May 8, 1971: The 1st Arsenal Double, Part II

May 8, 1971: Having won the Football League 5 days earlier, Arsenal Football Club of North London now prepared to take on Liverpool Football Club, at England's national stadium, the original Wembley Stadium in West London, for the FA Cup Final.

On May 3, Arsenal beat their North London arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, a.k.a. "Spurs," in the final game of the League season, 1-0 on a late goal by Ray Kennedy, to win the League title.

When Spurs became the 1st team in the 20th Century -- since Aston Villa in 1897 -- to win The Double, in 1961, they had time to properly prepare: They won the League on April 17, beat Sheffield Wednesday at home, and didn't have to play the FA Cup Final for 3 weeks, beating Leicester City on May 6.

That Leicester team included Frank McLintock, who would also lose the 1963 FA Cup Final with them, to Manchester United; and captain Arsenal onto the Wembley pitch in the League Cup Finals of 1968 and 1969, also losing. He was winless there, about to make his 5th attempt.

Arsenal would have just 4 days to prepare. As a result, although Liverpool finished 5th in the League, 14 points behind Arsenal, some betting companies installed them as the favorites. It was not outrageous, as they had won the League in 1964 and the FA Cup in 1965, and they still had some of the players from those teams. But they were in a bit of a transition, as those players were starting to get old, and the players who would help the Mersey Reds dominate the 1970s were still working their way in.

Liverpool did have one big advantage in getting there: A home draw in every round, until the Quarterfinal, with the Semifinal and the Final being on neutral ground. Arsenal, on the other hand, had gotten away draws in every round.

May 8, 1971. An unseasonably warm day in London. For some reason, Liverpool had the choice of kit for the Final. so they wore their all-red gear, meaning Arsenal couldn't wear their usual home kit, red shirts with white sleeves, and white shorts. Instead, Arsenal wore their "change strip," yellow shirts with blue trim, and blue shorts.

Arsenal had several chances in the game. In the 1st half, Charlie George, who grew up within walking distance of the Arsenal Stadium at Highbury, and rode his local status, long hair, rebellious attitude and great ability to become the team's most popular player, blasted one just over the crossbar. This led Brian Moore, broadcasting the game for British network ITV, to say, "He really does strike those balls beautifully."

In the 2nd half, Kennedy hit a dribbler that just scurried past the goalpost, leading Moore to say, "Kennedy! Oh, what a miss!" When the 90 minutes, plus stoppage time, was over, it was 0-0. Arsenal had dominated play, but had nothing to show for it.

This was Arsenal's 66th game of the season, combining all competitions, and McLintock and played every minute of every game. Now, physically and mentally exhausted, and seeing Liverpool's Emlyn Hughes receiving treatment for a cramp, he had to convince his teammates, equally "knackered" (as they say over there), to hang on through extra time. On the video, he can be seen gritting his teeth and pumping his fist, telling them to keep going.

But right after the restart, Liverpool's Irish forward Steve Heighway fired a shot from a ridiculous angle, and put the ball past Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson. Liverpool were up 1-0, and all seemed lost for the Gunners. Yes, they had the League title, but now, it looked like the talk would be that they had "bottled" The Double.

But it wasn't sudden-death: The entirety of extra time would be played, no matter what. McLintock rallied the troops, telling them to get Bob off the hook.

They did. They stiffened up, and prevented Welsh forward John Toshack from making it 2-0 to the Scouse team. And then, in the 101st minute, there was a scramble, and the ball went past Liverpool goalie Ray Clemence. 1-1.

George Graham claimed the goal. But did he score it? Interviewed many years later, forward John Radford said, "Every time I look at the tape, he's got a guilty look on his face." Indeed, the video replay showed that Graham never touched the ball, sweeping his left foot at it, and missing. The last man to touch the ball was Eddie Kelly, who had been brought on in the 64th minute, as a substitute for midfielder Peter Storey. Substitutions had only been legal in English football since the 1966-67 season, and this made Kelly the 1st sub to score in an FA Cup Final.

