The Story of a Premiership Season

October 1997

Table-toppers Arsenal crush Barnsley and send the Yorkshire side to the bottom but Manchester United keep up the pressure with victory over Crystal Palace that keeps them in second place. Spurs suffer inconvenience when Ruel Fox and Les Ferdinand are locked in the toilets at St James’ Park, at half-time, and the visitors start the second period with nine men. Restored to full complement Tottenham are beaten by a late Warren Barton goal, his second of the campaign that puts him level with Tino Asprilla as leading scorer, on two goals. Chris Sutton’s strike beats Wimbledon and Blackburn leap from fifth to third.

Steve Ogrizovic marks his record 488th League appearance for Coventry with a clean sheet against Leeds

Bolton, still without a win since the opening day, lose to Villa and hover just above the bottom trio, which is topped by Everton after they lose to Sheffield Wednesday. Southampton beat West Ham but move just one place off the bottom.

Leicester fail to improve on third place when they lose to Derby, who secure a fifth win in six games that moves them up to sixth and just seven points adrift of Arsenal and the Rams have two games in hand.

Arsenal are held at Crystal Palace and a fifth booking for Dennis Bergkamp means a three match suspension looms. Manchester United come back from 2–0 down to take a point at Derby County, for whom Francesco Baiano scores for the fifth consecutive game, and lose second place to Blackburn, who win at Southampton, keeping the Saints 19th. Bolton lose at West Ham to stay 18th. Barnsley then beat Coventry and move off the bottom of the Premiership, to be replaced by Southampton.

Barnsley are brought back to earth with a thumping at Old Trafford in which Andy Cole hits a hat-trick that helps Manchester United go top and sends The Tykes back to the foot of the table. Blackburn move third after drawing with Newcastle and Liverpool swamp Derby to move fifth, their highest position of the campaign, Derby retain seventh place.

Southampton improve, by one place, to 18th with victory over Spurs in which £2 million record signing David Hirst net two second-half goals on his home debut. Sheffield Wednesday, the club that sold Hirst, drop to 19th after losing at home to Crystal Palace.

Bolton beat Chelsea, with Dean Holdsworth scoring his first goal of the campaign, to move out of the bottom three, Chelsea stay fourth. Arsenal are held by Aston Villa and fail to recapture top spot, Emmanuel Petit is red carded for putting hands on referee Paul Durkin.

The Tomas Brolin on-off ‘love-affair’ with English football finally ends when Leeds cut their losses and off-load the Swedish World Cup star, bought from Parma for £4.5 million, on a free transfer, after just four goals in 27 appearances.

Story of a Premiership Season - October 1997

Story of a Premiership Season -
October 1997