Frustration grows on a lame day at the Lane

TAKING advantage of Sunday’s respite from this arctic winter, I jumped on my motorbike for the brief four-mile trip from London N5 to N17. It meant that I was able to park up directly opposite White Hart Lane and following the final whistle, I was out of there and back home in time to have my feet up for the kick-off of the afternoon’s second sitting from Upton Park.

Being on the Away Ticket Scheme, where away tickets turn up in the post and the payment is debited directly from my bank, I don’t tend to notice the price of individual tickets. But our neighbours have some audacity charging us an extortionate £47 for their shoddy, sardine-like facilities.

You just know this anti-climax of a North London derby never lived up to its over-hyped billing if I’m left moaning about ticket prices. It speaks volumes for the lack of quality that until the remorselessly-infuriating Manny Eboue tested ref Mike Dean’s patience once too often in the first 30 minutes and earned himself a red card, our immature Ivorian had at least demonstrated the sort of dynamism, to make him the Gunner most likely to give the Spurs a headache.