In the 111th minute, Radford was on the left wing, and sidefooted a pass to George, at the edge of the penalty area. He launched a net-seeking missile. Moore had the call: "Radford. Oh, Charlie George, who can hit 'em, oh, what a great goal! Charlie George! Oh, what a fabulous goal by George! Clemence had no chance with that!"

Charlie turned, and dropped to the ragged Wembley turf, his arms spread out. No smile this time, like there was in the Manchester mud earlier in the tournament. He was as tired as anybody else.

The soundtrack to the musical Jesus Christ Superstar had been released during the season, and Charlie's raised arms reminded people of the lead character. Soon, to the theme song, people began singing, "Charlie George, superstar, how many goals have you scored so far!" (Opposing fans, noting his long hair -- though not as long as Jesus' -- sang, "Charlie George, superstar, looks like a woman and he wears a bra!")

But the celebration made him an icon, making him more famous than his talent, as great as it was, would otherwise have taken him. To the tune of the Christmas carol "The First Noel," fans went on to sing, "Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, Charlie! Born is the Ki-ing of High-igh-bur-y!"

King Charles with the FA Cup

It was 2-1. The Arsenal defense held on for another 10 minutes, and the Double was won. Although Arsenal had previously won 7 League titles and 2 FA Cups, this game would be their signature victory -- until 1989, when another 18-year League title drought came to an end. That legendary game would also be against Liverpool.

The Arsenal players climbed the steps to Wembley's Royal Box. King George V had handed the FA Cup to Arsenal Captain Tom Parker in 1930. His son, Prince Albert, Duke of York, had handed it to Alex James in 1936. In 1950, the Duke, now King George VI, handed it to Joe Mercer.

That King's daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, supposedly an Arsenal fan, hasn't attended an FA Cup Final in many years. In 1971 -- as it would be again in 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2005 -- it was the Queen's cousin, another grandchild of George V, who gave the Arsenal Captain the Cup: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.

McLintock holds high the Cup.

Bob Wilson shakes hands with the Duke of Kent.

The woman in yellow is Katharine, Duchess of Kent.

(Charles, Prince of Wales, would give the Cup to Pat Rice in 1979. In 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, handed the Cup to Arsenal's Captains.)

McLintock later said he was so knackered, he couldn't feel anything as he walked up the steps. The ITV cameras told another story, as did their commentator, Brian Moore, who noted, "What a smile!"

*

In his 1992 memoir Fever Pitch, Arsenal fan Nick Hornby would call 1971 "Arsenal's annus mirabilis" -- "Miracle Year." It took Bertie Mee, Don Howe, Frank McLintock and the rest 5 years to build a dual champion, and one particularly hard year to finish the job.

But it quickly ended. Howe was offered the manager's job at his former team, West Brom. He took it, and later admitted, "That was the time that I left when I should have stayed. Because that team, the Double team, had more in it."

He was probably right. The 1971-72 season was the closest in League history. Derby County won the title, and Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester City were all just 1 point behind. Arsenal were 5th, 6 points back; Tottenham, 6, 7 points back. And Arsenal again reached the FA Cup Final, this time losing to Leeds, who got a little bit of revenge for losing the '71 title to Arsenal. (They had won the League in 1969, and would again in 1974. And they didn't walk away empty-handed in '71, winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.)

But without Howe, Mee had no one to rein him in, no former player in a place of some power to serve as a buffer between him and the players. Team scout Steve Burtenshaw became the assistant manager, but it ust wasn't the same. So Mee became more and more tyrannical. He had already alienated midfielder Jon Sammels, who put in a transfer request, and as sold to Leicester City.

Mee purchased Alan Ball, a member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team. He had helped Everton win the League title in 1970. But his addition meant the end at Arsenal for George Graham, whom Mee sold to Manchester United.

