29th August

Taking a look back at the early years of Arsenal, we start by looking at the 29th August 1925, when Arsenal lost 1-0 against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the first match of the 1925/26 season. And to make the loss worse, the match was played at Highbury in front of 53183 supporters. The proceeds from the gates of the stadium were supposed to go to then-manager Leslie Knighton, and they would have amounted to around £4000. However, Knighton was fired by Arsenal chairman Sir Henry Norris before the match was played, and was replaced by Herbert Chapman. Knighton alleged that he was sacked only because Norris did not want to pay him the proceeds from the match against Tottenham. This was the first match in charge for Herbert Chapman and also the debut of striker Charles Buchan.

On the 29th August 1987, striker Alan Smith scored his first goal for Arsenal against Portsmouth after making his debut in the 2-1 loss against Liverpool two weeks earlier. Smith, who joined the club from Leicester in 1987, went on to play 265 league matches for Arsenal and scored 86 goals. He helped the club win two First Division titles, the FA Cup 1993, the League Cup 1993, and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1993/94. Smith is currently a commentator with Sky Sports. He was commentator of the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final alongside Martin Tyler.