On this day, the FA Cup was announced, and 20 years ago Martin Keown was sold
Proposing the FA Cup
20 July 1871: FA secretary Charlie Alcock proposed a Challenge Cup competition for all member clubs. It began on 11 November 1871, and the rules stated that clubs that lost a match were knocked out, but all others would go forward (including those who drew) to the next round. The first winners were Wanderers based in Battersea.
20 July 1943: Bob McNab born. From 1963 to 1966 he played 68 games for Huddersfield Town before moving on to Arsenal.
20 July 1977: Australia 3 Arsenal 1 (Armstrong). The match was notorious for a drinking spree by the players after the game which saw Neill threaten them with expulsion but only one player (Hudson) ultimately was punished and he left the club. Neill’s authority was seriously diminished by the event.
20 July 1984: John Kay sold to Wimbledon for £25,000, after 14 games for Arsenal. After 63 league games for the Dons he went on to Sunderland where he played over 200 times. He finished his career in 1999 with Scarborough.
20 July 1991: FC Trollhättan 0 Arsenal 1 (Hillier). The second of eight pre-season friendlies in the build up to the first ever all-London charity shield match, against Tottenham who had won the FA Cup the previous season.
20 July 1993: Eddie McGoldrick’s first match – a friendly v Orient. He had played 147 matches for Crystal Palace where he had played alongside Ian Wright and went on to play 57 games for Arsenal.
20 July 1997: Stade Nyon 0 Arsenal 4 (Mendez, Boa Morte, Overmars, Bergkamp.. One of the friendlies before the second double season.
20 July 1998: Uefa approved Arsenal’s application to stage Champions League games at Wembley. The move allowed over twice as many people to see the games as would be possible at Highbury, and provided proof that the club could draw in enough support to fill the proposed new stadium.
20 July 2003: Gael Clichy signed from Cannes for whom he had played 15 times having graduated to the first team, after two years in the junior teams. Although the club was also the launch pad for such players as Zinedine Zidane, and Patrick Vieira, it was wound up on July 1st 2014 because of its financial situation. They are now in the 5th tier of French football (National 3)
20 Year Ago Today
20 July 2004: After 310 games for Arsenal, Martin Keown sold to Leicester City having won the league and FA Cup three times each plus the Cup Winners Cup. He played 17 times for Leicester and then five for Reading before retiring.
20 July 2005: SC Weiz 0 Arsenal 5 (Flamini, Henry, Bentley, Bergkamp). Part of the sequence in which Arsenal won every single pre-season game.
20 July 2009: Adebayor went to Man City for £25m. He had cost just £3m three years earlier, and as a quick profit sale must rank alongside Anelka who moved from £250,000 to £25m also in three years. Three years after joining City he was told he was not part of their plans and could leave.
20 July 2013: Andre Santos transferred from Arsenal to Flamengo after a short loan spell with Grêmio. He played 28 times for Flamengo before moving on to Goa.
20 July 2019: Arsenal beat Fiorentina 3-0 with two from Nketiah and a goal by Joe Willock.
20 July 2022: Arsenal beat Orlando City 1-3 in the Florida Cup