Arsenal Programmes | Arsenal 1938-1939 Season

Arsenal 1938-1939

Arsenal entered the 1938/39 season as reigning First Division champions and one of the dominant forces in English football. Managed by George Allison, the Gunners remained competitive but were unable to repeat the title success of the previous campaign, eventually finishing fifth.

The season began with a 2–0 victory over Portsmouth at Highbury, but inconsistent results prevented Arsenal from mounting a sustained championship challenge. Notable league victories included wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. Their 4–1 success against Stoke City was one of the campaign’s strongest home performances.

Arsenal’s FA Cup involvement was brief. Drawn away to London rivals Chelsea in the third round, they suffered a 2–1 defeat in front of more than 58,000 spectators. The result ended hopes of adding another trophy to the club’s impressive collection from the 1930s.

The surviving Arsenal programmes from 1938/39 document the final full season before competitive football was interrupted by the Second World War. Issues from Highbury fixtures and other matches involving the club contain team line-ups, editorial notes, fixture information and period advertising, preserving the atmosphere of pre-war football.

For collectors, these programmes represent the closing chapter of Arsenal’s first golden era. They feature celebrated players from the club’s championship-winning years while also recording the emergence of a changing squad. Increasingly scarce in good condition, each programme offers a tangible connection to Highbury and English football immediately before wartime competition began.