Often Partisan

Do You Remember When… Seb Scored a Screamer Against Spurs

I’m still not sure why I was so desperate to go to Spurs; White Hart Lane isn’t the most amazing of grounds and I should have realised when I booked my train tickets that the game would be moved due to them being in the Europa League. As it turned out, it was Alex McLeish’s first game as Blues manager and  a welcome away win – thanks to a very special strike from Seb Larsson.

It’s a long old walk from Seven Sisters tube station to WHL – anyone who says it’s only five minutes is either a liar or walks faster than I can jog. It’s a mission. I can remember moaning about it the whole way down the road as we got to the stadium and found our seats (bizarrely, bearing in mind we were in the away end, next to some Japanese tourists). Anyway, we’d got there early so one of the first things I noticed is that the team were practicing shooting from just outside the box – something I don’t think I’d seen the team before and was to be a bit of foreshadowing for the game.

Blues didn’t start that well; as you can imagine Spurs fancied their chances and were putting us under the cosh from the off; with our backline being Rafael Schmitz and Johann Djourou you can understand why I thought we’d probably concede early on. However, it was Blues who took the lead when Younes Kaboul committed a daft foul in the area and Gary McSheffrey stepped up to slam home the penalty. We held it that way until half time and the buzz was could Blues pull off a bit of a miracle and win away?

Second half, Djourou conceded a penalty tripping Berbatov which Keane scored and then the little Irishman got a second a few minutes later. Okay, so maybe it was going to be business as usual – it sucked because it was going to be a late train back, but these things happen.

The first sign it wasn’t going to be a regulation away defeat was when Cameron Jerome received the ball, ran towards the Spurs goal skipping past weak challenges from Dawson and Zokora before lashing it home from the edge of the box in a most Jerome-unlike fashion. 2-2, game on. Then Robbie Keane managed to get himself sent off lunging in on Fabrice Muamba and the stage was set.

This is where I have to make a confession. I was tired, I didn’t think we’d win and I wanted to get ready to go. So we made our way to the steps down to the concourse as the board for injury time went up. Blues were attacking, so we stood at the top of the steps to make sure they weren’t going to do something crazy like score. Now, we were at the back of a crowd, so whilst my erstwhile companion Andy (he of smallheathalliance.com fame) who is 6’5 could see the pitch, my rather shorter arse (5’10 on a good day) could only see the people in front of me.

Of course, you know the script. Dimitar Berbatov lost the ball about thirty five yards out, Seb won it, looked up and bang… and I was in the ground and didn’t see it. I rushed to the front of our bit of the stand to celebrate with the rest but it was too late – my first sight of the pitch was watching Seb blowing kisses to the Spurs crowd as the rest of the team celebrated.

I think Sky Daz’s face in the fanzone clip says it all personally.

What I can say is that the walk back to the tube seemed remarkably easier, although I had to keep my face straight and my mouth shut as we walked amidst a sea of grumbling Spurs fans. However, I’ve learnt my lesson. I’m too short to hang around at the back of the crowd just in case.

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12 Responses to “Do You Remember When… Seb Scored a Screamer Against Spurs”

  • Tony D says:

    A memorable day. Seb won the ball really well, and then unleashed that screamer. I was in a direct line with Seb and that top left hand corner, and watched it all the way. One of the most beuatiful sights I’ve seen as a Blues fan.

  • Paul Carter - The Voice Of Reason says:

    Yep a screamer
    (and a moody walk back to seven sisters)

  • Ryan says:

    What a great player he was for us. Lethal right foot and 110% every game.

  • ReddersMK says:

    I was there, I managed to get myself into a hospitality box for the game. Surrounded by Spurs fans and I remember thinking the worst when they took the 2-1 lead and I was hoping for damage limitation because if I remember rightly they were all over us. Then Keane sees red (harshly I thought at the time, but who cares) and Seb unleashed the beast!!! Boy did I cheer, the Spurs fans were too embarrassed to give me any abuse and they sulked off tails between their legs!!!!

  • The double m says:

    I will always remember that goal, it’s a travesty that it was overlooked in every top 10 goals of the season video I’ve seen on YouTube.

    Jerome’s goal gets totally forgotten as well because of Larsson’s strike but Cameron’s goal was equally as good I think, showed great technique and as you said, very un Jerome like! (how much do we miss him now eh!)

    I also remember the post match interview with mcleish where the interviewer said we looked like we could push up to a European place after that victory! How wrong he was.

  • bluenose08 says:

    what about the one he scored against sheffield wednesday i think it was at st andrews where he ran from the half-way line. scored some great free kicks aswell.

  • Art Watson says:

    Almajir….another great article with some great memories

    I was listening to this match on the radio in Cyprus and like everyone had settled for a well earned draw and was just about to switch off the radio when Seb scored what I thought was goal of the season.I can still recall the subsequent hangover!,

    It’s good to get a away from the doom and gloom at the moment and it would be great if we could recall other famous occasions-perhaps the best goals scored -first match at St Andrews-favourite all time player etc.

  • Ali Duncan says:

    One of my favourite away games. I almost couldn’t be arsed to go as I had a chronic hangover and was annoyed it had been moved to the Sunday. I was in the upper tier and it went mental that day as Seb spanked it in. The first showing of many daft scotch hats to welcome Eck I seem to remember. I also got interviewed by Sky Sports before the game on my thoughts on the new boss. How things have changed but wonderful memories.

  • Think of the children says:

    Nice feature, great video! I watched the game down the Prince, suuuuper, super Seb!

  • […] four months had passed on since the events of the last article in this series and in that time Blues had played thirteen games, winning just one of them. It was […]


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