WITH the much awaited derby against Arsenal out of the way, Tottenham can now concentrate on the game of football rather than the hype that surrounded the biggest game of their season so far.

The return of one-time Spurs captain Sol Campbell was always going to be the defender's toughest test to date as he faced up to the boo-boys at the Lane, but he came through his test with flying red and white colours.

As soon as Campbell moved from one end of Seven Sisters Road to the other, there was much speculation as to how he would be 'welcomed' back.

From the silent 'Minute of Contempt' and the launching of missiles to the less offensive balloons with Judas printed on them, the day went pretty much as he could have expected.

Jeers, heckles, water bottles all of the above were hurled at Campbell throughout the game, yet the closest he came to harm was when a young ball girl bounced a balloon on to his head as he made his way down the tunnel.

Not a bad getaway for someone who had caused an alleged 400 police officers to be on the scene.

While both sets of fans were desperately hoping for all the three points, for the sake of sanity and safety, a point apiece was probably the best result.

Even after the game there was still contempt hanging in the air and just as there was a feeling that things had died down, the Arsenal bus pulled away from the car park.

Unaware, oblivious and not stopping to think, patrons from Rudolph's Pub next door to the ground, whose beer garden backs on to the car park, launched glasses, bottles, coins and anything that could double up as a missile, over the wall at the departing bus.

Yet with a twist of irony, the Arsenal players sat safely in their vehicle while glass rained down on Tottenham fans, and even their own players were still meandering by their cars nearby.

Just seconds later David Pleat walked by and stood in the exact spot where the attack had taken place.

As for the game, the forgotten 90 minutes on which centred the majority of the trouble, Gus Poyet cancelled out Robert Pires' opener in the dying seconds of injury time to the jubilation of the fans.

The transfer of Campbell has stoked a fire of hatred between the clubs that had started to fizzle out recently.

Although they remained bitter neighbours, Arsenal had started to look upon Manchester United as their title challengers and even though the animosity towards Spurs still ran deep, recently it had become covered by a rivalry towards their Northern Premiership contenders.

Yet events last weekend have brought the hatred back to the surface and the clash at Highbury on April 6 will be a must-see game.