. When I was at Penrith on the 6^th August 2016 to watch the FA Cup EP tie between Penrith and Sunderland Ryhope Community Association one of my fellow ‘Roaders’, Peter Tissington, was at the game between Staveley Miners Welfare and Winsford United as  it was the EP Round game nearest to his home in Sheffield. Winsford won that but were knocked out by Whitby Town and Whitby were subsequently knocked out by Spennymoor. At this stage I was following Chorley who had just knocked out Dunston. So on the 1^st October 2016 when Spennymoor hosted Chorley in the 3^rd qualifying round I met up with Peter for the first time.

Fellow 'Road to Wembley-er' Peter Tissington at Turf Moor in round 5

 Since that day, every three weeks I have been travelling many miles to meet up with Peter at places such as Milton Keynes, Lincoln, London and Brighton. Our regular meetings have prompted some people to question my sexuality. Along the road I have managed on a couple of occasions to help Peter out with tickets and on a couple of occasions Peter has reciprocated. We have become good pals. Luckily we have both managed to get tickets for each and every match in each and every round. Yesterday I got the call from Peter that he had managed to get two tickets for the FA Cup Final and I am so grateful to Peter that he has earmarked one of these golden tickets for me. Thanks pal. The power of people eh!

At this point I must also thank everyone that had received my messages and tried to source a ticket for me. Special thanks to Craig McGlasson the Stadium Announcer at Penrith FC who was very close to securing a ticket when I got the phone call from Peter. Thanks Craig and to all at Penrith FC who were trying to get this sorted on my behalf.

Craig McGlasson: Many thanks for trying to get me the golden ticket

With this post bringing the big ticket news I am going to postpone my ‘Caledonian Chelsea’ post until tomorrow. However, I have started the research and there are some cracking stories including the impact made at Stamford Bridge by Scots Hughie Gallacher, Tommy Walker, Eddie McCreadie and Charlie Cooke. Tomorrow will be an intoxicating Tartan Special! I have also discovered who the last Scot to play for Chelsea is and I wonder if any Blues fans will know the answer to this very difficult quiz question. Come back here tomorrow to find out and also to read of the tartan trim on the blue Chelsea shirt. Most of all … keep reading! 

The Professor taught a lesson by Spurs while Chelsea devour Toffees .. and .. no Cup Final ticket yet

The hunt for the elusive Cup Final ticket is now on and the two cup finalists have mixed fortunes on Sunday as the odyssey that is the ‘Road to Wembley from Scotland’ enters the final month of the ten month journey.

Yesterday I started the search in earnest for a ticket for the FA Cup Final on Saturday the 27^th May. No luck yet! I tweeted all the clubs who have been part of the journey pleading my case to secure one of the gold-dust briefs that they are allocated. Apart from a couple of ‘good luck’ polite replies and a few re-tweets the process has not produced an avalanche of responses. I also put out a ‘help me’ message on the Road to Wembley from Scotland facebook page but nothing from there yet either. I will start contacting media outlets next and also try the Football Association. I don’t hold out any hope of the FA helping me as they were not overly sympathetic to my plight when I was on the hunt for a ticket for the semi … but, you never know. The last resort of course is the on-line touts/ticket exchange sites and I really don’t want to go there but if needs must then I will – but not to Pro Time Tours. I did have a sneaky look this morning and at this early stage the cheapest ticket available from these dodgy sites is about £470. Ouch! Anyway, back to football matters. The two finalists were both in action on Sunday. Chelsea won and Arsenal lost.

It is an old football saying that the league table never lies. With only four league games to go this season Chelsea are four points clear of their only rivals for the title (Spurs) and barring the season being abandoned because of the outbreak of world war three Chelsea are going to win the title. They are quite simply the best team in England at the moment. On Sunday they proved it again making light work of a talented Everton side winning by three goals to nil on Merseyside. They will undoubtedly be crowned champions before the cup final at the end of the month. It was 0-0 at half time against Everton but the Blues cruised to victory in the second period. The rout was started with a wonder goal from the Spaniard Pedro and further strikes from Cahill and Willian underscored Chelsea’s superiority.

