1985–86 Aston Villa F.C. season
English football club season
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The 1985–86 English football season was Aston Villa's 87th season in the Football League. Villa competed in the Football League First Division.
| 1985–86 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Doug Ellis |
| Manager | Graham Turner |
| Stadium | Villa Park |
| First Division | 16th |
| FA Cup | Fourth round |
| League Cup | Semi-finals |
| 40--31--26 | |
There were debuts for Simon Stainrod (63), Paul Elliott CBE (57) and Steve Hodge (53).[1]
10 July 1985 – Everton sell striker Andy Gray to Aston Villa for £150,000, six years after he first left Villa Park to sign for Wolves. The departure of Gray from Goodison Park comes despite calls from fans for manager Howard Kendall to retain the striker who played a crucial role in Everton winning three major trophies in his two seasons at the club.[2]
29 November 1985 – Manchester United sign Aston Villa midfielder Colin Gibson for £275,000.[3]
26 March 1986 – The return leg of the under-21 European Championship quarter-final sees England reach the next stage by drawing 1–1 with Denmark at Maine Road, with Aston Villa defender Paul Elliott equalising after the Danes took a 1–0 lead in the first half.[4]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Southampton | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 51 | 62 | −11 | 46 | |
| 15 | Manchester City | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 45 | |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 51 | 67 | −16 | 44 | |
| 17 | Coventry City | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 48 | 71 | −23 | 43 | |
| 18 | Oxford United[a] | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 62 | 80 | −18 | 42 | Disqualified from the UEFA Cup[5] |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
- Oxford United would have qualified as League Cup winners.
Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Note | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 1985 | Manchester United | A | 0–4 | The Football League season begins. FA Cup holders Manchester United beat Aston Villa 4–0 at Old Trafford.[6] The season begins without any live coverage of matches on TV for an indefinite period after the collapse of talks between ITV and the Football League to show live matches this season.[7] | — |
| 21 August 1985 | Liverpool | H | 2–2 | — | Gary Shaw, Mark Walters [8] |
| 24 August 1985 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–2 | — | Mark Walters |
| 27 August 1985 | Southampton | A | 0–0 | — | — |
| 31 August 1985 | Luton Town | H | 3–1 | — | Mark Walters, Steve Hodge, David Norton |
| 4 September 1985 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 3–0 | Midweek clashes in the First Division see a 3–0 away win for Villa over local rivals West Bromwich Albion.[9] | Allan Evans (pen), Tony Daley, Mark Walters |
| 7 September 1985 | Birmingham City | A | 0–0 | — | — |
| 14 September 1985 | Coventry City | H | 1–1 | — | Steve Hodge |
| 21 September 1985 | Ipswich Town | A | 3–0 | — | Mark Walters, Steve Hodge, Paul Birch |
| 28 September 1985 | Everton | H | 0–0 | — | — [10] |
| 5 October 1985 | Arsenal | A | 2–3 | — | Simon Stainrod, Mark Walters |
| 12 October 1985 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1–2 | — | Colin Gibson |
| 19 October 1985 | West Ham United | A | 1–4 | The First Division scene produces a string of thrilling matches. West Ham's climb up the table continues with a 4–1 home win over Villa. West Bromwich Albion finally win a league game at the 13th attempt by beating their local rivals Birmingham City 2–1 at The Hawthorns.[11] | Simon Stainrod |
| 26 October 1985 | Newcastle United | H | 1–2 | — | Andy Gray |
| 2 November 1985 | Oxford United | H | 2–0 | — | Allan Evans (pen), Simon Stainrod |
| 9 November 1985 | Watford | A | 1–1 | — | Andy Gray |
| 16 November 1985 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–1 | — | Colin Gibson |
| 23 November 1985 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | — | Andy Gray |
| 30 Nov 1985 | Spurs | H | 1–2 | — | Mark Walters 88' |
