For today’s ‘On This Day’ feature we turn the clock back to 1970 and Arsenal’s clash with Derby County, which the Gunners won 2-0 during their double-winning year. The Arsenal programme from the day is reviewed below and the other Division One issues from 1970/71 can be seen here.
The Arsenal programme for their double-winning season was very much a continuation from previous years, being a 16-page issue that contained no advertising at all.
The programme opened with ‘Topics of the Week’, which reflected on the Gunners’ early season form in the absence of several injured players, including Charlie George and Peter Simpson. At the time of writing, Arsenal were second in the table, just two points behind the leaders Leeds United. The column also noted the inclusion of Ray Kennedy in the England Under-23 squad and the forthcoming Fairs Cup tie against Sturm Graz of Austria.
Visitors Derby County were given two pages of coverage, with a team group picture, player profiles, and a summary of past matches between the Gunners and the Rams. The Derby squad had recently been strengthened by the signing of Archie Gemmill from Preston for £60,000 – a signing that manager Brian Clough had famously completed over breakfast after turning up unannounced at the player’s house!
There were a couple of two-page spreads that featured pictures from recent games, covering a 3-1 win at Coventry City and a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United. There was further photographic content on the centre pages, which introduced readers to ‘The World of John Radford’, with the forward pictured at home with his wife and young son. The programme also featured match summaries, a crossword, result and fixture details, and appearance and goalscorer records.
A typically well-presented issue from Arsenal, which relied on a tried and tested formula to produce a solid programme.