by Andy Kelly and Mark Andrews
This is a three-part article that is probably the most important that we will write. It explains how we found a discrepancy in Arsenal’s early history that snowballed until we realised that much of what has been written about the club before the First World War is inaccurate and incomplete.
by Andy Kelly and Mark Andrews
In this series we explain when and why the football club now known as Arsenal changed its name.
Having played their first game the members of Dial Square Football Club decided to open up their club to the whole of the Royal Arsenal. Why? Well, probably because working in another part of the factory was a certain Fred Beardsley, and opening up the membership would allow Dial Square access to one of the country’s top goalkeepers. Beardsley had recently moved to Plumstead from Nottingham where he played regularly for Nottingham Forest including their FA Cup semi-final in 1885 against Queen’s Park.