The formation of Woolwich Arsenal FC, winning the league in the first double and “That sums it all up”.

 

Today’s headline comes from 1893, 1971 and 1998.  The start of the Woolwich Arsenal and two doubles.

 

Compiled by Tony Attwood

3 May 1893: George Lawrence signed the documents to turn Royal Arsenal formally into Woolwich Arsenal.  He then ensured the freehold of the Manor Field was obtained by arranging contracts and the deposit with the freeholder of the Manor Ground.

3 May 1905: Tom Arnold signed from Coventry City.  He went on to play just two games for Arsenal before being transferred back to Coventry in 1907.

3 May 1907: Spencer Bassett turned professional having signed from Maidstone as an amateur the previous year.  He only played one game for the first team – away to Notts County on 7 October 1909 and transferred to Exeter City in 1910.

3 May 1915: Athletic News reported that Sheffield United had made a loss of £2050 despite winning the FA Cup.  Sheffield Wednesday had debts of £10,000 because of recent ground improvements.  So Arsenal were not alone being in debt – and at least they had good reason: the building of Highbury.

3 May 1919: Arsenal played their first post-season friendly, a 1-0 away defeat to West Ham in front of 8000 as WHU prepared for life in the Football League.

3 May 1920: The Province of N Ireland was created.

3 May 1924: Arsenal 1 Preston 2.  One win in the last six meant Arsenal ended the league in 19th  but Sir Henry Norris didn’t act and Knighton lasted one more season.

3 May 1929: John Barley transferred to Reading having played 8 league games across three seasons, scoring one goal.

3 May 1930: Having won the cup one week earlier Arsenal showed off the trophy in their final match but lost 2-4 at home to Villa, making it only one league win in the last nine games of the season.

3 May 1933: Arsenal had already won the league and had one league match left to play but still managed to fit in a friendly against Cliftonville.   Arsenal put out a strong team and won 4-0.

3 May 1941: Arsenal 0 Tottenham 3 (played at WHL as Highbury was shut) in the London War Cup..  Although Arsenal won the final group game they did not qualify for the semi-finals.

3 May 1950: Last game for Dennis Compton.  Arsenal 2 Portsmouth 0.  He was then selected to play for England on 15 November 1950, at the age of 38 years and 64 days; the oldest post-war England débutante and the oldest ever outfield player to début.

3 May 1951: The Metropolitan Police played the Paris Police at Highbury.   There were considerable jokes made about the possible number of sending offs, and even perhaps arrests.

3 May 1952: Arsenal 0 Newcastle 1. FA Cup final.  It was Arsenal’s last FA Cup final for 19 years – until the victory in extra time in 1971.

3 May 1965: John Jensen born in Copenhagen.  He started his career at Brøndby IF, and was Danish Player of the Year in 1987. He also played with Brøndby in 1990 as they reached the semi-final of the Uefa cup

3 May 1969: Bob McNab’s last cap of four for England, but the bulk, and indeed the best part of his career with Arsenal was ahead of him.

3 May 1971: Arsenal beat Tottenham 0-1 at WHL to win the league, with Kennedy scoring.  With much of north London blocked for most of the day tens of thousands entered the ground through broken turnstiles making much of the ground unsafe.  Two minutes from time Kennedy headed in an Armstrong cross.  In the final minutes of the final game, 78 years to the day after the formation of Woolwich Arsenal FC, Arsenal moved towards the Double for the first time.

3 May 1980: Cardiff 0 Arsenal 1.  Last game for goalkeeper Paul Barron.  He played just eight times for Arsenal and moved on to Crystal Palace in August.

3 May 1986: Birmingham 0 Arsenal 1.  Tony Woodcock scored his 11th and final league goal of the season.  He was Arsenal’s top scorer as he was the previous season when both he and Brian Talbot got 10 each.  But only 6,234 were in the crowd to see it.

3 May 1998: 105 years to the day after the formation of Woolwich Arsenal, and 27 years to the day after the winning the league as part of the first double, Arsenal beat Everton 4-0 and won the League in game 36 of the second Double season. Adams scored his most famous goal on 89 minutes in front of the north bank as Arsenal secured 10 successive wins, a new Premier League record.  Arsène Wenger became the first non-UK manager to win the English league, with an unbeaten run of 18 games starting on Boxing Day.   Even the commentary of the Arsenal v Everton game became famous as Martin Tyler said, “That sums it all up” as Adams scored and turned to the crowd, arms out wide.  The second double: part 1part 2part 3.

3 May 2010: Blackburn 2 Arsenal 1. It was the last in a run of five games in which Arsenal drew one (a goalless draw with Man City) and lost four.  But Arsenal still came in third, five points ahead of Tottenham/

3 May 2018: Atletico Madrid 1 Arsenal 0 meant that Arsenal went out of the Europa Cup at the semi-final stage having drawn the home match 1-1.

Henry Norris at the Arsenal:  There is a full index to the series here correcting 100 years of rumour and false allegations.

Arsenal in the 1930s: The most comprehensive series on the decade ever

Arsenal in the 1970s: Every match and every intrigue reviewed in detail.

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