On 18 September 1976 it was Arsenal 3 Everton 1 with Malcolm Macdonald restored to the team and 34,076 in the crowd.
Everton took the lead following a Ross slip in defence, and then played the “what we have we hold” game, until the fouling and niggling approach got so bad that when Liam Brady was kicked to the ground once too often, everyone surrounded everyone else, which if you come to think of it is quite hard to do.
The referee, seemingly deciding he had had enough of what the media of the day called “a bit of argy-bargy” just let them get on with it until they all looked around wondering where he was. He then suggested the game might restart the game of football, and by and large the players agreed.
Arsenal equalised straight after half-time from Brady and took the lead shortly after via Macdonalod with Stapleton belting in the third near the end.
Macdonald made a big fuss after the match when one of the Everton defenders tried to suggest that he (the defender) had scored the second Arsenal goal as an own goal and Macdonald had no right to claim it. It seemed an awfully curious things to do but the media found it interesting.
Much more to the point was the fact that Arsenal were playing with confidence, poise and style, something utterly missing last year and there was actually some hope for the future.
The top ten at the end of the day read
Team
P
W
D
L
F
A
GD
Pts
1
Liverpool
6
5
0
1
11
5
6
10
2
Manchester City
6
3
3
0
8
3
5
9
3
Arsenal
6
3
2
1
10
5
5
8
4
Middlesbrough
6
3
2
1
4
3
1
8
5
Manchester United
6
2
3
1
10
7
3
7
6
Bristol City
6
2
3
1
8
5
3
7
7
Stoke City
6
2
3
1
5
6
-1
7
8
Aston Villa
6
3
0
3
13
8
5
6
9
Everton
6
2
2
2
10
7
3
6
10
Newcastle United
6
1
4
1
8
7
1
6
14 September: Beating Palace in 1991 and Koln in 2017
Two videos today – beating FC Koln in 2017 and Palace in 1991.
8 September 1984: top of the league for the first time in 12 years.
On 8 September 1984 Arsenal beat Liverpool at home and went to the top of the league for the first time in 12 years.
That might sound quite hopeful, and yet it wasn’t a runaway success since Arsenal had started with a 1-1 home draw with Chelsea and followed that with a 0-2 away defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Then came a run of nine matches involving eight wins and a single defeat – to Ipswich on September 15.
As a result of the run Arsenal were not only top on the evening of Saturday 8 September after the Liverpool game but again from 6 October to 2 November 1984.
It was in fact the last two games of that era that caused the problem – a 3-1 defeat away to West Ham and a 2-4 defeat away to Manchester United. Indeed from that West Ham game onwards Arsenal’s record was fairly awful. Arsenal won just 12 league games out of 30 between October 27 and May 11, and we finished 7th in the league. One worse than the year before, and exactly the same as the year after.
The main explanation, other than declining confidence, was probably injuries. For the first 11 matches Arsenal used only 13 players, but then the problems occurred. Pat Jennings didn’t play again after November 25, and although a young Tony Adams, who had played just three games the previous season, started to appear in defence, making 15 starts in all from November 17 onwards, it was a young Tony Adams, still learning the business. Additionally Graham Rix (previously a stalwart) was in and out of the side as were Paul Davis and Tony Woodcock.
The Cups offered little relief to the decline either. We went out in the 4th round of the FA Cup to York City 0-1 away in front of a packed house of 10,840, and lost in the 4th round of the League Cup to Oxford United 2-3.
Ultimately Don Howe as manager paid the price, leaving part way through 1985-6.
6 September: the first game at the Invicta and the first game at Highbury
By a curious coincidence, the first-ever match at the Invicta Ground – Woolwich Arsenal’s first permanent home in South London, and the first-ever match at Highbury (to which the club moved in 1913) were played on 6 September.
The Invicta game was played on 6 September 1980: a friendly against the 3rd Highlanders Regiment. The score was 1-1 and the crowd was reported as being 7,000. If you are a regular reader of our site you will know that in 2023 a small group of us visited the site of the Invicta ground where some of the original terracing still remains. There is a report with pictures of the event here.
And then on 6 September 1913 the first match was played at Highbury. There were no pre-season games at the ground because it was prepared for the new season in a complete rush, and workmen were still reported to be working on the site on the morning of the first match. A copy of part of the match day programme with its welcome to Highbury has been reproduced on the Arsenal History Society website.
On this day Arsenal beat Leicester Fosse 2-1 in what was the first opening day victory since 1906. 20,000 people (approximately!) were said to be present. George Jobey scored the first Arsenal goal at the ground but was later taken off injured.
Arsenal later released a picture of the players in maroon shirts as their justification for the shirt colour change for the final season at Highbury, saying it was taken on this date, but at least three players in the picture were not at the club in September 1913. In fact the club did not play in those colours through the first Highbury season and the research suggests that the maroon picture was almost certain an away game with Arsenal playing in their second colours – although the exact match has not been identified.
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5 September 1921: After three straight defeats at the start of the season, Arsenal won their first game.
If you enjoy our daily review of Arsenal’s history please do show your appreciation by becoming an associate member of AISA – Arsenal Independent Supporters’ Association. It’s completely free, but being a member does make a statement that you value our work not just in recording Arsenal’s history but also in engaging with the club over issues relevant to supporters today. You can join for free at https://aisa.org/associate-membership/
