Dennis' Arsenal Dphnt
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Dennis Bergkamp first pulled on the red and white of Arsenal in a competitive game
on Sunday, August 20, 1995 in the live Sky Sports game against Middlesbrough.
"WE'VE GOT DENNIS BERGKAMP. WE'VE GOT DENNIS BERGKAMP."
Arsenal!
It was the opening weekend of the
new Premier League season, and was
also Bruce Rioch's first game in charge
of Arsenal.
The visitors started the game the
brighter of the two, but Bergkamp had
his first shot mid-way through the half,
from outside the area, easily dealt with
by former Gunner Alan Miller.
Bergkamp then created Arsenal's first
decent chance, beating the offside trap
and crossing to Paul Merson at the far
post. Merson met the deep cross with a
volley which Miller did well to turn wide.
Nick Barmby, also making his debut for
'Boro, put the visitors ahead, finishing
beyond David Seaman when one-on-one.
Ian Wright equalised just five minutes
later, heading home from Ray Parlour's
pin-point cross.
Arsenal began to control the game after
the break, and Bergkamp forced a great
save from Miller from 25 yards. He then
set up Nigel Winterburn after a one-two
with the left-back, but the shot was
blocked, and Bergkamp then had an effort
from a tight angle parried after he had
dispossessed his man on the right wing.
When Parlour went off after 71 minutes,
Bergkamp and Glenn Helder were the
youngest players in the side at 26.
Arsenal had to be content with a point,
and would go on to finish fifth that season.
Incidentally, Bergkamp's first ever game
for Arsenal was a pre-season friendly,
against Kristianstads in Sweden on July
26, and the Dutchman scored a six-
minute hat-trick in an 8-1 win.
Sunday, August 20,1995
Arsenal 1 Middlesbrough 1
(Wright 36) (Barmby 31)
Teams:
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Adams, Bould,
Winterburn, Keown, Parlour (Helder 71),
Piatt, Merson, Bergkamp, Wright. Subs
not used: Hartson, Bartram.
Bookings: Adams, Dixon
Middlesbrough: Miller, Morris, Cox,
Vickers, Pearson, Whyte, Barmby,
Pollock (Whelan 85), Fjortoft, Mustoe,
Hignett. Subs not used: Moreno, Walsh.
Bookings: Morris, Pearson, Whyte
Attendance: 37,308
Referee: G R Ash by
Dennis Bergkamp's recollections of
his debut:
"That was my first connection with the
crowd of course. I didn't know what to
expect from the day. At that time I was
one of the younger players at the Club.
Look at the team that played that day, I
think they were all older than me so that
helped because it gave me a feeling that
Dennis
wearing the
red and white
for the very V.
first time V.
would be ok with so much experience
around me. That's how it felt. We had
had a good pre-season together, Glenn
Helder was there with me. It was a new
experience for me and just wanted to
play my own game. I was still looking for
my sharpness of course after coming
from Italy.
"We had quite an attacking team that
day with Ian Wright, David Piatt, Paul
Merson. There was a great defence too
so it was quite a solid team already.
Straight away settled and it was a nice
team to come into.
"l didn't
know what to
expect from
the day...
straight away I
settled and it
was a nice
team to come
into.M
