Charlie Johnstone

Johnstone moved to Birmingham with his parents in 1873.^[3] He was the son of Scottish publishing agent and Villa vice-president Fergus Johnstone.^[4] Fergus was a close friend of William McGregor and became one of the first Vice-Presidents of Aston Villa.^[5] Charlie married and his children included a son, also Fergus and a daughter. He would baby-sit taking his grandchild to the school-room and pushing a pram through the streets.^[6]

Johnstone had played rugby at Montrose Academy and introduced the game to his cricket team-mates of Aston Brook St Mary's.^[7][3] The cricketers were keen to find an outlet for their energy in the off-season. This was organised by Johnstone. A ball was obtained from Clapshaw & Cleave on Edmund Street and they negotiated a two-year tenancy in the lower ground of Aston Park, beside Aston Unity who later played on the higher ground.^[8]

In 1875, St Mary's were challenged to a match by their friends and cricket opponents from Aston Villa Cricket Club who had newly formed the Aston Villa Football Club.^[9] The builder James Wilson allowed the game to be played on his plots at Wilson Road, Birchfield.^[10][9] Aston Villa Football Club played in scarlet and royal blue hooped shirts, white shorts and royal blue caps and stockings.^[9] The club rules stated "No member can take place in a match unless in the above uniform".^[11] For Aston Villa Scattergood kept goal; the full-backs were Price, William Weis and Fred J. Knight; half-backs were Midgely, Ted Lee, Harry and George Matthews; forwards: Jack Hughes, Mason, William Sothers, William Such, Harry Whately, George Page, and Alfred Robbins.

St Mary's played rugby so a compromise was reached whereby, using the round ball, the teams played rugby in the first half and soccer in the second. In later years Johnstone reminisced "Hack him down - sit on his head, was the cry for one half the game, and You must not collar-charge him, was yelled for the other".^[12] Under the Sheffield Rules up to fifteen players were allowed at the time.^[9] After a goalless first-half, Villa scored the only goal when the goal-keeper spilled Jack Hughes first effort and he was able to bury the rebound.^[9] In a newspaper article, almost fifty years later, in March 1924, Hughes was insistent that this was Villa's first match and had occurred on the third Saturday of March 1874.^[9] However a report of the event was published in Birmingham Morning News on 16 March 1875.^[13]

From 1876, Johnstone attended and played for Satley College. The teacher training establishment, played a major but under-recognised role in the founding and rapid growth of association football with teachers spreading enthusiasm and organising school teams and local clubs and was considered a nursery of footballing talent, relying strictly on "science" and avoiding charging.^[14]

In 1878 became an elementary schoolteacher at Jenkins St. Board School.^[15] Later he moved to Floodgate St. Board School and in 1900 was appointed headteacher of Burbury St. School, Birmingham.^[3] He recognised the problem that inner city schoolboys lacked the physique of their more affluent peers and introduced weights to the training.^[3] In his teaching profession he was considered a "martinet" of a pretty despotic kind.^[2] The results were that Burbury St won the Birmingham Schools physical exercises shield for twelve consecutive years.^[3]

Johnstone played for Aston Villa between 1877 and 1880.^[3] Aston Villa played at Wellington Road. There were initially no spectator facilities. Play was hampered by a hedge and three trees along the touchline. There was no money available so, instead of Saturday training, Johnston and the other the players felled the trees. They sold the wood to finance fencing and a gate which they erected themselves, enabling them to charge twopence admission. The first gate amounted to 6s 7½d. Charlie Johnson recalled that the team retired to the Crown & Cushion pub with the first takings.^[12] Increasing gate money allowed the ground to be gradually improved.^[16]

The 1879–80 football season saw Aston Villa's entry into top flight competitive association football with their first tie in the Football Association Cup.^[17] The start of the official record was Saturday 13 December 1879 when Villa faced Stafford Road, of the Stafford Road railway works, Wolverhampton. The match was played before a crowd of 2,000 at Stafford's Half-Way House Ground.^[17] In 2024, celebrating the club's 150th anniversary, Aston Villa Legacy Numbers were introduced indexing every first-team player who had represented the club in a competitive fixture.^[18] Although playing before shirt numbers were introduced in 1926, Goalkeeper John Ball received Legacy Number 1.^[19] Half-back Johnstone received Legacy Number #6,^[1] Andy Hunter #4 ^[20] officially became Villa's first goal-scorer in the 1–1 draw.^[17] The replay was held at Villa's Wellington Road ground on 24 January 1880 with inside-forward George Ramsay replacing Johnstone.^[21] The same season Johnstone played in the Villa team that won the Birmingham Senior Cup.^[22]

Johnstone made his second FA Cup appearance in the following season against Wednesbury Strollers. Playing uphill in the first-half Villa were 3–1 down at half-time. In the second-half they had the advantage of the Wellington Road slope and triumphed 5–3 in the end.^[23] Johnstone went on to play for Lozells British Constitutionals F.C.^[1]

Almost fifteen years later in February 1895 Johnstone again played for Aston Villa, by now the reigning Football League Champions. Due to a gap in the fixtures a friendly match had been arranged against London Caledonians. When Dorrell missed the train Johnstone took to the pitch to make up the numbers. The 5–0 victory meant Johnstone remained undefeated in a Villa shirt.^[24]