With the capacity increased by 22,000 from the old adjacent Highbury I was prepared for some glitches - I should not have worried. From past experience I know that parking restrictions around the ground are enforced with the vigour of an old East European State so took the train and tube. At Kings Cross there are plenty of signs urging you to take the Victoria line to either Finsbury Park or Highbury and Islington tube stations. This is a bit misleading going there because Arsenal tube is much closer. Nonetheless the walk from Finsbury Park is less than ten minutes and is quite pleasant.

The old Highbury lay strangely silent and  was still standing when we went, and I was reminded of when I was there 25 years ago in a 58,000 crowd on the Clock End to see Villa' s Championship triumph. You then turn left at the top of Gillespie Rd to catch sight of this tremendous stadium. The Drayton Arms is just opposite the concourse access to the visitors section so was the point of choice for Villa to "mob up". Well organised by the Police it will clearly remain the away fans pub.

Externally it has the presence of the Millennium Stadium, but is much more attractive with glass balconies looking out. Far more architecturally coherent than Old Trafford it has a beauty only matched by the City of Manchester Stadium at Eastlands. Huge wide concourses lead to the ground from the road which is situated on an "island". The signposting is excellent. Outside there are refreshment stands and toilets! Access is via  a tedious computer coded ticket at an electronically activated turnstile "manned" by a steward like at Man City and West Brom. What was wrong with a turnstile operator?

Inside the concourses are huge, food selection is wide, if predictably expensive, and the toilets ample. Inside the stadium is breathtaking with room for 3,000 away fans on the south eastern lower tier. The seats are a large enough to accommodate the fattest of backsides and are padded! The views are totally unobstructed. The only criticism being that in the lower tier the rake of the seats is quite shallow when everyone stands up. The rear of the lower tier is overhung by about a dozen rows by the upper tier creating a pleasingly noisy sound chamber akin to the back of the Anfield Rd End at Liverpool. The atmosphere with the Arsenal fans was excellent, although this may change when they get themselves organised. The opportunity for object dropping from the middle tier is immense.  But with seats priced at £94 for cat A games and £66 for category B games, I suppose you will get a better class of object dropped on you! The lower tier of the "new " North Bank will never replace the old one. The middle tier was deserted  in totality at half time as patrons availed themselves of canapés, prawn sandwiches and tea.

After the game everyone was let out together, as it should be, and we followed the signs to the closer Highbury & Islington station.  Arsenal tube is much smaller and is much mess able to cope with the sudden post match surge of fans as opposed to the pre match staggered stream.!0 minutes walk, roads closed to traffic by the Police, who also controlled access to the tube and we flew away! Amazing and well done to the club and police for the organisation.

At long last the Capital has a club ground to be really proud of. And the Folly of the new Wembley grows more absurd by the day.