1894–95 Aston Villa F.C. season
English football club season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1894–95 English football season was Aston Villa's 7th season in the Football League falling into what was to be called Villa's golden era.[1] Villa started the season as League champions and, under George Ramsay's management committee, won the FA Cup for the second time.[2] The 1894–95 Division 1 season was the first season of the First league Second City Derby with Aston Villa beating local rivals Small Heath 2–1 on 1 September 1894. Villa beat Small Heath in the final of the Mayor of Birmingham's Charity Cup.
| 1894–95 season | |
|---|---|
| |
| Chairman | Joshua Margoschis |
| Manager | George Ramsay |
| Ground | Wellington Road |
| Football League | 3rd |
| FA Cup | Winners |
| Season | 1894–95 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Sunderland, 3rd title |
| Relegated | Liverpool |
| Top goalscorer | John Campbell (22 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Sunderland 8–0 Derby County (1 September 1894) Blackburn 9–1 Small Heath (5 January 1895) |
| Biggest away win | Wolves 0–4 Aston Villa (22 December 1894) |
| Highest scoring | Blackburn 9–1 Small Heath (5 January 1895) |
← 1893–94 1895–96 → | |
| 2--0--1 | |
There were debut appearances for Arthur's son, Billy Dorrell, George Kinsey, Howard Spencer, Tom Purslow, Harry Wilkes, Billy Podmore and Bob Gordon.[3]
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunderland (C) | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 80 | 37 | 2.162 | 47 |
| 2 | Everton | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 82 | 50 | 1.640 | 42 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 82 | 43 | 1.907 | 39 |
| 4 | Preston North End | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 62 | 46 | 1.348 | 35 |
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 59 | 49 | 1.204 | 32 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions
Matches
| 1 Sep 1894 1st Round | Aston Villa | 2–1 | Small Heath | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 Local-rival Small Heath's First Division campaign began on Saturday 1 September with a visit to the Reigning Champions. Villa won their second match in succession against League new boys. Forward Billy Dorrell made his Villa debut aged 22 after joining from Leicester Fosse for a fee of £250. The match turned out rather closer than predicted. Small Heath's Jack Hallam opened the scoring from a Tommy Hands cross with the first League goal of the season, "for the match was started punctually, and it would have been a sheer impossibility to score faster than the Small Heath player did."[4] Steve Smith equalised for Villa some 20 minutes later, and a Bob Gordon goal meant they took the lead immediately afterwards, and retained that lead to the end. The Birmingham Daily Post was disappointed by Fred Wheldon, "usually the bright particular star of the front rank".[4][5] | ||||
| 15 Sep 1894 3rd Round | Aston Villa | 1–2 | Sunderland | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟥 | ||||
| 22 Sep 1894 4th Round | Derby County | 0–2 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 | ||||
| 6 Oct 1894 6th Round | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟥 | ||||
| 13 Oct 1894 7th Round | Aston Villa | 3–1 | West Bromwich Albion | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 | ||||
| 20 Oct 1894 8th Round | Small Heath | 2–2 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟨The reverse fixture in the Second City derby resulted in a 2-2 draw on 20 October 1894 with Bob Gordon and Denny Hodgetts scoring for Villa.(2-0-1)[6] | ||||
| 22 Oct 1894 9th Round | Sheffield United | 2–1 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟥 | ||||
| 3 Nov 1894 11th Round | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–0 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟥 | ||||
| 10 Nov 1894 12th Round | Aston Villa | 4–1 | Preston North End | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 | ||||
| 12 Nov 1894 13th Round | Aston Villa | 5–0 | Sheffield United | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 Played in driving freezing rain. Villa's players had dry clothes available,[7] and were given hot drinks, a courtesy apparently not extended to the visitors.[8][9] The Sheffield players were worse affected, several needing treatment for exposure, and by the end of the match only six were still on the field.[9][10] Villa's Jack Devey put on an overcoat, and Charlie Athersmith played under an umbrella borrowed from a spectator[11][10] before collapsing in the dressing-room afterwards.[9][12] | ||||
| 17 Nov 1894 14th Round | West Bromwich Albion | 3–2 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟥 | ||||
