Aston Villa 1–7 Arsenal (1935)
{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox football match
| title = Aston Villa v. Arsenal
| image =
| event = 1935–36 First Division
| team1 = Aston Villa
| team1association =
| team1score = 1
| team2 = Arsenal
| team2association =
| team2score = 7
| details =
| date = 14 December 1935
| stadium = Villa Park
| city = Birmingham
| man_of_the_match1a =
| man_of_the_match1atitle =
| man_of_the_match1b =
| man_of_the_match1btitle =
| referee =
| attendance = 60,891
| weather =
}}
The 1935–36 season First Division match between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park took place on 14 December 1935. Arsenal won the fixture 7–1 with all of their seven goals scored by striker Ted Drake, a record haul for a top flight fixture, and a record for any division at the time. The top-flight record still stands today.
Background
Aston Villa and Arsenal enjoyed a great rivalry at the time and there had been several memorable contests between the sides since 1930. Aston Villa sat bottom of the league but had just invested some £24,000 in a number of new players and were expected to improve considerably as a result.{{cite book|author=Andrew Ward|title=Football's Strangest Matches: Extraordinary But True Stories from Over a Century of Football|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Z3XDW43adcC&pg=PA75|year=1999|publisher=Robson|isbn=978-1-86105-292-6|page=75}}{{cite web|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19351216.2.88 |work=Evening Post|title=FOOTBALL SENSATION |publisher=Fairfax Media |location=Wellington |date=16 December 1935|access-date=29 March 2012}}
Arsenal were missing star player Alex James and striker Ted Drake had a heavily strapped knee.{{cite book|author1=Scott Murray|author2=Rowan Walker|title=Day of the Match: A History of Football in 365 Days|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jqnq0hIia0cC&pg=PA290|year=2008|publisher=Pan Macmillan|isbn=978-0-7522-2678-1|page=290}}
Match details
{{footballbox
|date=14 December 1935
|time=
|team1=Aston Villa
|score=1–7
|report=
|team2=Arsenal
|goals1=Palethorpe {{goal|}}
|goals2=Drake {{goal|}}{{goal|}}{{goal|}}{{goal|}}{{goal|}}{{goal|}}{{goal|}}
|stadium=Villa Park, Birmingham
|attendance=60,891
|referee=
}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{Football kit
| pattern_la = _claretborder
| pattern_b = _astonvilla old
| pattern_ra = _claretborder
| pattern_so = _2lightbluestripes_2
| leftarm = 99ccff
| body = 990033
| rightarm = 99ccff
| shorts = FFFFFF
| socks = 990033
| title = Aston Villa
}}
{{col-2}}
{{Football kit
| pattern_la =
| pattern_b = _collar_buttons 2
| pattern_ra =
| pattern_sh =
| pattern_so = _hoops_white
| leftarm = ffffff
| body = ffffff
| rightarm = ffffff
| shorts = 000000
| socks = 000055
|title = Arsenal
}}
{{col-end}}
=Summary=
Despite playing six internationals, Aston Villa were losing 3–0 at half time after a Drake hat-trick. He had a double hat-trick by the hour, with Villa then scoring their only goal through Jack Palethorpe.{{cite news|url=http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/on-this-day-in-history-december-14-%281%29|title=Gordon Hodgson: GMF remembers one of the original Kings of the Kop|work=Give Me Football|first=John|last=Harding|date=14 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220013019/http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/on-this-day-in-history-december-14-%281%29|archive-date=20 December 2010|url-status=dead}} Drake then had an effort hit the crossbar and bounce downwards though the goal was disallowed with officials ruling the ball had not crossed the line.{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/usa/sh/news/news-archive/premiership-profile-aston-villa |title=Premiership Profile – Aston Villa |publisher=Arsenal.com |date=10 July 2008 |access-date=29 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010153843/http://www.arsenal.com/usa/sh/news/news-archive/premiership-profile-aston-villa |archive-date=10 October 2012}} However, Drake still secured the goal-scoring record in the final minute of the game.{{cite news|url=http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/ggm-38-ted-drake-scores-seven-in-one-game |title=GGM 38: Ted Drake scores seven in one game |publisher=Arsenal F.C.|work=arsenal.com|date=26 July 2007|access-date=29 March 2012}} In total, Drake had just nine shots, all on target with one saved.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/may/16/seven-deadly-sins-greed-part-two |title=Seven deadly sins of football: Greed – Ted Drake to Steven Gerrard Tower |work=The Guardian |access-date=29 March 2012 |date=16 May 2009}}
Records
Drake's seven goals equalled the total Jimmy Ross was alleged to have scored in a game for Preston North End against Stoke City in 1888,{{cite news|title=Drake's Seven Goals|issue=47248|page=5|newspaper=The Times|location=London|publisher=Times Newspapers Limited|date=16 December 1935}} though it was not until years later it was established that Ross had only scored four. The record for all divisions was broken just 12 days after Drake's tally by Bunny Bell of Tranmere Rovers in the Football League Third Division North, who scored nine against Oldham Athletic.
Aftermath
Aston Villa went on to be relegated for the first time in their history at the end of the season. Arsenal failed to win a fourth consecutive league title but went on to lift the FA Cup with Drake scoring the only goal of the game.{{cite web |url=http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1936.htm |title=1936.htm |publisher=Fa-cupfinals.co.uk |access-date=29 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521033215/http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1936.htm |archive-date=21 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWDLbPunC-8 Archive footage]
{{1935–36 in English football}}
{{Arsenal F.C. matches}}
{{Aston Villa F.C. matches}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aston Villa F.C. 1-7 Arsenal F.C.}}
Category:Aston Villa F.C. matches
Category:Football League First Division matches
Category:History of Birmingham, West Midlands
Category:1935–36 in English football