Arsenal beat Bradford City, Tottenham slip into the relegation zone

Dire and desperate times, playing against an up and coming Bradford City team, in front of a crowd of 14,000.

And we won 1-0.

I have no idea how we did it, as I have no newspaper report, but we did it.  After six games in which we won none and scored just two goals, we got a priceless victory.

In terms of the league it made all the difference in the world as it lifted us out of the bottom two, and threw in Tottenham Hotspur!  After the game the bottom of the league looked like this…

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16. Chelsea.  Played 31   Points 24

17. Middlesbrough.  Played 29    Points 22

18. Woolwich Arsenal.  Played 30    Points 22

19. Tottenham Hotspur.   Played 29   Points 21

20. Bolton Wanderers.  Played  31  Points 18

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Of course Tottenham had a strong chance of getting out of the bottom two with their game in hand, but Bolton were looking increasingly beaten in a league in which 38 games were played per team, and there were only two points for a win, and one for a draw.

Woolwich Arsenal were far from safe, but at least they had got a win, and they still had a game in hand over Chelsea.  In fact with all three of Tottenham, Woolwich Arsenal and Middlesbrough having one or two games in hand over Chelsea, Chelsea’s situation was far from secure.

Unfortunately for Woolwich Arsenal, next up was a very strong Newcastle  United who were currently sitting third in the league.  That game was for Good Friday, 25th March, with Sheffield Wednesday on the 26th and Chelsea on Easter Monday.

That Chelsea game away was looking more and more important – and the papers were already starting to talk about the biggest London derby of the season.  A huge crowd was expected…

Tony Attwood

Tony is author of Making the Arsenal – the fictionalised story of Arsenal in 1910

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