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School holidays in the late 1950's and early 1960's were times for hanging about outside the main entrance at Highbury. A group of us lads from a mix of local primary schools would gather regularly and became Arsenal friends rather than neighbourhood or school friends. We knew every nook and cranny of the stadium especially how to get in without paying. There was a very special turnstile by the corner Avenell and Gillespie Roads where the welding of the horizontal bars had been set just an inch too high in one place. This minor difference allowed some of us to squeeze through after the whistle had blown and scurry up the steps and into the massed legs of the crowd. When we did this we were always seen by a very stern-looking, uniformed club official but he would wink at us and flick his finger in the direction of the steps when it was all clear so we could get in. Once in we would scramble through the massed legs, almost like cutting a way through the undergrowth in a jungle. I would get to the very front by the corner where there was a box which was used at half time to put up the scores from other matches. The top of the box was covered with barbed wire but who cared? I would sit on the top with a wonderful, clear view. No one ever asked me to get off.
One day in 1962 I met the most famous face in English football, Billy Wright, as he arrived to take charge of the club. He was always friendly towards us boys and although he might have given us his autograph several times already, he always repeated the gesture when asked. My proudest moment came one day when a very posh car came up and parked outside the main entrance. A man jumped out and opened the back door. Billy Wright came out from the other side of the front and his wife - Joy - one of the famous Beverly sisters stepped out onto the pavement. Us boys were star-struck as she was the nearest thing to royalty any of us had ever seen. In those days the pinnacle of fame was to have appeared at the London Palladium and the Beverly sisters were regulars! And then Billy came straight towards me, holding Joy's hand and said "Hello Steven. Can I introduce my wife Joy. I'm showing her round the place today." Me, from the Ambler Road Primary School football team introduced to one of the Beverly sisters by Billy Wright. Such Highbury moments stay with you forever.
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