Northampton Town midfielder John-Joe O’Toole shares his football memories
First match? It was an Arsenal game at Highbury in the 90s. I just remember being really overwhelmed. Seeing the players in the flesh was pretty amazing; the stadium, the atmosphere, the smells. It was just magical – the atmosphere, the crowd; it’s hard to explain. You can’t quite recreate it at the Emirates. It’s just too big and nowhere near as good. First hero? I couldn’t just give one; Paul Merson, Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp. I was quite a big Arsenal fan and those three were my favourites. When we won the league at Highbury in the ’98 season, we beat Everton. Bouldy (Steve Bould) slipped the ball through to Tony Adams, and then he chested it and scored – that was a special moment for me. First boots? They were Puma Kings. I got them for Christmas from my aunt and they’re still alright today. First kit? It was an Arsenal kit with ‘Merson’ on the back; I remember getting it for Christmas. I’d say I was six or seven. It had the old badge. The sponsors were JVC and it was made by Nike. I prefer those kits – they’re a lot better than the new ones. First game? I made my debut in the League Cup for Watford against Southend away in August 2007. It was a Sky game. We were 2-0 down and I came on for the last 10-15 minutes, and it stayed 2-0. But it was good to get my debut because at that time I hadn’t even signed a pro contract and they weren’t really sure if they wanted to keep me or not. I was training and doing what I could, and eventually got my chance in the cup, and did okay in the game. My first couple of touches weren’t very good but I remember just managing to bully a couple of people off the ball – that got me out of trouble. First goal? It was for Watford against Bristol City. I started on the bench and we were 1-0 down. I came on with about 10-15 minutes left and scored with about five to go, and then they scored the winner in stoppage time, which spoiled it. The game was quite open. We’d had a chance and they’d kept it out, and then someone put it across and I headed it in from not far out. Seeing it going in, that adrenaline, that rush; I’ve just never felt anything like it. I remember running over to the corner and sliding in front of my family. It was just an amazing feeling. It’s always great to get your goal but if we’d held on for the draw, it would’ve been better. I was gutted afterwards. First red card? It was against Leicester at home. It was 0-0 at the time. Someone slid in my man and I gave him a slight tug. I’m sure I wasn’t the last man but the ref gave a straight red because he thought he was in on goal. Everyone felt it was a bit harsh. I remember hearing it back the following day and Paul Merson was doing our game that night, and I remember him hammering me a little bit. I was a bit gutted at the time – he’s one of my heroes – but it got rescinded in the end.