Get In! Pedro not pedantic as Spaniard is El Goalo

The ugly bloke with a talent Diego Costa had an unusually quiet afternoon but was nevertheless afterwards lauded by his manager, Antonio Conte, as ‘the best striker in the world’.

The beauty and the beast. The handsome Conte lauds ugly bloke Costa

Meanwhile in north London fellow cup finalists Arsenal were up against their deadly local rivals Spurs. Like Chelsea, Spurs are also on a long unbeaten run and on Sunday they just had too much ammunition for the Arsenal. The Gunners lost 2-0 and although the result has re-ignited the debate around Arsene Wenger’s future it is unfair to be too critical of Arsenal. Spurs are an excellent side and most teams who have visited White Hart Lane this season have also come away with nothing. The result does however all but extinguish the Gunners hopes of finishing in the top four of the Premier League so their season will now be defined by how they get on in the FA Cup Final. The Professor did see a few ‘In Arsene we Trust’ banners but cruelly they were being held up by Spurs fans rather than Gooners.

Ooh! How can you be so cruel? Spurs fans delight in Wenger's difficulties

I will be posting again on Thursday when I intend to explore Chelsea’s links with Bella Caledonia. Like Arsenal none of the Chelsea current first team squad are Scottish, indeed very few of them are English. However many Scots have worn the famous blue jersey with pride in the past and some of these Stamford Bridge legends will be acknowledged in this blog on Thursday. Also on Thursday I will provide an update on the ongoing search for a Cup Final ticket. If anyone out there can help me please get in touch.

Should there be a Saltire flying over the Bridge? Will I have my Cup Final ticket sourced in the next two days? Come back here on Thursday to find out … and keep reading.

Chelsea and Arsenal in high octane Premier League action as the build up to the FA Cup Final begins

A week has passed since the semi finals of the FA Cup and I have finally calmed down from all the excitement of attending the Arsenal v Man City match at the magnificent Wembley Stadium. The pairing for the FA Cup final is now established and on Saturday the 27^th May I will be back at Wembley to see Arsenal play Chelsea and conclude my long journey that started in Penrith on Saturday the 6^th August 2016 … seems like a long time ago. During the last week the two finalists have been in action and they both had impressive wins in midweek when Arsenal overcame a dogged opponent and Chelsea were in imperious form when they put 4 goals past Southampton.

The ‘Wenger Out’ campaign at Arsenal seems to have gone quiet and I for one am pleased about this. The Professor followed up overseeing the FA Cup win against the Citizens by masterminding a close win over league champions Leicester City

How long before we see these banners back at The Emirates?

Since the disastrous loss to Crystal Palace about a month ago that sent the sports media into overdrive the Gunners have won every match that they have played. During this period the Professor has proved that he is not finished yet. Although it is still unlikely, Arsenal could yet finish in the top four and secure a Champions League slot. If they combined that achievement with another FA Cup win then even Wenger’s most ardent critics would have to concede that 16-17 has been a very successful season. Although the Gunners dominated the game against Leicester on Tuesday they can count themselves to be slightly fortunate to win as the winning goal was an own goal with only 4 minutes to go.

The previous night the ‘Super Blues’ of Chelsea took a very good Southampton side to Pullars of Perth. Chelsea won 4-2 and a consolation goal by the Saints deep into injury time means that the scoreline flatters Southampton. Chelsea won this game as they pleased with the spectacularly ugly Diego Costa acting as a focus for their deadly forward play. They would have beaten any team in the world on Tuesday evening.

Ugly boy with a talent. Diego da Silva Costa of Chelsea

Diego Costa was named man of the match and put the seal on a virtuoso individual performance by scoring twice. The Brazilian born Spanish international (!) divides opinion among football supporters. Chelsea fans love him and all other football supporters hate him. He combines athleticism, skill and an unerring ability to score goals from all angles with all parts of his body with playacting, gamesmanship and a lack of respect for referees and fellow professionals. It is going to be interesting to follow the progress of both ‘Good Diego’ and ‘Bad Diego’ over the next month as the build up to the FA Cup final gathers pace.