Things weren't bad, but the seeds of getting worse were sown. Mee began to push McLintock out, buying centreback Jeff Blockley from Coventry City. Mee decided that buying Blockley was his biggest mistake as Arsenal manager. In 1973, Arsenal fought Liverpool for the League title all season long, including a 2-0 win away to Liverpool on February 10. They were still close on March 26. But their last 6 League games were 1 win, 3 draws and 2 losses, and they finished 2nd, 3 points behind Liverpool.

McLintock was sold to West London team Queens Park Rangers, a.k.a. QPR, and the era was over. Wilson, Radford and George Armstrong got older. Mee alienated Ray Kennedy, and sold him to, of all teams, Liverpool in 1974. He starred for them for a few years. Pretty much anybody who remembers him, unless they're an Arsenal fan, remembers him with Liverpool. His career began to decline when he developed Parkinson's disease: While still alive, he has had to leave not just football in any role, but public life entirely.

Mee alienated Charlie George, and ended up selling him to Derby in 1975. And replacements simply weren't forthcoming. The next-to-last game of the 1974-75 season was a Derby at home to Tottenham, and it was "a relegation six-pointer," won 1-0 by Arsenal. Spurs survived by winning the next week. But Arsenal finished 16th, and 17th in 1976. Mee was fired.

Former Arsenal centreback Terry Neill was brought in to manage, and he brought Howe back. Together, they led Arsenal to the 1979 FA Cup. Pat Rice had become Captain, and was the only 1971 regular still with Arsenal as they won the 1979 Cup. Sammy Nelson, a backup on the '71 team, started in '79. And the '79 Arsenal goalkeeper? None other than Pat Jennings, whom Spurs had let go a few years before.

But they lost the FA Cup Final in 1978 and 1980, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1980. Neill was fired in 1983, and Howe promoted to replace him. "Now, that was the time I stayed, when I should have left!" Howe said. After 3 years of being good, but not quite good enough, Howe resigned.

*

For reasons that have never been made clear to me, neither England nor Scotland gave many chances to Arsenal players. Look at these totals for Arsenal players of the 1970s:

Total caps for England: Alan Ball 72 (but only 12 after he came to Arsenal), Ray Kennedy 17 (but none until '76, after he left), Graham Rix 17, Malcolm Macdonald 14 (the last in '75, before he arrived), Brian Talbot 6, Bob McNab 4 (the last in '69), John Radford 2 (the last in '71), Brian Kidd 2 (the last in '70, before he arrived), Charlie George 1 (in '76, after he left), Alan Sunderland 1; George Armstrong, Jon Sammels, Peter Simpson, David Price and Steve Walford, between them, none. Peter Storey was an exception, getting 19.

Hell, Jeff Blockley, considered by some to be the worst Arsenal defender of the decade, got as many England caps as Charlie George, considered the most talented Arsenal player of the decade: One.

Total caps for Scotland: George Graham 12, Frank McLintock 9 (the last in '71), Willie Young (the last in '75, before coming to Arsenal), Bob Wilson 2 (the last in '71), Eddie Kelly none.

It was different for the other "nations" of the British Isles, due to manpower levels. The Republic of Ireland gave Liam Brady 72, Frank Stapleton 71 and David O'Leary 68. Northern Ireland gave Pat Jennings 119, Terry Neill 59, Sammy Nelson 51, Pat Rice 49. Wales gave John Roberts 22.

*

Bob Wilson, Pat Rice and George Armstrong went on to be assistant coaches for Arsenal. George Graham was named manager in 1986, and led them to the League Cup in 1987, the League title in 1989 and 1991, the 1st-ever FA Cup and League Cup "double" in 1993, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994.

Arsène Wenger was named manager in 1996, and kept the '71 Double players on as coaches. In 1998, Arsenal came from 12 points back in March to defeat Manchester United for the Premier League title (which replaced the old Football League Division One in 1992), and beat Newcastle United for the FA Cup, for Arsenal's 2nd Double.

In 2000, Armstrong became the 1st player from that 1971 team to die, as he suffered a brain hemorrhage while running a training session at London Colney, Arsenal's training camp in suburban Hemel Hempstead. He was 56 years old, and a training pitch (practice field) there was named for him.

