1988–89 Aston Villa F.C. season
English football club season
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The 1988–89 English football season was Aston Villa's 90th season in the Football League. Villa competed in the Football League First Division having earned a promotion back to the First Division under their manager Graham Taylor. The team saw a slump in performances towards the end of the season, Aston Villa narrowly avoided relegation after a draw on the final day of the season.[1] There were debuts for Chris Price (111), Derek Mountfield (90), Ian Olney (88), Ian Ormondroyd (56), Nigel Callaghan (26), Lee Butler (8) and Darrell Duffy (1).[2][3]
| 1988–89 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Doug Ellis |
| Manager | Graham Taylor |
| Stadium | Villa Park |
| First Division | 17th |
| FA Cup | Fourth round |
| League Cup | Fifth round |
The Birmingham City season saw three Second City derbies with Villa. 2nd Division Birmingham were soon to be relegated to the Third Division for the first time in the club's history. Villa would keep a clean sheet in all three matches, putting 13 goals past their local rivals.[4] Drawn in the League Cup 2nd Round, Kevin Gage and Andy Gray would score in the 2–0 victory at St Andrews.[5] In the return leg Villa won 5–0 with goals by Derek Mountfield, Kevin Gage (2), Ian Olney, and Tony Daley.[6] In the 1988-89 Simod Cup 1st Round David Platt, Bernie Gallacher, Derek Mountfield, Alan McInally (2), and Allan Evans contributed to a 6–0 victory.[7]
The start of the season saw Gordon Cowans rejoin Aston Villa in a £250,000 deal, following 3 years at Bari.[8][9] Striker, Warren Aspinall, left in a £315,000 deal, as Portsmouth manager, Alan Ball, aimed for an immediate return to the First Division.[10]
2 October 1988: Aston Villa sold defender Neale Cooper to Rangers for £300,000.[11]
24 December 1988: Aston Villa sold striker Garry Thompson to Watford for £325,000.[12]
15 April 1989 – Everton beat Norwich City 1–0 in the FA Cup semi-finals at Villa Park. The other semi-final saw one of English football's greatest ever tragedies, with the death of 96[13] Liverpool supporters, during a match against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough.[14]
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Sheffield Wednesday | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 34 | 51 | −17 | 42 | |
| 16 | Luton Town | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 42 | 52 | −10 | 41 | |
| 17 | Aston Villa | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 45 | 56 | −11 | 40 | |
| 18 | Middlesbrough (R) | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 44 | 61 | −17 | 39 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 19 | West Ham United (R) | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 37 | 62 | −25 | 38 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(R) Relegated
Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Note | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 August 1988 | Millwall | H | 2–2 | Millwall began their First Division career with a 2–2 draw against Aston Villa at Villa Park. | Stuart Gray (pen), Alan McInally[15] |
| 3 September 1988 | Arsenal | A | 3–2 | — | Alan McInally (2), Andy Gray |
| 10 September 1988 | Liverpool | H | 1–1 | — | Alan McInally |
| 17 September 1988 | West Ham | A | 2–2 | — | Alan McInally (2) |
| 24 September 1988 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1–1 | — | Kevin Gage |
| 1 October 1988 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–1 | — | — |
| 8 October 1988 | Wimbledon | H | 0–1 | — | — |
| 15 October 1988 | Charlton | A | 2–2 | — | Alan McInally, David Platt |
| 22 October 1988 | Everton | H | 2–0 | — | Tony Daley, David Platt |
| 29 October 1988 | Tottenham | H | 2–1 | — | Own goal, Tony Daley |
| 5 November 1988 | Manchester United | A | 1–1 | Manchester United drew with Aston Villa at home with a score of 1–1. This was the Manchester United's fifth draw of the season.[16] | Gordon Cowans |
| 12 November 1988 | Southampton | A | 1–3 | After a 3–1 home win over Aston Villa, Southampton achieved their third win of the season.[17] | Tony Daley |
| 19 November 1988 | Derby County | H | 1–2 | — | Derek Mountfield |
| 26 November 1988 | Coventry City | A | 1–2 | Coventry's 2–1 home win over local rivals, Aston Villa, saw them jump to fifth place in the table.[18] | Alan McInally |
| 3 December 1988 | Norwich City | H | 3–1 | Norwich City remained at the top of the First Division despite a 3–1 defeat to Aston Villa. However, Arsenal sat just three points behind them, with two games still to play.[19] | Kevin Gage (2), David Platt |
| 10 December 1988 | Middlesbrough | A | 3–3 | — | Andy Gray, Alan McInally (2) |
| 17 December 1988 | Luton Town | A | 1–1 | — | Own goal |
| 26 December 1988 | QPR | H | 2–1 | — | Alan McInally (2) |
| 31 December 1988 | Arsenal | H | 0–3 | After defeating Aston Villa 3–0, Arsenal replaced Norwich City at the top the First Division due to a higher goal difference.[20] | — |
| 3 January 1989 | Liverpool | A | 0–1 | — | — |
| 14 January 1989 | Newcastle | H | 3–1 | — | Andy Gray, Tony Daley, Alan McInally |
| 21 January 1989 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–4 | — | — |
| 4 February 1989 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2–0 | — | Nigel Callaghan, David Platt |
| 27 March 1989 | QPR | A | 0–1 | — | — |
| 1 April 1989 | Luton Town | H | 2–1 | — | Tony Daley, Ian Olney |
| 8 April 1989 | Newcastle | A | 2–1 | — | Stuart Gray, David Platt |
| 22 April 1989 | Norwich City | A | 2–2 | — | Ian Olney, Alan McInally |
| 29 April 1989 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–1 | — | Stuart Gray |
| 2 May 1989 | Southampton | H | 1–2 | — | Stuart Gray |
| 6 May 1989 | Derby County | A | 1–2 | — | David Platt |
| 13 May 1989 | Coventry City | H | 1–1 | Middlesbrough joined already relegated Newcastle United, after losing a relegation showdown 1–0 away to Sheffield Wednesday, whilst Luton Town beat Norwich City 1–0. The result ensured Wednesday's survival. West Ham United, however, had to win their last two games to stay up—at the expense of Aston Villa.[21] | David Platt |
Source: avfchistory.co.uk
FA Cup
Teams from the Football League First and Second Divisions entered in the Third round in the FA Cup played over the weekend 7–8 January 1989. The round featured three clubs from the Football Conference at Step 5 of English football: Welling United, Sutton United and Kettering Town.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Crewe Alexandra (4) | 2–3 | Aston Villa (1) | 7 January 1989 |
Fourth round
The fourth round of games were played over the weekend 28–29 January 1989. Sutton United and Kettering Town were again the lowest-ranked teams in the round, and they were also the last non-league clubs left in the competition.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Aston Villa | 0–1 | Wimbledon | 28 January 1989 |
League Cup
Second round
| 44--32--26 | |
First leg
| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham City | 0–2 | Aston Villa | 27 September 1988 |
Second leg
| Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Agg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 5–0 | Birmingham City | 12 October 1988 | 7–0 |