Later today both Arsenal and Chelsea are in league action again and both games are being shown on Sky TV. I could have ‘couch sores’ by 6.30 pm this evening. At 2.05 Chelsea will be kicking off away at Everton and at 4.30 Arsenal will be at White Hart Lane to take on their arch rivals Spurs. Both matches will have a big impact on how the Premier League might finish and it is going to be a fascinating watch.

On other matters connected with ‘The Road to Wembley from Scotland’ I will be investigating Chelsea’s Scots heritage soon and I will also be stepping up my efforts to secure a ticket for the FA Cup final. Also watch out for a series of ‘where are they now’ posts as I re-acquaint myself with some of the characters who made an impact in the early stages of this journey. Watch this space for these tales … and keep reading!  

City fail to fly me to the Blue Moon as they are shot down by the Gunners

Sunday the 23^rd April 2017

FA Cup Semi Final (Wembley Stadium)

Arsenal 2 Manchester City 1 (after extra time)

Yesterday afternoon at the world famous Wembley Stadium a well organised, technically gifted and very slightly fortunate Arsenal outlasted the footballing superstars representing Man City. Arsene Wenger’s Gunners will now play Chelsea in the FA Cup Final next month and Pep Guardiola’s City slickers will now concentrate on finishing in the top four places in the Premier League. I was there to see it all with my old mucker Anne Donkin and my old pal John Rees.

Fly me to the Blue Moon

It was an early start to take in the match, getting up at 0430 for a 0700 flight and a late finish, getting back home at midnight. This is how the day panned out.

Pre Match Communications: In the early stages of this ‘Road’ journey I was keen to find out more about the competing clubs by contacting the clubs directly. When you are dealing with Penrith, Dunston UTS, Spennymoor, Skelmersdale and the like this is both relatively easy and great fun. Now I am among the big boys it has not been so straightforward. I have however had some very helpful support from a couple of Scots based twitter feeds. The City fan @thegingerwigmcfc and the Scots Arsenal feed @ArsenalScotland have been great in answering questions relating to their Scots heritage. 6/10

Pre Match Pint: The pre match pint was a real highlight of the day yesterday. The Weatherspoon pub ‘JJ Moon’ on Wembley High Street was made available for the exclusive use of Man City fans. Good beer available in here too. I really enjoyed the singing of the Man City fans – especially the homage to Zabaleta to the tune of my old man’s a dustman:

“Ohhh ….. Pablo Zab-a-lett-ahh

He is the fucking man

He is an Agentinian

He’s harder than Jaap Stam

He plays in blue and white

For Guardiola’s men

And when we win the league

We’ll sing this song again

Ohhh ….. Pablo Zab-a-lett-ahh”

etc etc

I was trying to take a photo of Mrs Donkin and John Rees enjoying a pre match libation when they were photo bombed by a couple of very exuberant City fans 10/10

Pre match optimism. City fans with JR and Mrs D at the JJ (Blue) Moon

Programme: The programme is good but like everything associated with a day out at Wembley it was over priced. At £5.00 it is the most expensive matchday mag that I have picked up on the ‘The Road’. It does contain some good stuff and I particularly liked the ‘he played for both teams’ feature on Niall Quinn and the retro coverage of the 1932 FA Cup semi final between City and Arsenal

I also like the programme cover design but compared to the ‘books’ produced by Burnley and Arsenal in the previous two rounds this publication is a bit light on content 7/10

Ground: Wembley Stadium is iconic. It is one of the most famous Sports Stadia in the world.  Wembley is a 90000 all seater stadium where every seat offers a great view of the action. We were on the half way line high in the upper tier

The view from my seat. Wembley looking good

The pitch looked great. It was liking watching a snooker game from this vantage point 10/10

Atmosphere: The atmosphere in the ground among the City fans was slightly muted. City were expected to win and the bookmakers made them odds-on favourites. The first half was dominated by the men from Manchester and when they did not score there was a palpable unease among the faithful. A couple of lusty choruses of ‘blue moon’ were essayed to give their favourites encouragement but in truth the singing never really caught on … not in the way it did in the pub before the match.