Wilson and Rice remained, and Arsenal won a 3rd Double in 2002. This time, the way the scheudule worked out, they had even fewer days to prepare than in 1971: They beat Chelsea in the Final on May 4, and Man United to win the League on May 8. They nearly won yet another Double in 2003, taking the Cup, but faltering in the League to finish 2nd. At that point, Wilson retired from coaching. Rice remained on through the 2012 season, helping Wenger guide Arsenal to an unbeaten season in the League in 2004, another FA Cup in 2005, a trip to the UEFA Champions League Final in 2006, and into the new Emirates Stadium the next year.

Bertie Mee died in 2001, at the age of 82. Don Howe died in 2015, at 80. Backup centreback John Roberts died in 2016, at 69. Backup goalkeeper Geoff Barnett died this past January 15, at 74.

Steve Burtenshaw is 85, Frank McLintock is 81, Bob Wilson is 79, Terry Neill (sold right before the Double season) is 78, Bob McNab is 77, George Graham and Peter Simpson are 76, Jon Sammels and Peter Storey are 75, John Radford is 74, Pat Rice and Sammy Nelson are 72, Peter Marinello is 71, Charlie George and Eddie Kelly are 70, and Ray Kennedy is 69.

25th Anniversary Reunion at Highbury, 1996.

Back row, left to right: John Radford, assistant coach Steve Burtenshaw,

Peter Marinello, Peter Simpson, Jon Sammels, Geoff Barnett, Bob Wilson,

John Roberts, Charlie George, David Court, Pat Rice.

(Court had played for Arsenal 1962-70,

but was already gone before the Double season.)

Front row, left to right: Bertie Mee, Bob McNab,

George Graham, Don Howe, Frank McLintock,

George Armstrong, Sammy Nelson and Ray Kennedy.

The 1970-71 Double team was, for many years, the signature Arsenal side. It was succeeded as such by the 1988-89 League title winners, and then by the 2003-04 "Invincibles." Now, with the great teams of the 1930s, '40s and '50s having passed into afterlife, they are the oldest remaining great team. They remain a precious memory for whose who are old enough to remember, and a milestone in team history for those of us who are not.

*

There were 10 Major League Baseball games played on that Saturday:

* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 2-1. Bobby Murcer singled home the winning run in the top of the 11th inning. Steve Kline pitched all 11 innings for the Yankees, for the win.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Montreal Expos, 3-0 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Ken Holtzman pitched a 3-hit shutout.

* The California Angels beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals, 2-1 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Washington Senators, 9-2 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota.

* A doubleheader was split at San Diego Stadium. The Cincinnati Reds won the opener, 7-4. The San Diego Padres won the nightcap, 10-0. Steve Arlin allowed 7 hits, but kept the shutout.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And that Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-2 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Hank Aaron and Clete Boyer hit home runs for the Braves. Willie Mays hit a home run for the Giants. For Aaron, it was the 604th home run of his career. For Mays, it was the 634th. It remains the only game in which 2 players with at least 600 home runs played in the same game and added to their total.

The Stanley Cup Finals were underway, and were tied 1-1. The next day, the Montreal Canadiens won Game 3. The Chicago Black Hawks took a 3-2 lead in the series, but the Canadiens won it in 7. 

May 3, 1971: The 1st Arsenal Double, Part I

Top row, left to right: Pat Rice, Peter Storey, John Roberts,

Frank McLintock, Bob Wilson, Geoff Barnett, Charlie George, 

John Radford, Bob McNab and George Graham.

Bottom row: Alan Ball, Peter Marinello, Sammy Nelson,

Peter Simpson, Eddie Kelly and George Armstrong.

May 3, 1971: An epic story approached its climax. But, to finish it off, the team in question would have to pass two stern tests in a span of six days: One at the home of their local arch-rivals, the other at the national stadium.

