The run of two draws and then three wins had taken Woolwich Arsenal out of the relegation zone by December 1909 and things were surely looking up.
Notts County were a high flying team – 3rd at the time – but still on this form, and at home (which no none-London team liked coming to, because the transport situation was so bad) we ought to have won.
And so we lost, 1-2, to the oldest professional league club in the world.
It was not enough to send us tumbling down to the bottom again (see the league table below) but it was a set back.
Charles Henry Lewis scored. He played inside right and had joined us in 1907 from Manchester United. He stayed until 1920 when he went to Margate.
Lewis was a local lad who had been born the year the club started playing, and he made 206 appearances and scored 30 goals. 1909/10 was his third season and he made 28 appearances and scored three goals. He died in 1967. Along with players like Joseph Shaw and David Greenaway he is one of a tiny band of players who had meaningful careers both with Woolwich Arsenal and The Arsenal.
So there we were, 16th in the league, just two points above Tottenham who were in the relegation zone.
Next up were the two games in three days against Liverpool and Newcastle. Both at home, but after this defeat that might not be a blessing any more. We had (as the table below shows) only scored eight goals at home in eight games this season. The only problem was, our away form was even worse.
You can read how the whole season panned out after Christmas in MAKING THE ARSENAL which is available from the publishers and from Amazon. More details at www.emiratesstadium.info
There is a review of MAKING THE ARSENAL on http://www.omnifootball.co.uk/2009/12/review-making-the-arsenal/
The League Table after the Notts County game…
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