Football Special Report: The Best Goalkeepers in Arsenal’s history (Part 3)
Article Continued from Part 2.
Jim Furnell had the starting line up spot for the goalkeeper at the time and the spot was not given to Wilson for another four years.
But when Furnell messed up a match Bob Wilson was made the first team goalie and he kept this spot for the next seven years.
Wilson completed the season but sadly, he broke his hand in the next year, however, as soon as he recovered from his injury he came back better than ever. He literally gave his team the edge in the 1969-70 season and gave the team the Inter Cities Fairs
Cup.
The season after that, he won the FIFA Player of the year award as the Gunners won the double.
When Bob Wilson retired from the team he was made the goal keeper’s coach and remained at this position for an astonishing twenty eight years and had his hand in the training of players like John Lukic, Pat Jennings and the David Seaman.
John Lukic, 1983-90, 1996-2001
John Lukic was an English goalie, who was born from Serbian parents, he was a long serving Gunners player and his input to the team made him the title of being an Arsenal Legend.
A lot of rumours circled this player about his parenthood as it was rumoured that his pregnant mother died in a plane crash in the Munich disaster but this was proven to be just a hoax, as this happened three years before the player’s birth.
Lukic started his professional football career with Leeds United and then made the move to the Gunners in 1983.
He was spent a lot of time there and he came as a replacement for Pat Jennings, he had a permanent spot in the first team squad and was loved by all fans. He was the undisputed best goal keeper for Arsenal.
He remained the best till up to 1990, when he got replaced by David Seaman who was his understudy in Leeds United.
Lukic was much loved by Arsenal fans, as the player would not let them down and kept giving amazing performances with consistency.
He always used to play an integral part in the game and the team, as he gave The Gunners their first league title after twenty eight years in 1989.
The goal keeper was responsible for this win, as he shot the ball into midfield that started a chain reaction that made the attack into the opposing team’s goal post that resulted in a goal.
This goal gave them the win and astonishingly this was a last minute goal against the Reds and was rewarded with Arsenal taking home the league title.
He returned to Leeds United in 1990 and played with them for six years only to return back to Arsenal.
He came back as a replacement for David Seaman, and then Alex Manninger. When adding the two spells together, he contributed to the Gunners for twelve years, made two hundred and ninety three appearances, and still remains to this day one of the most respected
players to have walked the Emirates.
James “Jimmy” Ashcroft, 1900-08
The story of James Ashcroft starts in 1900, at the time the club was also called Woolwich Arsenal.
The team spotted a twenty two year old talented and they hired the youngster to start as a goal keeper.
Ashcroft was recruited from Gravesend United in the Southern Leagues, in his year at the Highaduary, which was the Gunners home at the time, he convinced the coaching staff that he was the right man for the job and they started to give him more first team
appearances.
Article Continued in Part 4.
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