[2] He made his debut against Preston North End on 28 September 1907, and had soon become a regular in the Arsenal side; he was first-choice left back for the next seven seasons.

Although the club had shown early promise since their promotion to the First Division in 1904, with two successive FA Cup semi-final appearances in the seasons before Shaw's arrival, they soon quickly faded.

[2] Despite this, Shaw stayed with the club as they moved across London to Highbury, and was an ever-present in the final 1914-15 season prior to first-class football being suspended for World War I.

He continued to play during unofficial wartime matches, and by the time competitive football had resumed, he had made the switch to right back.

In 1922 he had made his 300th first-class appearance against Newcastle United on 23 April 1921 becoming the third player in the club's history to do so, after Sands and Roddy McEachrane.