| 7 Dec 1985 | Liverpool | A | 0–3 | Kenny Dalglish's team beat Aston Villa 3–0 at Anfield.[12] | — |
| 14 Dec 1985 | Manchester United | H | 1–3 | Manchester United move five points ahead at the top of the First Division with a 3–1 win at struggling Aston Villa, who are in danger of relegation four seasons after winning the European Cup and five years after being league champions.[13] | Steve Hodge 29' |
| 17 Dec 1985 | QPR | A | 1–0 | — | Paul Birch 5' |
| 26 Dec 1985 | Leicester City | A | 1–3 | — | Mark Walters 32' |
| 28 Dec 1985 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–1 | A local derby at Villa Park sees Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion draw 1–1.[14] | Paul Kerr 43' |
| 1 Jan 1986 | Manchester City | H | 0–1 | — | — |
| 11 Jan 1986 | Coventry City | A | 3–3 | — | Simon Stainrod 2', Andy Gray 61', Paul Elliott 79' |
| 18 Jan 1986 | Luton Town | A | 0–2 | — | — |
| 1 Feb 1986 | Southampton | H | 0–0 | — | — |
| 1 Mar 1986 | Everton | A | 0–2 | Aston Villa have slipped into the relegation zone alongside West Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City.[15] Everton strengthen their hold on the top position in the First Division by beating Aston Villa 2–0 at home.[16] | — |
| 8 Mar 1986 | Arsenal | H | 1–4 | On the league scene, Aston Villa remain in the relegation zone after losing 4–1 at home to Arsenal.[17] | Mark Walters 49' |
| 15 Mar 1986 | Forest | A | 1–1 | — | Mark Walte |
| 19 March 1986 | West Ham United | H | 2–1 | — | Steve Hodge (2) |
| 22 March 1986 | Birmingham City | H | 0–3 | A relegation crunch clash at Villa Park sees Birmingham City boost their own survival hopes and dent those of their local rivals Villa.[18] | — |
| 29 March 1986 | Manchester City | A | 2–2 | — | Steve Hodge, Simon Stainrod |
| 31 March 1986 | Leicester City | H | 1–0 | — | Simon Stainrod |
| 5 April 1986 | Oxford United | A | 1–1 | — | Simon Stainrod |
| 9 April 1986 | Newcastle United | A | 2–2 | — | Tony Daley, Steve Hunt |
| 12 April 1986 | Watford | H | 4–1 | Aston Villa climb out of the bottom three with a 4–1 home win over Watford.[19] | Tony Dorigo, Allan Evans (pen), Andy Gray, Simon Stainrod |
| 16 April 1986 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–0 | In a scrap to stay clear of the relegation zone at Villa Park, Aston Villa beat Ipswich Town 1–0. Birmingham City lose 2–0 at Tottenham and now need to win all three of their remaining games to stand any chance of avoiding relegation.[20] | Steve Hodge |
| 19 April 1986 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–2 | [8] | — |
| 26 April 1986 | Chelsea | H | 3–1 | [8] | David Norton, Steve Hunt, Simon Stainrod |
| 3 May 1986 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers become the third West Midlands club to be relegated this season, and become only the second English league club ever to suffer three successive relegations, after their descent into the Fourth Division is confirmed. Liverpool defender Gary Gillespie scores a hat-trick in a 5–0 league win over relegated Birmingham City at Anfield.[21] Chelsea's title challenge is over after they lose 3–1 at Aston Villa, whose victory takes them closer to survival. The First Division relegation battle takes a dramatic turn when Ipswich Town climb three places clear of the drop zone with a 3–2 win over Oxford United, who are still in the bottom three.[22] | Simon Stainrod, Paul Elliott |
Source: avfchistory.co.uk
FA Cup
29 January 1986 – The FA Cup fourth round replays sees Millwall beat Aston Villa 1–0.[23]
League Cup
8 October 1985 – A Football League Cup second round second leg scoring spree at Villa Park sees Aston Villa beat Exeter City 8–1 to make the aggregate score 12–2 over two legs.[24]
26 November 1985 – League Cup fourth round action sees Aston Villa win 2–1 away to local rivals West Bromwich Albion.[25]
12 February 1986 – The first legs of the League Cup semi-finals are played. Aston Villa draw 2–2 at home with Oxford United while Liverpool suffers a surprise 1–0 defeat at QPR.[26]
12 March 1986 – Oxford United reach the League Cup final for the first time after beating Aston Villa 4–3 on aggregate.[27]