New White Hart Lane has the smell of an atmosphere because it’s on the old site, says one lifelong fan allowed to visit

I was one of the 6,000 Tottenham fans lucky enough to get a look at the new stadium on Sunday and it’s got an amazing feel to it. It’s a really lovely ground.

You can tell the acoustics and the lighting will be brilliant and, because it’s on the old site, it’s got that smell of an atmosphere that new stadiums can lack.

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From the inside you would almost think it’s ready. The pitch is pristine, the goals are in and all the seats are there, although there’s a bit of scaffolding in the North Stand. Outside there are some cranes and you can see some cladding needs to be put on but basically it looks as if the work is done.

They showed us only what they wanted, though: the South Stand. We tried to walk to the North Stand to see our seats but that wasn’t allowed. But we’ll be patient. When it’s finished we’ll forget about all these delays.

The catering was lovely, including Chinese food, rustic pizzas, fish and chips, pies and gourmet burgers, and they were very keen on showing us the in-house brewery. It’s all set up for touch-payment, with no need for cash.

The only disappointment for me was that the seats aren’t padded. I know at Arsenal the seats have a bit of padding but theirs have all turned pink, so maybe it’s not so bad.

Jon Cooper is a lifelong Tottenham fan and a season-ticket holder