Halifax Blues: L-R Mrs D, Adrian Furness, Matt Bowler and David Ellis

I had the pleasure of being introduced to a few members of the Halifax and District Branch of the Manchester City Supporters Club before the game and they were in high spirits and in good voice. It was great to meet up with David Ellis the Chair of the club who, along with John Rees, sorted out my ticket. It was great to chat about City and about football in general with David. He advised me that sky blue is the most beautiful colour in the world. Funny that, I always thought it was maroon.

Unusually, in my experience for such a big match, the segregation in force in the ground did not seem to be applied after the game. The atmosphere after the game was surprisingly convivial as the fans from both clubs mingled and headed for the various stations. A half hearted triumphalist Arsenal chant was met with the self effacing City song delivered with disappointment tinged with regret:

“We never win at home and we never win away

We lost last week and we lost today

We don't give a fuck cause we're all pissed up

M – C – F - C - OK!”

Oh well, there is always next season 5/10

Scottishness: As has been reported on this blog, Arsenal do not have any Scots in their squad and have not selected a Scot to play for their team for 19 years. Hence not much Scottishness in their ranks. Manchester City also do not have any jocks in their squad at the moment either and indeed they have not had a Scotsman in their team for over 10 years. I did meet a guy in the JJ Moon pub from the borders who described himself as the ‘Selkirk Blue, but I guess that is a bit spurious 2/10

Entertainment:

A slow burner of a football match that started relatively quietly and got better and better as the afternoon progressed.

The first half was a fascinating football contest. Man City dominated proceedings and Arsenal competed by employing a more physical approach than we are used to seeing from the Gunners. The Citizens did however dominate possession and were rewarded with a good goal which, unfortunately for them, was ruled out by the linesman. The German wonder boy Sane played the ball in from the left and his curled cross was adjudged to have gone in and out of play before the ball broke to Aguero to score from close range.

Sane's cross did not go out of play. The disallowed Man City 'goal' should have counted

The TV footage has subsequently proved that the whole of the ball did not cross the whole of the line hence Sane’s pass was legal and the goal should have stood. Half time 0-0

The second half was a lot more comfortable for the mighty Arsenal. They are now employing a three-at-the-back system and the players are still getting used to this new formation. In the second period they settled in to their work and were having their best spell when Man City scored. The men in sky blue scored a breakaway goal in the 62^nd minute that was both simple and beautiful in its execution. Sergio Aguero used blistering pace to race from his own half to spring beyond the Arsenal defence and bear down on goal. As the keeper came out a deft flick of the outside of his right boot sent the ball over him and into the net. The Gunners were not shot down yet though. Arsenal’s back three formation had freed the two wing backs to allow them to express themselves in wide forward positions.  They combined in the 71^st minute to fashion an exquisite equaliser. Oxlade-Chamberlain foraged down the right flank and sent over a delightful cross for his left sided peer Monreal to meet on the volley and belt the ball past Bravo in the City goal. Despite Arsenal improving in the second half Man City continued to carve out the best chances and both Toure and Fernandino struck the frame of the goal. Full time 1-1

So, for the first time since the MK Dons v Charlton Athletic replay in December a match on the Road to Wembley from Scotland was going to extra time. The momentum was with Arsenal who had looked more relaxed in the second half and had ridden their luck. Towards the end of the first period of extra time the Arsenal talisman Sanchez forced the ball over the line following a goal mouth scramble. Final Score Arsenal 2 Man City 1.

