Next week's final is a great opportunity to lay to rest the ghost of the 94 heartbreak, but it's also the 10th anniversary of one of the happiest days of my life. Like thousands of others, I can't get tickets for this year's match so I'd just like to compensate a little with memories of '97.

My day went something like this...

10.30am - met up with my mates at The Blue Anchor at the foot of Hammersmith Bridge. Spent the next 2/3 hours drinking Guinness, indulging in a lot of 'extras', and starting to sing.

1.00-1.30pm - got on the Hammersmith tube to Wembley (via Baker St). The whole of Hammersmith station was Blue. Not one person on the tube wasn't Blue. I led the singing in my carriage all the way to Wembley.

3.00pm - got into my seat at the match exactly as we kicked off, took my jacket off and then.....43 seconds later....YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

5.00pm -

5.30pm - left the stadium utterly delirious.

6.15pm - Baker St tube station - platform announcer to about 5000 Chelsea Fans: 'Your next train on this platform is the cirlcle line...you lucky, lucky bar stewards'

7.00pm - Arrive at Fulham Broadway

8.00pm - Totally pissed at the Worlds End pub. 100 of us lie across the Kings Road to prevent several buses making their way through. Funny at the time (honest!)

11.00pm - Walk from top end of Kings Road to Putney Bridge, out of my gourd (God, that felt like miles...)

1.00am - Home and bed for the next 14 hours

For all of you going next Saturday, have fun and sing one for me!

And a big thanks to Frode, Steve, Frank, Frank, Scott, Eddie, Dennis, Dan, Robbie, Franco, Sparky, Luca, Andy M, Kevin and especially Ruud. You are still gods down my place...

What a day! 10 years ago. Good lord. What a decade its been since that day.

To be honest it all became a blue after 3.00:43pm (still my all time favorite Chelsea moment, and unlikely to be bettered)

After Wembley we somehow ended up in a bar full of Chelsea fans in Cheam of all places.

As Mike said it went a long way to banishing the memories of 94 (still my all time worst Chelsea moment), but hopefully next week will go even further in exorcising those ghosts.

I too will not be there, so do us all proud those who will

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bga5GdEg2Q

[/align]

What a goal that was and what a day. I would love it if the lads win it and also my nephew or neice was born on that day. It would be a very special day for me and one of the most happiest ones of my life.