April 9th, 1910. Arsenal teetering on the edge 100 years ago

Woolwich Arsenal 0 Bury 0 changed the picture at the foot of the table.

Bury……………………… Played 34 Points 29

Middlesbrough……… Played 34 Points 28

Woolwich Arsenal…….Played35 Points 28

Tottenham Hotspur…..Played 34 Points 27

Bristol City………………Played 34 Points 27

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Chelsea……………………Played 35 Points 27

Bolton Wanderers……..Played 35 Points 22

.

Total number of games to be played: 38

Bottom two clubs go down, two points for a win.

Of course being only one point above Chelsea was hardly a safe situation but it did put the season back in Woolwich Arsenal’s own hands.  Also, although the crowd was nothing to get too excited about it was back on the up, rather than in terminal decline.

Arsenal now had another game to play on Monday 11th April – the previously abandoned game against Aston Villa.  Aston Villa 3 Preston North End 0 0n April 9th had ended any lingering mathematical doubts that Aston Villa would not win the title.  The question was, what sort of a team would then put out against Woolwich Arsenal two days later?

Certainly the side that had walloped Arsenal 5-1 on the opening day of the season in Birmingham were not invisible away from home and had in fact been beaten six times, but on their day they  were a match for anyone.

It was not going to be easy.

You can read the history of 1910 from the perspective of a Fleet Street journalist in Making the Arsenal