April 3rd 1996

I have often been accused of having a memory like an elephant. Well, today is one of those examples.

It is the tenth anniversary of one of the most well known football matches to have ever taken place.

Newcastle United had been winning the Premier League with a massive points cushion but at this point in the season they had drawn and lost a few games and Manchester United were closing in on them. A win at Liverpool would have given Newcastle a little bit more breathing room despite the Red Devils on the ascension to the title.

So, it was Newcastle versus Liverpool and the match was live on Sky Sports. So I decided to stay home and watch it, right?

Wrong!

You see, there was a girl in my class called Sarah and me and her were getting on like a house on fire She was without a shadow of a doubt the best looking girl in the college and she had such a great personality. I was in love.

A few weeks earlier I had registered for a VIP membership at a nightclub giving them an incorrect date of birth as I was still sixteen years old and had been given a set of tickets for a party to be held on the 3rd of April.

I handed out the tickets to all my friends and colleagues and the build up began. In the days leading up to the night Shawn Michaels, my favourite wrestler, became the world champion for the first time in his career. Everything seemed to be going good for me. I also recalled the night it was to be the anniversary of my friend's birthday sleepover where I had my first kiss (for the exception to the elephant memory rule I cannot remember who gets the credit out of the two girls I had kissed that night!). So believing that luck and fate was on my side I went out hoping to tell Sarah how I felt about her.

I arrived at the club with my best friends after we had spent the ealy part of the evening drinking shots of Southern Comfort in my living room to ensure we had an even cheaper night.

We made it past the bouncers who would randomly check anyone for identification and then it hit me.

What if Sarah didn't get in?

But I pushed that little worry away and continued celebrating with the £1 pints of cider available at the bar. It was my party after all.

Then she showed up and my jaw dropped. She looked even hotter than she did in college. She walked up to me kissed my cheek and the first thing she said to me was 'Happy Birthday'.

I had accidentally given her the impression that these tickets were for a birthday party. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't my birthday for a few more weeks but was interupted by my loud-mouthed friend Paul who informed her that I fancied her.

And then she walked off.

I was gutted. I informed Paul how much of an idiot he was and spent the rest of the evening drowning my sorrows.

The ciders and shots flowed until it was time to head for home. We were about to leave when Sarah appeared from nowhere and me and her had a few words together. She once again wished me a happy birthday and I tried to tell her that it wasn't my birthday but someone else was whispering in my ear. Then there was another person in my other ear. My bad conscience was telling me to 'go for it' but I refused to listen. I listened to the godly words in my other ear and he too was telling me to go for it.

I made the move and we kissed. And then I was being told to hurry up.

My friends and myself ended up in the street and I was on cloud nine. Paul and Andrew lifted me on their shoulders because they knew I had achieved something special. She was, after all, one of the best looking girls in the college and their boy had won her attention.

The next morning I woke up with the worst hangover of all time and my father was waiting.

'You missed a brilliant game of football last night,' he told me.

I smiled and thought about what I would have missed had I stayed in and watched it.

A few years later Sarah and myself ended up an item but it ended in a way the scriptwriters of Eastenders would be proud. I still look back on this day with fond memories though.

Apart from the fact that Newcastle lost 4-3!