Memories will last a lifetime

1:01pm Friday 11th April 2008

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Everyone likes to slag off Wembley. It's taken more stick than Kayode Odejayi.

But can I say that the criticism of the new "home of football" - and the decision to stage both FA Cup semi-finals there - is as off-beam as the Barnsley striker's aim.

Odejayi's massive miss against Cardiff was the big talking point after two games that admittedly were hardly thrillers.

Unfortunately the guy whose header sunk Chelsea in the previous round will instead go down in Wembley cup folklore for the one that got away. Like Gordon "and Smith must score ", he will never be forgotten.

His two goals at Watford three days later may have shown there were no obvious mental scars but memories last a lifetime.

That's certainly the case for the punters who packed into Wembley for the two games. I was lucky enough to be there for the first and was seriously impressed by the place.

It may look like any other modern football arena from the outside (apart from the Bobby Moore statue) but step inside and your (beer) breath is taken away.

As a young lad, I remembered Wembley for the smells; the hot dogs and horse manure on the walk in and the toilets when you got there. Oh, and I think there was a bit of football too.

But Wembley has really got its act together now. The food prices aren't as astronomic as the doom merchants would have you believe; the concourse was spic and span; the view from the seats excellent.

At last the place you dream about watching your team actually lives up to the fantasy. Even if a certain guy in south Yorkshire may not feel the same.

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