Here are the Anniversaries from 20 September – part of our regular daily look at Arsenal’s history.
Yesterday’s anniversaries were:
Our most recent article on Arsenal’s history covers October 1915
20 September 1913: First use of “Victoria Concordia Crescit” – Victory through Harmony – in the club’s programme. It was used by Henry Norris (although may have been suggested by George Allison) to symbolise the hard work and dedication that had taken Arsenal to Highbury, and was only later taken on as the club’s motto.
20 September 1952: George Wood born in Douglas in Lanarkshire and played as a goalkeeper for Arsenal between 1980 and 1983. The story is that at Lanark Grammar he was an outfield player but his PE teacher converted him to goalkeeping duties. He went on to play for Lanark United and Forth Wanderers before joining East Stirlingshire.
20 September 1962: Danny Clapton transferred to Luton. He had played 207 league matches plus 18 cup games, and scoring 25 goals (all in the league), and later went on to play for Corinthians of Sydney.
20 September 1980: George Wood debut on his birthday. The plan was that he would eventually replace Pat Jennings, but Jennings played on until he was 40, and moved on to Crystal Palace in 1983.
20 September 1996: Eddie McGoldrick sold to Man City for £300,000. He had played 57 league games for Arsenal and was a substitute in the Cup Winners’ Cup final.
20 September 1998: Ljungberg scored within seconds of coming on for his debut against Manchester United. “Fergie shell-shocked by awesome Gunners” wrote Henry Winter as Arsenal won 3-0 with goals also from Anelka and Adams. It was Arsenal’s first win after four draws.
20 September 2002: Arsène Wenger pronounced that, “Arsenal can go unbeaten all season” to huge derision from media. “It’s not impossible as Milan once did it but I can’t see why it’s so shocking to say it. Do you think Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea don’t dream that as well? They’re exactly the same. They just don’t say it because they’re scared to look ridiculous, but nobody is ridiculous in this job as we know anything can happen.”
20 September 2008: Arsenal made it 10 goals to 1 across three victories over three by beating Bolton. Eboue, Bendtner and Denilson scored, adding to three from Adebayor and three from Van Persie, plus another from Denilson in the previous two games.
20 September 2011: One of the lowest ever Emirates attendances 46,539 saw Arsenal 3 Shrewsbury Town 1 in the League Cup. Shrewsbury took the lead but Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Benayoun gave Arsenal the win.
20 September 2016: Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 0-4 in the League Cup. Forest included Bendtner and Lansbury, both of whom we booked and scored through Xhaka, Holding, Lucas and the Ox. One year later he was playing for Liverpool as they were knocked out in the 3rd round of… the League Cup.
Elsewhere on this day
Arsenal player Dennis Compton set three records in cricket on this day, scoring the highest number of runs and most centuries in one season and becoming the first man to hold both records at once.
Also on this day in 1967 Lord Mancroft was quoted as saying “Cricket is a game which the British, not being a spiritual people. had to invent in order to have some concept of eternity.”
- Arsenal day by day – over 5000 anniversaries of the club
The current series from the Arsenal History Series being developed on this site is Henry Norris at the Arsenal, covering all aspects off the life and work of the man who rescued Arsenal from extinction, secured the club’s future by moving it to Highbury, and then brought in Herbert Chapman as manager.
The previously untold tale of how it was that Norris came to choose Highbury as the suitable location for Arsenal’s new ground.
The series is being worked on daily, and the articles thus far are here.
Among the many other series we have run are…
- Arsenal in the 30s
- Arsenal players in the 30s
- Arsenal in the summer
- The First League Season, including a review of each player who played in that season
- Arsenal day by day – over 5000 anniversaries of the club
- Arsenal in the 70s
There are details of many other series covered by this site on our home page.
