Arsenal
1941–42 season
ChairmanRobin Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry
ManagerGeorge Allison
London War League1st
London War CupSemi-final

The 1941-42 season was Arsenal Football Club's third season playing wartime football and their first in the London War League, a breakoff from the official Football League wartime leagues. Arsenal won the London War League. The team also competed in the London War Cup and lost in the semifinals.

Background

Arsenal played their home games at White Hart Lane, as Highbury had been transformed to support Air Raid Precautions.[1] Arsenal competed in the London War League. The London teams, as the London War League was unsanctioned, were expelled from the Football League.[2][3] Arsenal's manager, George Allison, was influential in the London club's breakaway movement.[3]

Arsenal competed in the London War Cup, the second iteration of the competition. Arsenal faced Brentford in the semifinals, tying the first match and requiring a replay. Arsenal then lost the replay as the Brentford goalkeeper, Chelsea player John Jackson who was fielded as a "guest" player, saved a Cliff Bastin penalty to maintain a 2-1 score to Brentford.[4]

Arsenal won the London War League, scoring 108 goals in 30 matches.[5] Although the London league claimed less travel than the official Football League scheme, it similarly featured depleted teams and one-sided matches. Arsenal played one match against bottom-of-the-table Watford and were only able to field eight men and lost 3-1. Playing the same team three months later, Arsenal won 11-0.[3]

Results

Arsenal's score comes first[6]

Legend

Win Draw Loss

London War League

Selected results from the league.

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
30 August 1941BrentfordA4–112,000
4 October 1941ChelseaH3–0
18 October 1941West Ham UnitedH4–113,419
13 December 1941BrentfordH1–39,739
3 January 1942PortsmouthH?–?
10 January 1942ChelseaA5–1
24 January 1942West Ham UnitedA0–320,000

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
1 Arsenal 30 23 2 5 108 43 2.512 48
2 Portsmouth 30 20 2 8 105 59 1.780 42
3 West Ham United 30 17 5 8 81 44 1.841 39
4 Aldershot 30 17 5 8 85 56 1.518 39
5 Tottenham Hotspur 30 15 8 7 61 41 1.488 38
6 Crystal Palace 30 14 6 10 70 53 1.321 34
7 Reading 30 13 8 9 76 58 1.310 34
8 Charlton Athletic 30 14 5 11 72 64 1.125 33
9 Brentford 30 14 2 14 80 76 1.053 30
10 Queen's Park Rangers 30 11 3 16 52 59 0.881 25
11 Fulham 30 10 4 16 79 99 0.798 24
12 Brighton & Hove Albion 30 9 4 17 71 108 0.657 22
13 Chelsea 30 8 4 18 56 88 0.636 20
14 Millwall 30 7 5 18 53 82 0.646 19
15 Clapton Orient 30 5 7 18 42 94 0.447 17
16 Watford 30 6 4 20 47 114 0.412 16
Source:

London War Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
GS28 March 1942West Ham UnitedA4–04,000
GS6 April 1942West Ham UnitedH1–422,000
SF2 May 1942BrentfordN0–041,154
SF R16 May 1942BrentfordN1–240,000

References

  1. ↑ Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (1995). Arsenal: Official History. London: Hamlyn. p. 98. ISBN 0600588262.
  2. ↑ Forster, Richard (24 April 2020). "How English football responded to the second world war". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Taylor, Matthew (8 November 2017). "Life during wartime: how the Second World War exposed football's regional divides". When Saturday Comes. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  4. ↑ Foster, Richard (5 January 2021). "When Brentford won a Wembley cup final – with help from traffic police". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "Arsenal at War". Arsenal. 10 May 2017. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  6. ↑ http://www.statto.com/football/teams/arsenal/1941-1942/results
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