On this day in 1863, David Danskin, reputed to be one of the founders of the Dial Square club, was born in Fife.

Danskin was instrumental in arranging Arsenal’s first match and stayed with the club for several years (1886 – 1889). At the time, Arsenal was known as Dial Square FC, which is where we were originally situated in Woolwich, and we were later renamed Royal Arsenal.

Danskin bought Arsenal’s first football and after organising a whip-around, and was even captain of our first match against Eastern Wanderers on 11 December 1886, which we won 6-0. However, after he picked up an injury against Clapton in January 1889, he chose to step down.

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Despite everything he’d done, when he stood for election to the committee in 1892 he was not elected, almost certainly because he opposed the talk of the move towards professionalism at that time.