The Royal Arsenal Football Club was founded by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, in Southeast London, in 1886. The connection with the Arsenal led to the team being nicknamed the Gunners. Eventually, their fans became known as the Gooners.

In 1893, they turned professional. This rendered their name partly false, since they no longer met the definition of a "club"; and illegal, since no professional organization in Great Britain could then carry the name "Royal" without the royal family's permission.

So they renamed themselves for their locality: Woolwich Arsenal. Actually, they played their home games a neighborhood away, in Plumstead. Today, the area has good transportation links. That was not the case in the team's early days, so, in 1913, they moved across the River Thames, to North London.

They built The Arsenal Stadium, which was nicknamed for its neighborhood: Highbury. In 1925, Herbert Chapman became the team's manager. (As with baseball, soccer team's head coaches are called "managers," because they are also, in effect, what we would call the general manager.) He led them to win the Football Association (FA) Cup in 1930, and the Football League Division One in 1931 and 1933.

He died in 1934, but what he put in place continued under new manager George Allison. Not only was the stadium's West Stand in 1932 and East Stand in 1936 rebuilt in Art Deco fashion, but the team won the League again in 1934, 1935 and 1938, and the Cup again in 1936. Under Tom Whittaker, they won the League in 1948 and 1953, and the Cup in 1950.

Whittaker died in office in 1956, and Arsenal went into a down period. In 1966, they hired a new manager: Bertie Mee, their physiotherapist (America would say "trainer"), who had barely played. He instilled discipline, while his coach Don Howe, once a great defender whose career ended early due to injury, got them to play the right way. In 1970, they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, now known as the UEFA Europa League.

Bertie Mee, with the eventual fruits of his labors

*

Arsenal began the next season on August 15, 1970, at Goodison Park in Liverpool, home of the defending League Champions, Everton. Charlie George and George Graham scored. But a collision with Everton goalkeeper Gordon West broke Charlie's ankle. He didn't return to play until December, or to the starting lineup until February. Centreback Peter Simpson and midfielder Jon Sammels had already gotten hurt, in the preseason, and neither would return until November.

The staff had to scramble. Ray Kennedy, only 19 years old but already a hero of the previous season's Fairs Cup Final, was put into the starting lineup. Graham, previously a forward, was moved back into midfield, and ended up scoring more goals instead of fewer. John Roberts stepped in as Simpson's replacement, and was effective.

The heart and soul of the team was Frank McLintock. The centreback had played for Midlands team Leicester City in 2 FA Cup Finals, losing in 1961 to Tottenham Hotspur, a.k.a. Spurs, Arsenal's North London arch-rivals; and again in 1963, to Manchester United.

Arsenal had signed him in 1964, and he became Captain in 1968, and took them into the League Cup Final, losing to Leeds United. They returned in 1969, but lost to Swindon Town, a 3rd division team. He was now 0-4 in Finals at Wembley Stadium, England's national stadium, in West London.

Arsenal's last trophy of any kind had been the 1953 Football League title, winning it a few days before Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey. The line became, "Arsenal haven't won a trophy since the Coronation." That ended with the Fairs Cup win of 1970, with McLintock and goalkeeper Bob Wilson, a fellow Scot, parading that trophy around Highbury.

Re-creating the parade at Highbury the following Saturday:

McLintock with the Fairs Cup, Wilson with a ball.

And, together, McLintock and Wilson, under Howe's coaching, organized the team's defense into a (usually) unstoppable force. There were some hiccups, the most notorious being their September 26 visit to Staffordshire, losing to Stoke City, 5-0. But in the 42 League games, they had 25 shutouts, or "clean sheets" as the term is in English soccer.

McLintock remembered: "Once we were one-nil up, that was it. You could go get yer fish and chips, your cup o' tea, get on yer bike. Because I don't think we blew a 1-0 lead all season." I looked it up: His memory was right.

