Arsenals greatest English top-flight home win in history

Just Arsenal News

·18 mars 2025

Arsenals greatest English top-flight home win in history

Arsenal fans have become used to their side winning by five or six goals this calendar year home and away in the league but nearly 94 years ago The Gunners scored almost ten!

On January the 28th 1931 The Arsenal, as they were always called then, disintegrated Grimsby Town at Highbury 9-1 achieving their greatest English top-flight victory to date, as well as at home. Woefully there was only just under 16,000 fans spectators at the ground once called “The Home of Football”.

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David Jack scored the most with four, Jack Lambert heralded a hat-trick and Cliff Bastin and Joe Hulme one each which looked like a far cry in comparison.

It’s not a surprise that there weren’t too many Gooner’s in attendance after The North Londoner’s had just been shoved out by London rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup 1-2 days beforehand, and struggled 1-3 in their last First Division match 3-1 versus Sunderland. However I’m sure that many Gooner’s wished they’d turned up on that sunny January day after tuning into the wireless afterwards hearing Arsenal dumbfounded Grimsby Town 9-1!

However The Gunners were still three goals shy of their best triumphs in history. Two 12-0 wins were recorded over Loughborough Town in March 1900 in Division Two and Ashford United in October 1893 in the FA Cup as Woolwich Arsenal.

These were the players and manger who made up Arsenal’s most heroic English top-flight win in North London on that infamous occasion in 1931.

Manager – Herbert Chapman

Chapman was an innovator of the game introducing floodlights, numbers on shirts and renaming Gillespie Tube station Arsenal. Before turning The North Londoner’s into the best team in the world, arguably, during the 1930s, he set up Huddersfield Town for a hat-trick of League title in the 1920s which no team at the time had ever achieved in the First Division. At Highbury Chapman replicated the same procedure where by 1935 The Gunners became the second side ever to claim an English top-flight Triple, before he died of pneumonia, in 1934, after having lifted Arsenal their first major honour in history in 1930 being the FA Cup and later two Championships.

Goalkeeper – Charlie Preedy

Despite playing second fiddle to the likes of Dan Lewis and Frank Moss Arsenal’s regular goalies at the time, he still featured in the 1930 FA Cup Final which Arsenal won 2-0 over Huddersfield Town. In 39 games he made an impressive 21 clean sheets.

Defenders

Tom Parker

The Southampton born and bred player claimed a single England Cap in 1925 for England versus France whilst playing for his hometown club in the Second Division. He claimed two First Division titles whilst in North London and one FA Cup after having previously merited the 1922 Third Division South league at Saints. After his time at The Gunners he threw up in the air the Third Division North for Norwich City a year. after leaving Arsenal in 1934.

Eddie Hapgood

Hapgood was Arsenal’s captain of the 1930s as well as for country England from 1934 to 1939, setting not only a fine example as a player but leader! He was brought in at the start of Chapman’s reign at Arsenal in 1927 from Non-League team Kettering Town, before venturing on and securing a pretty collection of trophies boasting five league titles and two FA Cups.

Herbie Roberts

He was a crucial part of Arsenals backline throughout the 1930s and was one the most well known defenders of his time. He displayed four Championship and one FA Cup winner’s medals.

Bob John

John represented his nation Wales 15 times during the spell of 13 years. On top of that with The Gunners he created a league appearance feat which took four decades to beat by George Armstrong in the 1970s. The stretch of games saw him achieve three titles and one FA Cup.

Midfielders

Cliff Bastin

The once Exeter City footballer of the Third Division became Arsenals top goalscorer with 178 goals for almost 60 years until 1997 when Ian Wright shattered his long-standing record.

Charles Jones

Jones is one of the less well known players of the great Arsenal team of the 1930s, despite appearing in almost 200 games for The Gunners which saw him land three league Championships.

Joe Hulme

A lethal winger who supplied his teammates with many goals as well as being well relied upon up front too. He snatched The Gunners only goal during their unfortunate 1-2 1932 FA Cup final defeat to Newcastle United at Wembley.

Alex James

Also known as the “Wee Wizard” for his size and skill was one of the best and most admired footballers of the 1930s. He also picked up a second name not so fondly recorded in English football history as one of the “Wembley Wizards” after he helped Scotland thump The Three Lions 5-1. He went onto seal three First Division and two FA Cup winner’s medals. In fact James put his side into the lead in the 1930 FA Cup final which The Arsenal clinched 2-0 against Huddersfield Town.

Attackers

David Jack

Jack will go down in footballing folklore for claiming the first ever goal scored at Wembley after only two minutes during the 1923 FA Cup Final which Bolton Wander’s won 2-0 versus West Ham. He also became the first footballer to lift the FA Cup with two different clubs following The Gunners 2-0 victory against Huddersfield Town in 1930. The potent talisman was essential to Arsenals early goalscoring threat during the first part of the 1930s and constructed a personal best tally of 34 strikes come the finale of the 1930/31 First Division winning campaign. He worked hand in hand with teammate Jack Lambert in the final third like no other strike force in the top-flight at the time!

Jack Lambert

The centre forward was Arsenals main man behind the goals during the 1930/31 season with 38 strikes to his name which no teammate could beat! He’s most famous for wrapping up Arsenals 1930 FA Cup final victory notching up the second in the dying moments of the 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town.

The annihilation of Grimsby Town was a catalyst leading to greater change on the field with Arsenal only losing one more time till the end of the 1930/31 season and commencing an unbeaten run of nine games on the trot. By the end of the campaign The Gunners had sealed their first League title in history on a then record breaking 66 points with only two points then for a win!

By the end of the decade Arsenal had picked up a further four League Championships and one FA Cup under both Chapman and George Allison during the “Golden Age” chapter of The Gunners history book.

Will Arsenal ever break their most majestic win ever in the Premier League?

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