Eric's father, George Bristow, was a big Arsenal F.C. supporter, and was an Arsenal season ticket holder for most of his life. George and Eric would go together to almost every Arsenal game, home and away, in the 1960s and the first half of the 1970s. A rare exception to this was Arsenal's 1971 FA Cup Final against Liverpool F.C. at Wembley Stadium, a final in which George had a ticket, while Eric watched on television. George also ended up watching the final on television in a nearby Wembley pub, as he sold his ticket for the equivalent of four weeks' wages for his plastering job. Arsenal completed a domestic double in the final by defeating Liverpool 2–1 after extra time. The following year, both George and Eric went to Wembley to watch the 1972 FA Cup Final, but Arsenal were defeated 0–1 by Leeds United F.C.