The first division
The season of 1903-04 saw the team achieve promotion to the First Division.
A season with an outstanding home record where they lost not a single game and achieved a goal average of 67-5 (their away record of just six wins and a goal average of 97-22, whilst not so impressive, was also a club record).
Arsenal remained in the First Division until their disastrous season of 1912-13 when they finished bottom with only 18 points (having scored only 26 goals and achieved only three wins). The points, goals and wins were the lowest ever recorded in the First Division and remained so until Stokes even more disastrous season of 1984-85.
With a reported £19 in the clubs bank account (how different now!) and the prospect of Second Division football, the club knew something had to change. That something was their home ground. Saturday, 26th April 1913 saw the Woolwich Arsenal play their last home game at the Manor Ground against Middlesborough, saying goodbye to their home ground and their name.
With the move to Highbury, Woolwich Arsenal dropped the Woolwich portion of their name (although the club never officially called itself "The Arsenal" that was the name by which they became know until Herbert Chapman insist on the name "Arsenal" some years later). Arsenal played their first game at Highbury on 6th September 1913 against Leicester Fosse and won 2-1. Their first season in the second division was a reasonable performance, with Arsenal finishing third and only failing to achieve promotion on goal average.
The following season, following the outbreak of war in Europe, the club only managed to finish fifth despite a convincing 7-0 home win over Nottingham Forest as the last game of the season.
