Tony Adams paid tribute to the fans and players who made his testimonial against Celtic tonight an amazing experience. The former England captain led his side to a 1-1 draw with the Scottish Premier League champions after Lee Dixon equalised Alan Thompson's opener. But the result mattered little as Gunners fans and players alike paid tribute to a Highbury great.
Arsenal's England stars David Seaman, Martin Keown, Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell were forced to miss the match as they were on the national team's flight to the World Cup training camp in Dubai. But the sell-out 38,021 Highbury crowd did not complain, as their veteran replacements - West Ham's Nigel Winterburn and retired trio Steve Bould, John Lukic and Ian Wright - all received heroes' welcomes.
Adams, 35, has been at Highbury for 19 years and is considering whether to retire this summer. He is donating around £250,000 from tonight's profits to the Sporting Chance charity he set up to help sportsmen and women with drink, drug and gambling problems.
Adams told Sky Sports 1: "It was amazing - I'm lost for words. Fantastic. Bouldy was exceptional, he looked fitter than me. I was getting a bit embarrassed because they were performing so well."
Adams also praised Celtic's contribution, adding: "They were fantastic, their support was amazing. This takes some beating though, the Arsenal boys were fantastic." The veteran centre-half has yet to decide on his future and he revealed he will hold talks with manager Arsene Wenger shortly. He joked: "I don't know if I could do one more day with my knee at the moment. I'll have a rest and talk with the manager."
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
