arsenal.com Se111011 1951-8 Footballthearsenalhistory.com League Division I Saturday, lst February ARSENAL v. MANCHESTER UNITED KICK-OFF _3 p.m. (Part Floodlight) ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED Directors SIR BRACEWELL :>MITH, Bart., K.c.v.o. (Chairman) COMMANDER A. F. BONE, R.D., R.N.R., RBTD. J. W. J o vcB, EsQ. D. J. C. H . HILL-WOOD, EsQ. G. BRACEWELL- SMITH, EsQ., M.B.E., a.A. Secretary W.R. WALL. Manager W, J. CRAYSTON. A-~~~uiI * * * :t: - * * LEAGUE CHAMPIONS * F.A. CUP WINNERS 1931, 1933, 1934 , 1930, 1936, 1950 1935, 1938, 1948, 1953 ARSllNAL STADWM, HJGHBURY, N.5 Colours- Shirts: Red, White Sleeves & Collars. Knickers: Grams:­ White. Stockings: Blue, GUNNBRBTIC, White rings, White tops. FINSPARK, LONDON Vol. XXXIX No. 14 Saturday, lst February, 1958 Voice of Arsenal 1 s was said at the beginning of lasl eve n better for nol only was I he effort A month, it is very gratifying to know maintained, we wore clown the opposition that so many people in this country think and finished on Lop Lo win the first away so much of Arsenal and all its tradition League game since 5th October when we that they felt constrained to express their won by the only goal at Bolton. The intro­ disappointment wi th the team's lack of duction of Derek Tapscott into the forward form for the bett er part of the present line and the consequent moving of David season. Herd to centre-forward and Vic Groves Many supporters wrote to us expressing to inside-left had been a successful change numerous and varied opinions about the in the Blackpool match and a further reasons for our disappointing displays and change a week later with the introduction quite a lot of themarsenal.com said that they felt that of J im Fotheringham al centre-half seemed it was a phase which could and would be to strengthen the defence. Leicester City overcome. Quite a lot said that they had did not help themselves with their shorL derived so much pleasure over the years passing and over-anxiety lo get an early in watching Arsenal that this far out­ goal and although Hogg, that great oulside­ weighed the disappointments of the present left, sent over numerous first-class centres lime. nin"ety per cent of them were p i ck~d off Let us hope that the sort of thing we in the air by Fotheringham, who Low ered saw at Northampton represents our lowest above everybody else in our goalmou I h. ebb, for certain, it seems, that a lesson was Both goalkeepers were in absolutely top learnt that day. The following Saturday form at Leicester, Jack Kelsey saving a in our home match against Blackpool the number of shots in the first half tha t had " figh t " had come back to our fellows and, "goal" written all over them and Ander­ even thoughthearsenalhistory.com we lost the game, there was son rescuing the home team from severa1 reasonable cause to look for a steady im· goals in the second half when we were on provement. Every player was going top and pressing home the atlack. strongly for the whole ninety minutes and At Highbury, where our Combinal ion it was good to see that old fighting spirit side entertained the Leicester City second once again. string, we had a good and convi ncing 4-0 The following week, at Leicester, it was win before a crowd of nearly 7,000 specta- 2 I I tors who had come particularly to see our friendly match at Hereford last April and new signings-Ronnie Clayton and Freddie when we approached our old colleague Joe Jones- both from Hereford United. Here Wade, who is man;.iger of the team nowa­ again it was a story of the goalkeeper days, it was arranged that we should talk keeping down the score, for Maclaren in about it again after they had been elimin­ the City goal was in great form to make ated from the F.A. Cup. This we did after spectacular saves from Ray Swallow, Tony the 3rd Round and everything was fixed Biggs and Freddie Jones. up in very quick time. We wish these two First, he made a full-length, one-handed youngsters every success at Highbury and save from Jones and followed it up with a long sojourn with our club. a backward somersault in