Tuesday, 7 December 2021

7th DECEMBER (a very important date)

7th December 1990

Pouring rain on a miserable Friday night in December, saw the 'crowd' at the Scarborough's McCain Stadium, down to just 625 for their 4-2 victory over Wrexham (founded in 1864) - the lowest ever attendance for a Fourth Division fixture. It was a surreal season for Wrexham. They finished bottom of the Fourth Division and only escaped relegation to the Conference because the size of the Football League was increased. The 1990–91 season began with clubs knowing that there would be no relegation to the Conference Premier, as Colchester Utd had already voluntarily left the league. That season Wrexham were to finish in ninety-second place. Colchester then won the Conference in 1991-2 and regained their place in the Football League. In addition to earning a swift return to League football, the club also won the FA Trophy in 1992. Colchester Utd was founded in 1937 and now play in EFL League 2.

But the Welsh Cup holders reached the Second Round of the European Cup Winners Cup, where they played home and away legs against Manchester United, who won 5-0 on aggregate and who went on to win the Trophy. With Wrexham only 50 miles or so from Manchester, it was by far United's shortest 'foreign' away tie, although because of UEFA regulations they had to start their trip at least 24 hours before the scheduled kick off time just in case travel problems saw them arrive late for the kick off! Wrexham are now in the National League.

and in 2002 on the same date:

The few years at the turn of the Millennium, saw a consistency in the form of Arsenal. For eight years they finished as champions or runners-up in the Premier League and starting in May 2003, they embarked on an amazing run of 49 unbeaten League matches. In that record sequence they went through the whole 2003/04 season without suffering a League defeat, the first time that had been done since the 1800s. Arsene Wenger's side had already set another record - they had scored in each of 55 consecutive matches breaking the record set by Chesterfield over 70 years previously. From May 19th 2001 to November 30th 2002, Arsenal scored in every League match they played in. This came to an end at Old Trafford with a 2-0 defeat, amazingly the same venue and same scoreline that was to end Arsenal's undefeated record a little under two years later.

Arsenal lost 2-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford which was the first time they had failed to score in a League match since May 2001. The 55 League matches on the trot, they had scored in, set a new record, breaking the previous best of Chesterfield – 46 League scoring matches in a row – set in 1929 and 1930.

https://www.footballsite.co.uk/History/Arsenal's%2055.htm

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