Would the match have panned out differently if the disallowed Man City goal in the first half had stood? Were Man City unlucky to lose? The answer to both of these questions is probably yes. However, the beleaguered Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be unconcerned about these hypothetical debating points. The Professor is now one win away from winning the FA Cup for Arsenal for an incredible seventh time. See you again on the 27^th May Prof! 9/10

Match Day Catering: The pie stall in the Man City section of the ground was miles away from where we were seating so I went for a hot dog instead. Big mistake. This £5.20 item was dodgy processed meat inside a dry bit of bread roll. In another part of the ground Mrs Donkin went for the pie and described it as ‘good but messy’ claiming that it should have been served with a spoon. 5/10

Value for Money: Regular readers will know that my wife’s ticket was £159 from an on-line tout. Ridiculous when you get there and see that some seats were empty. More fool me for paying this and engaging with the murky world of the so-called ticket exchanges. The admission price of my seat was £40. This was the most expensive ticket on ‘The Road’ so far. However, this was Wembley, this was The FA Cup semi final and this was two of the best teams in world football going at it hammer and tongs. So the price can be considered reasonable 8/10

The je ne sais quoi factor: A recurring theme in this category is meeting up with old friends. Yesterday it was the turn of John Rees. John is an ex colleague whose friendship I value massively and it was great to catch up with him again not having seen him for several years.

Your blogger and John Rees enjoying a pre-match refreshment

It was also great fun to spend a day on ‘The Road’ with my long suffering old mucker Anne Donkin. This is the 16^th match on this journey and Anne has not been to any of the previous 15 despite being something of a football fan herself these days. With the Wembley jaunt being completed by plains and trains (i.e. no driving) we both indulged in some alcohol abuse during the course of the day as the pints and the G&Ts flowed. Always good to make sure that a football watching experience is suitably oiled.

It was also pretty special to meet up with some of the guys from the Halifax and District Branch of Manchester City Supporters Club. Once again thanks to David Ellis and his pals for sorting out the ticket for this match 9/10

Overall Road to Wembley from Scotland Rating 71/100

At this point I have to bid farewell to Manchester City. My time with them was simply too short. I enjoyed the craic yesterday and enjoyed the email dialogue over the last few weeks with David Ellis. Before the draw for the semi finals was made I had a view of Man City based on a prejudice that they were a ‘money club’. It is true that they have benefited from significant investment but that is not the fans fault. The Man City fans are, as far as I can gather, loyal supporters who followed the team through thin and thin before the club was transformed by the Arab money. Good luck to them. They are clearly enjoying seeing a team of world class footballers representing their club every week and I will retain a soft spot for City in the future. I loved the City fans sense of humour and their songs are both unique and genuinely funny. City may have lost yesterday but I do think there are good times ahead under the stewardship of Pep Guardiola.

So, Arsenal survive to play in the FA Cup Final. Arsene Wenger survives as a consequence and he could be putting the cup back on the mantelpiece at the Emirates soon. A seventh FA Cup would be quite an achievement for a coach who according to some Arsenal fans does not know what he is doing.

Chelsea won the other semi final and I will be exploring their historical links to Scotland soon in a future post. Keep visiting this blog for that and for news of how Arsenal prepare for the big day in five weeks time … and …. oh … anyone got a spare ticket for the FA Cup Final?

Miles on the clock for this match (inc airport transfers, trains and planes) 1020

Total Miles on the Road to Wembley from Scotland so far 8753

The Prof and the Pep ready for the big match .. and I was not scammed after all !

It is semi-final eve on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. I am agog with anticipation and looking forward to flying down to London for the FA Cup semi final tomorrow between the mighty Arsenal and the City Slickers. Both teams are in relaxed mood ahead of the big game and have been preparing well over the last few days. Up here in Scotland a surprise delivery from the Royal Mail on Thursday means that I have (probably) not been scammed after all and that my old mucker, Anne Donkin, will also be flying to London tomorrow.

In with a shout of making the FA Cup Final: The Prof and The Pep go head to head

Arsenal have a few players missing through injury, most notably the centre back Mustafi and the centre forward Danny Welbeck. Their absence will not, in my opinion, weaken their team. There is a strong argument that the starting 11 the Professor fielded at Middlesbrough on Monday is currently his strongest team. I hope that he is going to repeat his three at the back tactic as this dictates that the play will have width and when Arsenal use the whole of the pitch with their quick passing game they play some pretty neat stuff. The Prof is in buoyant mood ahead of the big game and has declared that going to Wembley ‘is always a special experience and that his squad are focussed and highly motivated’.

