There are those who say it is a marketing ploy. Something to tell the kids on those long North London nights. Others however, have provided disturbing recollections and vow never to return until the ground is free of its phantom. Is there an apparition in Ashburton Grove?
There is a growing library of stories of unusual happenings in the vicinity of the Arsenal Left Wing. Reports vary from feeling cold spots throughout the area, to others claiming to have seen size five orbs, seemingly moving on their own, but with no one on the end of them. One spine-chilling account recalls seeing a spectre with “a face like a banshee, twisted in pain, its tongue protruding at an unnatural angle. Oh, and it had a finger to its lips”.
One local historian upon hearing the tale, suggested that in life the phantom may have originally been from Russia, lured to England by stories of fame and riches. It was not uncommon for merchant ships traveling to Spain, Portugal or Britain, to contain opportunistic souls, hoping to find work as mercenaries. However, many became disillusioned with the reality of the daily grind abroad. Enthusiasm waned and ambitions stagnated, as work seemed no kinder, or more rewarding, away from home.
Intrigued by these accounts, I enlisted the help of a medium, to see if we could make contact with this particular lost soul. Walking along the Left Wing, it wasn’t long before my colleague began to report feeling disoriented, as if no matter which way he turned he could not find an outlet, or escape. This was particularly strong nearer the goal line. At this time we seemed to make contact with the wraith. The presence transmitted that it felt trapped in a kind of purgatory; unwilling to return home and admit defeat, but unable to fulfill it’s wish of resting in peace upon a Catalonian shore.
Towards the end of our visit with this tormented soul, we attempted to collect an electronic voice phenomenon (EVP), to see if we may aid its journey to the other side. As we listened back to the recording, straining against the hissing background noise, I could swear I heard a disembodied voice say: “Despondency is a sin”. Or it might have been: “a pig is always the last one, because it is a pig”. Spooky.
Floodlit Football 