saving from Last Saturday we played a Friendly Biggs. Then Newman, the centre-half, match at Swansea in most difficult con­ kicked off the line when a shot from Swal­ ditions. The thaw had set in and the pitch low seemed certain to go in and Mac­ was thoroughly wet and sloppy. Having laren was in action again Lo pull down a regard to this a most enjoyable match took shot from Swallow which was going inlo place. Herd scored first for Arsenal but the top corner. Swansea added two goals to take the lead. We were one ahead at the interval Tapscott settled the issue in our favour through Swallow who beat Maclaren four with a couple of second-half goals. minutes before the interval, two more being added by Tiddy and Jones in the second Our Visitors half whilst the fourth came when Ward, The precise time that United was formed the Leicester wing-half, deflected a shot under the name of Newton Heath F.C. from Biggs into his own net_ It was good is not known but it is fairly certain that to see Con Sullivan in action again after it started nearly 75 years ago. The club his lay-off through injury. was formed by a body of men employed We would like to take the opportunity, by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, the first we have had since the signing, their first ground adjoining North Road. to welcome Clayton and Jones to our ranks. For some years the club was hampered We had been very interested in both of in making suitable fixtures but eventually them since they played against us in a a combination of clubs known as " The arsenal.com thearsenalhistory.com Ronnie Clayton, with Freddie Jones, both of Hereford United, and both now Arsenal players, photographed at the moment of signing. Bob Wall, Jack Crayston, and our own Joe Wade, now player-manager of Hereford, complete · the group. 3 Alliance" came in Lo exislence and this Lhem 111 return matches and i[ they w111 body eventually became the Second Divi­ them they can be as useful as four ]Join ts sion of the Football League in 1892-9::L a match against other opposition. Later, United moved to a ground in Bank The two clubs have now met each other Lane, Clayton, and on one memorable occa­ in firsl class malches more than eigh ty sion attempted Lo play a match there by times since Lhe first League encounter rn artificial light. The record says that Lhis 1894 and whilst we are waiting for what was not a success. Although the date oJ promises Lo be the best match of the the experiment is not recorded it must season at Highbury, let us look ov e r the have been one of the earliest attempts at results of all those games: - staging a floodlight game. Division II The first match at Old Trafford was Home Away ~Jome Away played against Liverpool in 1911 on a 1894-95 3- 2 3-3 1899-1900 2-1 0-2 ground which, throughout Lhe years, has 1895-96 2- 1 1- 5 1900-01 2-1 0- 1 always maintained its reputation of being 1896-97 0-2 1-1 1901-02 2- 0 1- 0 1897- 98 5- 1 1- 5 1902-03 0-1 0-3 one of the best grounds in the country_ 1898-99 5- 1 2- 2 1903- 04 3-0 0- 1 United have had a chequered career in the Football League and after having a Division I number of seasons without distinction they Home Away Home A way 1906-07 4-0 0-1 1930-31 4- 1 2- 1 won the championship in 1908 and again 1907-08 1- 0 2-4 1936-37 1- 1 0-2 in 1911. Then followed four seasons when 1908-09 0-1 4-1 1938-39 2-1 0- 1 they did reasonably well up to the out­ 1909-10 0-0 0- 1 1946-47 6-2 2-5 break of the war and, on resumption, two 1910-11 1-2 0-5 1947-48 2-1 1-1 1911-12 2-1 0-2 1948-49 0-1 0-2 seasons when they obtained less than a 1912- 13 0-0 0-2 1949- 50 0-0 0- 2 point a match. In 1921-22 they were able 1919-20 0-3 1-0 1950-51 3-0 1-3 to win only 28 points which caused their 1920-21 2-0 1- 1 1951-52 1-3 1-6 1921-22 3-1 0-1 1952-53 2- 1 0-0 relegation inlo the Second Division but 1925-26 3- 2 1-0 1953-54 3-1 2- 2 Lhey were back again in 1925 for another 1926-27 1- 0 2-2 1954-55 2-3 1- 2 nine seasons, relegation coming Lheir way 1927-28 0- 1 1-4 1955-56 1-1 1-1 1928-29 3-1 1-4 1956-57 1-2 2-6 once more at the encl of season 1930-3].