The team survived their injury crisis, often with flair. On November 9, they were knocked out of the League Cup in the 4th Round, by South London team Crystal Palace. They reached the Quarterfinals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, eliminating Lazio of Rome, Sturm Graz of Austria and Beveren of Belgium, before being knocked out by Köln of Cologne, Germany on March 23.

They marched through the FA Cup, eliminating Yeovil Town of Somerset in the 3rd Round, Portsmouth of Hampshire in the 4th, Manchester City in the 5th, and Leicester City in the Quarterfinal. And, as the injured players came back, the League title quest became a 2-horse race between the Gunners and Leeds.

These were the players that were building a legend, with their uniform numbers, their positions, their ages, and their hometowns:

1: Bob Wilson, goalkeeper, 29, from Chesterfield, in the North-West of England, but his parents were Scottish, and he played for Scotland.

2: Pat Rice, right back, 22, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

3: Bob McNab, left back, 27, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in the North of England.

4: Peter Storey, midfielder, 25, Farnham, Surrey, in the southern suburbs of London.

5: Frank McLintock, centreback, 31, Glasgow, Scotland.

6: Peter Simpson, centreback, 26, Gorleston, Norfolk, in East Anglia.

7: George Armstrong, right wing, Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, in the North-East.

8: George Graham, midfielder, 26, Bargeddie, Scotland, in the eastern suburbs of Glasgow.

9: John Radford, forward, 24, Hemsworth, West Yorkshire.

10: Ray Kennedy, midfielder, 19, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, in northernmost England.

11: Charlie George, 20, forward, Islington, Arsenal's own neighborhood in North London.

Also frequently used: Eddie Kelly, midfielder, 20, Arbroath, Scotland; John Roberts, centreback, 24, Abercynon, Wales; and Jon Sammels, midfielder, 25, Ipswich, Suffolk, in East Anglia.

*

On February 17, Arsenal went to Maine Road, home of Manchester City, which had won the League in 1968 and the Cup in 1969. City were still a really good team. The weather, as it so often is in Manchester, was rotten. Charlie George said, "It was a typical Manchester evening, and I loved it. I loved playing in the mud and the rain." He scored a goal on a free kick, and another on what hockey fans would call a breakaway, giving Arsenal a 2-1 victory, to knock City out of the Cup.

After the 2nd goal, Charlie ran back to his teammates, pumped his fists, and then laid down on the muddy grass, getting mud in his already-famous long hair. It was a celebration that would become familiar.

Arsenal were supposed to play away to Tottenham on March 27. But Arsenal had advanced to the FA Cup Semifinals, which were to be played on that day. The North London Derby was moved to May 3, the Monday after the last Saturday of the season, setting up a dramatic finish.

On that March 27, Arsenal went to Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, Yorkshire, home of Sheffield Wednesday, a neutral site, as FA Cup Semifinals always are, to play Stoke City. The Arsenal fans were placed in the Leppings Lane end, the western end of the stadium. In 1973, this would prove to be a problem, as safety conditions endangered Arsenal fans there, but there were no injuries. In 1981, Tottenham played a Semifinal there, and there were injuries, but no deaths. There would be problems there in 1987 and 1988, too. In spite of that, the 1989 Semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was played there. One thing led to another, and over 700 people were hurt, 97 of them killed.

But in 1971, there was no problem. At least, not in the stands. But on the pitch, Stoke took a 2-0 lead in the 1st half-hour, and it looked like all the "Double" talk for Arsenal would come to a screeching halt. But Storey scored early in the 2nd half. In the last minute of regular time, Arsenal were awarded a penalty that Stoke fans have whined about for 50 years. Storey was then Arsenal's designated penalty-taker, and he scored it, and a replay was ordered.

It was scheduled for March 31, at Villa Park in Birmingham, home of Aston Villa. This time, Arsenal ensured their place in the Final, with Graham and Kennedy scoring to make it a 2-0 win. Stoke would win the League Cup the next season. Other than that, they have never won a major trophy, despite having played since 1863, the year the FA was founded. Liverpool beat neighbors Everton to book their place as Arsenal's Final opposition.