| 24 Nov 1894 15th Round | Aston Villa | 4–1 | Nottingham Forest | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 | ||||
| 1 Dec 1894 16th Round | Blackburn Rovers | 1–3 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 | ||||
| 3 Dec 1894 17th Round | Aston Villa | 3–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 | ||||
| 8 Dec 1894 18th Round | Aston Villa | 3–0 | Blackburn Rovers | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 | ||||
| 22 Dec 1894 19th Round | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0–4 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 Villa registered the biggest away win in the League | ||||
| 2 Jan 1895 21st Round | Sunderland | 4–4 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟨 | ||||
| 5 Jan 1895 22nd Round | Aston Villa | 4–0 | Derby County | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 | ||||
| 12 Jan 1895 23rd Round | Preston North End | 0–1 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 | ||||
| 26 Jan 1895 25th Round | Aston Villa | 2–1 | Bolton Wanderers | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟩 | ||||
| 23 Mar 1895 27th Round | Bolton Wanderers | 4–3 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟥 | ||||
| 6 Apr 1895 28th Round | Aston Villa | 5–0 | Burnley | |
| Billy Dorrell(2), Dennis Hodgetts, Charlie Athersmith, Bob Chatt | Report | |||
| Note: 🟩 A Rainy morning, followed by a boisterous gale, influenced a meagre crowd of no more than 3,000.[13] | ||||
| 15 Apr 1895 29th Round | Aston Villa | 2–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟨 | ||||
| 24 Apr 1895 30th Round | Aston Villa | 2–2 | Everton | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: 🟨 Sunderland win the championship with a 2–1 scoreline and rendered Everton's final game meaningless. As it was, Everton could only draw that game at Aston Villa 2–2, a result which would have taken the title to Sunderland regardless. | ||||
Source: avfchistory.co.uk
FA Cup
 Match programme | |||||||
| Event | 1894–95 FA Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 20 April 1895 | ||||||
| Venue | Crystal Palace, London | ||||||
| Referee | John Lewis | ||||||
| Attendance | 42,560 | ||||||
The 1895 FA Cup Final was contested by Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion at Crystal Palace. Aston Villa won 1–0, with Bob Chatt being credited with scoring the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history, scored after just 30 seconds. This record would stand for 114 years before being broken by Everton 's Louis Saha in 2009 with a goal after 25 seconds. The first trophy, the 'little tin idol', had been made by Martin, Hall & Co at a cost of £20.[14] It was stolen from a Birmingham shoe shop window belonging to William Shillcock while held by Aston Villa on 11 September 1895 and was never seen again. Despite a £10 reward for information, the crime was never solved. As it happened while it was in their care, the FA fined Villa £25 to pay for a replacement. Just over 60 years later, 80 year old career criminal Henry (Harry) James Burge claimed to have committed the theft, confessing to a newspaper, with the story being published in the Sunday Pictorial newspaper on 23 February 1958.Burge claimed the cup had been melted down to make counterfeit half-crown coins, which matched known intelligence of the time that stolen silver was being used to forge coins which were then laundered through betting shops at a local racecourse.[15]
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Notes | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb 1895 | Derby County | H | 2–1 | FA Cup – 1st Round | — |
| 16 Feb 1895 | Newcastle United | H | 7–1 | FA Cup – 2nd Round | — |
| 2 Mar 1895 | Nottingham Forest | H | 6–2 | FA Cup – 3rd Round | — |
| 16 Mar 1895 | Sunderland | A | 2–1 | FA Cup – Semi-final | — |
| 20 Apr 1895 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–0 | FA Cup – Final | — |
Birmingham Cup
Charity Cup
Small Heath took on Aston Villa in their last match of the season, the final of the Birmingham Charity Cup. Unfortunately for the charities, the weather was poor and the attendance low, but those spectators present saw an exciting game. Wheldon scored first with a fierce shot that entered the net off the goalkeeper and the underside of the bar, then Bob Chatt equalised from a free kick and Charlie Athersmith outpaced Oliver and his parried shot was forced over the line. Mobley tied the scores with a long shot, but in the second half with the wind behind them, Villa scored three times to Jack Hallam's one to take the match 5–3.[16]
Reserves
After finishing in the runners-up position twice in the first 2 seasons of the competition, Aston Villa Reserves finally won their first Birmingham & District League trophy in the 1894–95 season, winning 26 out of 30 league games and losing just once all season.