Up in the North West the ‘Maestro Manager’ Pep Guardiola has overseen a good week in preparation for the shoot out with The Gunners. Pep might also consider naming an unchanged team as centre back John Stones is still not fit and Gabriel Jesus has recovered from his metatarsal injury but is probably not quite ready for this match. Maybe he will bring Jesus on as a sub if needs a miracle.

Both teams can claim that history is in their favour. Man City have won all of their last 8 FA Cup semi final ties. The last time City lost at this stage was in 1932. Arsenal have been victorious on each of their last six visits to Wembley. The bookmakers have Man City as odds-on favourites but I am not so sure. I think this is going to be a very close game and could go to extra time and penalties.

While the two protagonists were preparing for the clash of the titans I was away from my home in the heart of Midlothian working in the East Midlands of England. While I was away a card came through the letterbox from the Royal Mail. It advised that I needed to go to the sorting office to sign for a special delivery. On Friday morning I signed and received a letter containing a ticket for the match on Sunday. Those who have been following this blog for a few weeks will know that I posted twice on Tuesday 4^th April. Firstly to state that I had purchased a ticket from an on-line tout trading as ‘Pro Time Tours’ and that I did not feel good about it. My second post later the same day announced that I had been scammed. This announcement was based on the fact that scamadviser.com had a number of references from people who had handed over their money to Pro Time Tours, not got tickets and in one case been subsequently defrauded out of £1000. Samadviser also flagged Pro Time Tours as ‘suspicious’. I cancelled my debit card and the bank advised me to proceed with fraud allegations when it was 100% cast iron that they had not met their commitment. Hence I was waiting until after the event before making the allegation formally … and then a ticket arrived!

I hereby retract the statement that I have been scammed. Does this however mean that Pro Time Tours are good guys? Absolutely not. The organisation lied to and misled me from my very first interaction with them. Here are a few examples: (i) They said on the phone they had been in business 9 years and their website (based in Canada) has only been live for 9 months; (ii) they added £20 for carriage onto the declared fee and this was not transparently flagged on their web page; (iii) they said in email that due to the ‘printing from the event promoters that they could not send the tickets until 7 days before the event’ – this is not true; (iv) they said in email that they would send the ticket 7 days before the event – it arrived three days before the event; (v) they said in email that all tracking details relating to delivery would be emailed to me – they were not.

Additionally, the letter was addressed to Mr C Sinkings (I have no idea how they came up with that) making it difficult to use my ID as Mr C Donkin to pick up the ticket and the actual cost of the carriage was £5.20 for an unmarked envelope with no compliments slip or anything like that. There is still no guarantee that the ticket is genuine or will get my old mucker in to the match.

My dealings with this on-line tout company have been very unpleasant. I remain very very grateful to the good people from the Halifax and District Branch of the Manchester City Supporters Club for sorting me out with a bona fide ticket. I am looking forward to meeting up with some of these guys tomorrow at Wembley. In fact, despite the sour taste left by my dealings with and on line tout, I am looking forward to the whole Wembley experience.

Tomorrow the The Road to Wembley from Scotland will finally reach Wembley. Will Guardiola’s Pep talk get City psyched? Will the Arsenal students carry out the Professor’s instructions. Come back here on Monday to find out!

Arsenal win and City prepare. The countdown to the big match continues and some Scots found hiding at the Emirates and the Eithad

Only four days to go before Arsenal meet Man City head on in the clash of the titans on The Road to Wembley from Scotland. The tickets have now arrived and once again many thanks to my good friend and colleague John Rees and the wonderful people at the Halifax and District Manchester City Supporters Club for sorting me out for the big match

Just the ticket: Thanks again to the Halifax Blues

The Halifax and District Branch of the Man City Supporters Club: Great Guys!

On Monday night Arsenal completed their preparations for the big match with an impressive win in Middlesbrough while Man City also ready themselves for Sunday’s showdown. Also over the last couple of days I have unearthed a couple of very tenuous links between the two protagonists and Bella Caledonia.

