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Brian Marwood's two-and-a-half year Arsenal career was an injury hit
one, but he still managed to play a vital part in the Gunners' 1988-89
Championship win. Signed from Sheffield Wednesday for £800, 000 in March
1988, Marwood only figured in four games at the end of that campaign,
making his debut at Oxford United's Manor Ground in a goalless draw and
scoring his first Gunners goal, a penalty, in a home draw with Coventry
City. Arsenal finished sixth that season, but the following campaign was
to prove a hugely successful one. The winger was an automatic choice
when fit and scored in each of Arsenal's first four games, including a
5-1 win away at Wimbledon and a 3-2 success over local rivals Tottenham
at White Hart Lane. His impressive displays were largely overlooked
though because of the prolific form of striker Alan Smith, who hit an
astonishing 12 goals in Arsenal's first 10 league games of the campaign.
Smith was always quick to praise the displays of Marwood though;
crediting him as the most frequent supplier of his goals (he would get
25 that season). Marwood would score 10, all in the league bar his
strike at Hull in the League Cup.
Perhaps his most important goal came
on the 15th April 1989, the only goal as Arsenal defeated Newcastle 1-0
in a result that was vital for their title chances, but that victory was
soon forgotten as news of the terrible events at Hillsborough filtered
through. League football resumed two weeks after the tragedy, but an
injured Marwood would not feature again that season, thus missing the
unforgettable 2-0 win at Anfield that snatched the title out of
Liverpool's hands and took it to Highbury, Michael Thomas famously
scoring the all important second goal in the dying seconds. The Reds
were to reclaim the league trophy the following campaign though, which
was another tainted by injuries for Marwood. He would feature just 17
times in the league, and once in the League Cup, but still struck six
goals, Arsenal winning five - including a 5-0 thumping of former club
Sheffield Wednesday - and drawing one of the games which Brian scored
in. The injuries were beginning to catch up with him now though, and the
arrival of Anders Limpar at the beginning of the following campaign
hastened Marwood's departure, George Graham selling him back to
Sheffield, this time to United, in a £350, 000 deal in September 1990. A
fairly short career it may have been in North London, but Brian Marwood
will be fondly remembered for the important role he played in helping
Arsenal to that league championship success in 1988-89, their first
title in 18 years. (Mark Jones)
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