The 1983/84 season was a stop-start affair for both Arsenal and England striker Tony Woodcock, who arrived in north London from Cologne for £500,000 following the 1982 World Cup in Spain. But on a memorable away day at Villa Park on October 29, 1983, the former Nottingham Forest striker’s epic goalscoring haul made back-page headlines.
After pulling a hamstring on international duty, Woodcock hobbled off the pitch during our League Cup clash with Plymouth Argyle at the start of October, and missed the following three weeks. Journalists had naturally turned their attentions to our summer signing Charlie Nicholas, who was taking time to adapt to English football following his £650,000 move from Celtic.
But Woodcock’s form following his return from injury was sensational. He netted twice in a 4-1 demolition of former club Nottingham Forest on October 22, and a week later tore apart Aston Villa’s defence as we recorded an incredible 6-2 victory.
The striker went crazy by scoring four times in the opening 38 minutes to put us 4-1 ahead, and when he added another four minutes after the restart, Ted Drake’s club-record seven-goal haul, incredibly notched at the same ground in 1934, appeared to be in serious jeopardy.
“When the fifth went in early in the second half, I thought to myself: ‘God, this can’t go on. Everything I touch is a goal,” Woodcock recalled. One was a cushioned header, and two of the others followed a neat passing interchange with Nicholas.
We did score again, but this time it was Brian McDermott two minutes from time, as Terry Neill’s men ran worthy winners against a team who’d been crowned European champions a year earlier. Villa manager Tony Barton was understandably less than impressed, stating: "the worst I’ve seen since I’ve been here."
Neill was fulsome in his praise of Woodcock. "He has just given some of the best forward play I have seen anywhere, anytime," he enthused post-match, while the club were delighted to pick up a cheque for £1,000 for being the First Division sponsors Canon’s top scorers in October with 10 goals, pipping Liverpool and Manchester United on away goals.
Woodcock continued to rattle the net regularly that season and ended the campaign with an impressive 21 league goals, but our fitful form saw Neill sacked just before Christmas and replaced by coach Don Howe.
Remarkably, Woodcock’s five-goal haul at Villa Park was matched that same day by Ian Rush in Liverpool’s 6-0 rampage against Luton Town, managed by David Pleat. Rush, who was suffering from a groin strain, hadn’t expected to play, but grabbed a hat-trick after just 36 minutes. He ended up netting 47 goals that season, with Liverpool scooping the league title, League Cup and European Cup.
"Boring Arsenal? It is a tag we have never liked and never thought of as fair," Tony Woodcock said after the Villa match. That was certainly true in 1983/84, when we scored an impressive 74 league goals, although they conceded 60. As for the hitman's five-goal haul, no Gunners striker has matched it in the 42 years since.
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