Denis Clapton
Denis Clapton may not have reached the same heights as elder brother Danny - but he will always have a place in Arsenal history.
The siblings were only the third and most recent brothers to appear on the pitch at the same time for Arsenal. The fixture was a 1-1 draw at Blackpool in November 1960 but it proved to be the forward's final league appearance for the Club after four years in north London.
Profile |
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|---|---|
| Name | Denis Clapton |
| Arsenal Career | 1957 - 1961 |
| Position: | |
| Appearances | 4 (4 starts, 0 as a sub) |
| Goals | 0 |
Clapton joined as an amateur in August 1957 and turned professional one year later before making his senior debut in a friendly against Reading.
While brother Danny played 225 times for the Gunners in a memorable nine-year career, Denis managed only four appearances during his spell at Highbury.
He won two England youth caps in 1958 and was a regular in the Football Combination, where he scored 16 goals in 54 appearances.
But with first-team opportunities limited, Clapton transferred to Northampton Town in August 1961.
WHAT THE FANS SAID:
"I was fortunate enough to play some of my junior football alongside Dinny, he was never Denis to his friends, and he was the most talented player I've ever seen; arguably a better potential than elder brothers Les and Danny. We tend to forget that at a very young age he was given a game at centre forward ahead of Mel Charles who at the time was Arsenal's most expensive signing. (37,500 quid if my memory is still functional.) Although I don't claim to know the full story of his Arsenal demise I believe it was a result of bad team management rather than lack of player ability. In short we had a manager incapable of dealing with the hot headedness of youth. Had we had a manager with greater people skills at the time Dinny could have been as good as John Charles who at that time was playing for Juventus in Serie A. I will always regard Denis Clapton as an opportunity lost for Arsenal; a player we deserved to see develop to his full potential and were denied the chance. His close ball control with either foot or head was a few light years ahead of many players that have had a long career with the team. In front of goal he could be as sharp as Ian Wright in his heyday and this was a young man who was just developing."
David McCarthy, Sydney, Australia