The ‘Wenger Out’ campaigners were temporarily silenced on Monday when the Professor pulled off a master stroke in his team selection for the do-or-die game against the Boro on Teesside. For the first time in twenty years he chose a back three rather than his usual back four. Not only did the triple centre half move thwart the Boro offence the two wing backs (Oxlade-Chamberlain and Monreal) got up and down the touch lines with panache and boundless energy and gave the Gunners width and additional options. The Boro too played their part in what was a very entertaining game. The Arsenal goals were scored by their two world-renowned mega stars, the mercurial Alexis Sanchez and World Cup winner Mesut Ozil.

An elixir from Alexis: Sanchez scores a great goal direct from a free kick on Monday

It is rumoured that Alexis Sanchez has been offered a new extended contract worth £250000 per week by Arsenal (yep, no typos here – a quarter of a million smackers every week). The recently seen to be grumpy and disgruntled Sanchez looked like a man on a mission to prove his love for the Gunners on Monday night and celebrated in extravagant fashion when the final whistle sounded. I think I might even be able to fall in love with Dot Cotton for £250k a week! During the last week the other Arsenal world football celeb Mesut Ozil has been loyally stating his admiration for the Prof and on Teesside he backed up his fine words with action scoring a well taken winning goal to ease the pressure on his manager. All is well at the Emirates and they are now looking forward to Sunday with optimism and confidence.

Man City are also in relaxed mood ahead of the big match. It is reported that the squad were in high spirits in training yesterday.

A Pep talk from the boss. City players relaxed and happy at training yesterday

City have won their last two league games in great style, scoring six goals in the process. They sit proudly in fourth position in the Premier league and are odds-on to qualify for the Champions League next season. They too will be confident of reaching the FA Cup final.

Regular readers will know that the unique feature of this ‘Road to Wembley’ is that for every match I try to find a link between the two competing teams and Bonny Scotland. Both Man City and Arsenal have a rich Scots heritage but it is over a decade since either team has fielded a Scot in a competitive match. However, I have unearthed a Scots connection in the current Arsenal playing staff. Last September they signed a Scots goalie Alex Crean, then aged 16, from Celtic to join their youth academy. They also have an 18 year old striker Charlie Gilmour who uniquely has played for both the England and Scotland youth teams.

He's a Scot now - belt and braces! Charlie Gilmour - young Gunner

Born and bred in Brighton Charlie Gilmour represented England at U-17 level and then wisely turned his back on the country of his birth to represent Scotland at U-18 level. Charlie qualifies to play for Scotland because his dad is from Lanarkshire and once played for Motherwell. It may take a few years but if Alex and Charlie maintain their progress the famous red Arsenal shirt may once again have a tartan trim in the future.

As far as I can gather neither the full Man City squad nor their development squad have any Scots in their ranks. They do however have one of their first team squad on loan at Celtic. Two years ago City signed the then precocious teenager Patrick Roberts from Fulham for a fee believed to be £12million. In January last year they sent him out on an 18 month loan to Celtic to gain some valuable first team experience.

Not a hat-trick for Patrick but City's Roberts celebrates another goal for Celtic

Thus far the talented 20 year old has played for the Bhoys 38 times scoring 11 goals, many of them spectacular. He will return to the Etihad in the summer but with De Bruyne and Sane in the current Man City team it is hard to see the winger getting much first team action for a few years yet.

Before closing today congratulations to my last team on ‘The Road’ Lincoln City for notching up yet another come from behind victory in the National League on Monday. The Imps were 1-0 down at Gateshead when 90 minutes had elapsed. However two goals in injury time saw them snatch a 2-1 win that moves them within one victory of promotion.

Finally today, the pie pics have been well received. So much so that people are now sending me selfies of pie eating action. Joe Black, who I caught up with when I was on’The Road’ with Brighton in January, was at the Brighton and Hove Albion promotion match / party at the Amex Stadium on Monday and emailed me this tasty morsel.

Better than Brighton Rock. Pie eating mayhem at the Amex on Monday

Will there be any complications in the preparations for Man City or Arsenal as they gear up for the clash of the titans on Sunday? Will anyone else send me pie eating mayhem? Comeback here on Saturday to find out as the countdown to the big match continues … and … keep reading.