On that March 31, Leeds were 6 points ahead of Arsenal. (A win was 2 points to a team until 1982, when it was raised to 3 points.) But Arsenal had 3 games in hand: They had 10 games to go, including the rescheduled Derby with Spurs, and a game away to Leeds.

Arsenal beat West London's Chelsea 2-0 at home on April 3, Midlands team Coventry City 1-0 at home on April 6, Hampshire team Southampton 2-1 away on April 10, and Midlands team Nottingham Forest away 3-0 on April 13. On April 17, Leeds were stunned by Birmingham-area team West Bromwich Albion, in a result that the Yorkshire team's fans still complain about. Arsenal took advantage, beating North-East team Newcastle United 1-0 on a goal by Charlie George. Arsenal were now top of the table. They then beat Lancashire team Burnley 1-0 at home on April 20.

But on April 24, West Brom proved to be an equal opportunity offender, holding Arsenal to a 2-2 draw at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich. And on April 26, at Elland Road, Leeds defeated Arsenal 1-0, to retake the League lead.

On May 1, the final Saturday of the season, Leeds hosted Nottingham Forest, and beat them 2-0; while Arsenal hosted Stoke, and beat them 1-0 on a goal by Eddie Kelly. Leeds had now finished their League season, with 64 points. Arsenal had 63, and one more game to play.

An away win over a tough Spurs team on the Monday night would give Arsenal 65 points and the title. A loss would give it to Leeds. A draw was a bit more complicated, as both teams would end up with 64 points. At the time, the 1st tiebreaker was goal average. If the game ended 0-0, then Arsenal would win on goal average. But if it was 1-1, 2-2, or higher, then Leeds would have the advantage and the title.

*

May 3, 1971. Officially, there were 51,992 paying customers inside White Hart Lane. Unofficially, it's been estimated that at least that many were on the outside, hoping against hope to get in. It may have been the most people who ever tried to attend a Football League game. (A 1934 game between hosts Manchester City and Stoke City brought in 84,569.) And most of them seemed to be supporting Arsenal, wearing red and white scarves, red shirts, red hats, whatever.

Arsenal didn't have to win. As I said, a 0-0 draw would have done them just nicely. And as the game wound down, and the score was still 0-0, the roar of the apparently pro-Arsenal crowd at Spurs' ground got louder and louder.

In the 87th minute, Armstrong was on the left wing, opposite his usual position. But that was all right, as the little man (5-foot-6) with the big sideburns and the seemingly limitless energy could pass with either foot. He sent a left-footed cross into the penalty area. Kennedy leapt, and headed the ball past Spurs keeper Pat Jennings. As a later song would put it, it was "One-nil to The Arsenal."

The crowd exploded in joy. But then came an awful realization: If Spurs scored in the dying minutes, it would be 1-1, and a draw would no longer help. But the defense, led by McLintock and Wilson, held, and Arsenal had their 1st title in 18 years.

"That was a great night," McLintock said, many years after the fact. "I loved that night." He would have a very different reaction after the game yet to come.

*

May 3, 1971 was a Monday. This was the day of the largest protests against the Vietnam War. I have a separate entry for that event.

There were 2 Major League Baseball games played that day. The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2 at Shea Stadium. Tommie Agee singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. Tug McGraw was the winning pitcher, in relief of Gary Gentry. And the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2 at the new Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

The NBA season had ended 3 days before, with the Milwaukee Bucks beating the Baltimore Bullets for the title. The American Basketball Association started its Finals, and the Utah Stars won Game 1, beating the Kentucky Colonels, 136-117 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. Zelmo Beaty and George Stone each scored 26 points for the Stars, while Darel Carrier scored 36 in defeat for the Colonels.

The Stanley Cup Finals, between the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks, began the next day. The Hawks had won Game 7 of the Semifinals against the New York Rangers the day before. Three days before that, Pete Stemkowski had won Game 6 for the Rangers with a triple-overtime goal. But the Hawks took Game 7, to set up an epic Finals.