Arsenal are the latest club planning to withdraw from the Reserve Premier League. It's a level of football that's been dying on its arse for a number of years now.

Since Arsenal moved their games from Highbury to Underhill and Barnet, our squad has become younger and younger. Many not involved in the first team squad still qualify to play their football in the under 18 League. Those caught in the gap between will be loaned out for the better lesson of competitive football. It works.

I understand why the club feel reserve team football serves less of a purpose now, yet it still feels like the death of a small part my own connection with the club.

Childhood. If the first team were playing away from Highbury on Saturday, the Reserve side would take their place. If you were along Avenell Road early enough, you might catch Paddy and ask him if you could be a ball boy for the match. Paddy was in charge of Highbury on reserve days. A proper Arsenal man.

I was never early enough. Only the upper tier of the grand old East Stand would be opened. Kids for free. A great cheap way of building a bond with the club at an early age, lacking now, but attempted through Carling Cup discounts. We'd take our free team sheet before heading for the simple treat of 'sitting' to watch a football match in the rich seats.

The matches against Spurs stick out more than most, though not for the games themselves. I was too young for such details then, but I remember them as an event.

The Granddad of two of my second cousins would always make an occasion of the fixture. Alec took the excited three of us in his cab as we quickly learned about football rivalries. The game was always well attended, with Spurs fans mixing in with Gooners.

I didn't take long to despise losing to them.

I was also there for probably the most famous of all Arsenal reserve games, early in 1991. I had just turned eight when Tony Adams was released from prison to make his comeback at Highbury against Reading.

'Welcome Home Tony' read the banner, and welcomed he was. A huge warm applause erupted as he appeared from the tunnel. Prison is hard to imagine for an eight year old. It was even stranger to understand why the captain of Arsenal was there for four months. Perhaps wrongly, it felt like the return of a hero.

Nowadays it would be played behind closed doors.

I understand why reserve team football will not be a part of the future of Arsenal Football Club, but it will always be a part of my Arsenal history.

And where would Kwame Ampadu be without it? Exactly.

*Follow my Arsenal ramblings on Twitter @TheArsenal_