1887–88 Royal Arsenal F.C. season

This was the second season of the club that was to become Arsenal F.C.[1] In this season they moved from the common of Plumstead Ground to the privately owned Sportsman Ground, in order to charge an entrance fee to view games. The nearby Sportsman Pub was used as a dressing room.[2] This season was notable for their inaugural participation in the London Senior Cup, and home and away games against enduring rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.

Royal Arsenal
1887–88 season
ChairmanNone
ManagerNone
NoneNone
NoneNone
Top goalscorerLeague: N/A
All: JA. Morris (6)
Highest home attendance600 vs Grove House
(8 October 1887)
600 vs Millwall Rovers
(30 March 1888)
Lowest home attendance300 vs Alexandra United
(1 October 1887)

Players

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Below is a list of all Arsenal Players reported to play for them that season, and all confirmed appearances and goals. Out of the 24 games played that season, confirmed line-ups were recovered for 12 of these games, and goalscorers for 11.[3] Players who predominantly played as goalkeepers are marked in Italics.

Friendlies LSC Total
Player App Goals App Goals
B. Banks 1 0 1 0 2 0
CW. Bates 0 0 1 0 1 0
FW. Beardsley 8 0 1 0 9 0
J. Bee 6 1 1 0 7 1
A. Brown 8 3 1 0 9 3
P. Connolly 4 4 0 0 4 4
JB. Crichton 9 3 1 0 10 3
R. Crichton 2 0 0 0 2 0
D. Danskin (C) 11 0 1 0 12 0
E. Hartland 6[4] 1 0 0 6 1
JG. Hill 4 0 0 0 4 0
FB. Hills 5 1 0 0 5 1
JW. Humble 8 0 0 0 8 0
WW. Levy 1 0 0 0 1 0
J. Lucas 1 0 0 0 1 0
W. Lucas 3 0 0 0 3 0
JA. Morris 9 6 1 0 10 6
J. Moy 2 0 0 0 2 0
J. Ogilvie 1 0 0 0 1 0
J. Potter 2 1 0 0 2 1
R. Price 6 0 1 0 7 0
S. Ridgwell 3 0 1 0 4 0
J. Ronald 2 1 0 0 2 1
J. Rowland 1 0 0 0 1 0
G. Smith 2 0 0 0 2 0
T. Wells 11[4] 1 1 0 12 0
HB. Weeks 4[4] 1 0 0 4 1

Management

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There was no manager for the 1887-88 season, though Fred Beardsley, Arthur Brown (both players) and Duncan Porteous[3] were positioned as joint-secretaries amongst others, after Elijah Watkins left the position of secretary at the beginning of the season.[2]

Pre-season

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Friendlies

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1 October 1887 Royal Arsenal 5–1 Alexandra United
Attendance: 300
8 October 1887 Royal Arsenal 3–1 Grove House
Potter   ?'
Crichton   ?'
Morris   ?'
Attendance: 600
Note: This game was scheduled as a London Senior Cup match. However, the game was scratched and was played as a friendly.
15 October 1887 Royal Arsenal 2–2 Clapham Pilgrims
Morris   ?'
Crichton   ?'
22 October 1887 Royal Arsenal Unknown St Luke's
Bee   ?'
Ronald   ?'
Morris   ?', ?'
5 November 1887 Royal Arsenal 4–0 Grange Institute
Bee   ?'
Ronald   ?'
Morris   ?', ?'
12 November 1887 Royal Arsenal 1–1 Iona Deptford
Crichton   ?'
3 December 1887 Royal Arsenal Unknown Grange Park
10 December 1887 Royal Arsenal 1–2 Brixton Rangers
17 December 1887 Shrewsbury Park 4–0 Royal Arsenal
31 December 1887 Forest Gate Alliance 1–2 Royal Arsenal
14 January 1888 Iona Deptford 3–2 Royal Arsenal
28 January 1888 Royal Arsenal 6–0 Champion Hill
18 February 1888 Royal Arsenal 2–1 Erith
Crichton   ?'
Hill   ?'
25 February 1888 Royal Arsenal 1–1 Forest Gate Alliance
3 March 1888 Royal Arsenal 2–1 Grange Institute
Brown   ?', ?'
10 March 1888 Brixton Rangers 9–3 Royal Arsenal
17 March 1888 Royal Arsenal 5–0 Ascham
30 March 1888 Royal Arsenal 3–0 Millwall Rovers
Morris   ?', ?'
Brown   ?'
7 April 1888 Alexandra United 0–3 Royal Arsenal
Wells   ?'
Hartland   ?'
Weeks   ?'

Competitions

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Overview

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Competition Record
P W D L GF GA GD Win %
London Senior Cup 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 000.00
Total 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 000.00

Updated to match played 29 October 1887
Source: Competitions

London Senior Cup

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29 December 1887 2 Royal Arsenal 0–4 Barnes
Attendance: 500

References

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  1. ^ Attwood, Tony (21 December 2013). "Arsenal's second season: what really happened in 1887/8?". woolwicharsenal.co.uk.
  2. ^ a b James, Josh; Andrews, Mark; Kelly, Andy (2018). Arsenal: The Complete Record 1886-2018 (First ed.). Liverpool: deCourbertin Books. ISBN 978-1-909245-75-4.
  3. ^ a b "Arsenal First Team Line-ups". www.thearsenalhistory.com. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  4. ^ a b c The line-ups for the final game of the season (3-0) against Alexandra United were not recorded, however, the golascorers were so it can be confirmed that on this date, Hartland, Wells and Weeks all played, however the other players who played on this date remain uncertain.