Boleyn Ground

I remember thinking that and how big it was because I'd been to Pataudry.

But Upton Park was bigger.

And there was only one big stand at Pataudry.

The Richard Donald stand has two tiers.

The rest of it's all just one tier.

So Upton Park, you were sat up in the upper thinking, I'm well high up.

You could see over the stands as well.

My earliest game I remember, and I've never looked this up.

And that was the first.

I remember we went away for a s- just down south for a, for 10 days on the bus, and I remember players bused at Upton Park were leaving, and I took Paulo with me to, from the hotel, and, uh, we walked onto the bus.

Paulo plonked himself in the f- uh, the front of the bus and put his Marlboro Reds on the table-

[laughs]

We'd won it twice before.

Everyone was going, I thought I will go to Upton Park for West Ham-Wrexham.

Because I'm loyal.

That's my team as much as my hometown team and all of that.

So I'm glad.

I've made the right choice.

Upton Park, 1-0 up, playing against 10 men.

They put a defender in goal.

So obviously that's the reason why it's built in the first place, the Olympics.

Um, and whilst it by no means is, is Upton Park and the ferocity and the atmosphere, you're never gonna recreate or replace that.

Um, is, is there like a, despite David Sullivan being present at the home games, is there now a sense that this run as well will, will bring some of that raucous atmosphere back there? Because 61,000 people, you can't tell me that that's not gonna be noisy.

Even if Wrexham were to have the balls to take the lead.

And I signed the season had already started.

And Graeme Souness came to me at Southampton, played at Upton Park.

I remember I was coming back from an injury and I came on as a sub and changed the game.

I remember I made a few runs and set up a goal and 1-0 down, we win 2-1.