1985–86 Aston Villa F.C. season

English football club season October 2020 October 2020 Aston Villa 1985–86 Graham Turner Doug Ellis Villa Park First Division 16th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Semi-finals 1984–85 1986–87 Second City Derby 40--31--26 1983–84 1987–88 Recent history of Aston Villa Aston Villa records and statistics The 1985–86 English football season was Aston Villa's 87th season in the Football League. Villa competed in the Football League First Division. There were debuts for Simon Stainrod (63), Paul Elliott (57) and Steve Hodge (53).https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/villa-seasons Aston Villa's Seasons AVFC History 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.https://www.scoredraw.com/page/andygray Score Draw | Andy Gray 29 November 1985 – Manchester United sign Aston Villa midfielder Colin Gibson for £275,000.http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football/leicester-city-fc/colin-gibson-5669/football-league-appearances_a14745/ Colin GIBSON - Football League appearances. - Leicester City FC 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.England – U-21 International Results 1986–1995 – Details https://web.archive.org/web/20100125164210/http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/eng-u21-intres86.html 25 January 2010 . Rsssf.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-23. League table First Division y AVL Matches DateOpponentVenueResultNoteScorers 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.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1985-08-17.html 1985-08-17 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 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.https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/remember-the-1985-tv-blackout-only-the-big-yin-knew-who-mcavennie-was-2052962.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/remember-the-1985-tv-blackout-only-the-big-yin-knew-who-mcavennie-was-2052962.html 1 May 2022 subscription live Remember the 1985 TV blackout? Only the Big Yin knew who McAvennie was Independent.co.uk 22 October 2011 — 21 August 1985 Liverpool H 2–2 — Gary Shaw, Mark Walters https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/seasons/season-iq/first-team Season IQ | AVDB Aston Villa Database 9 October 2026 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.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1985-09-04.html 1985-09-04 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 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 — — https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/1985-86-villa-0-2-everton-a Everton 2-0 Aston Villa | Match IQ | AVDB Aston Villa Database 9 October 2026 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.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1985-10-19.html 1985-10-19 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 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.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1985-12-07.html 1985-12-07 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 — 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.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Bj0yAAAAIBAJ&pg=2584,3465721&dq=frank+mcavennie&hl=en Liverpool loses ground in soccer chase 1985-12-16 Montreal Gazette The Canadian Press 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.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1985-12-28.html 1985-12-28 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 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.Manchester United FC News – United Mad. Manchesterunited-mad.co.uk (1986-02-22). Retrieved on 2011-03-23. Everton strengthen their hold on the top position in the First Division by beating Aston Villa 2–0 at home.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1986-03-01.html 1986-03-01 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 — 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.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1986-03-08.html 1986-03-08 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 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.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1986-03-22.html 1986-03-22 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 — 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.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1986-04-12.html 1986-04-12 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 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.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1986-04-16.html 1986-04-16 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 Steve Hodge 19 April 1986 Sheffield Wednesday A 0–2 — 26 April 1986 Chelsea H 3–1 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.Ex-Red: Gary Gillespie – This Is Anfield (Liverpool FC) https://web.archive.org/web/20110529043907/http://www.thisisanfield.com/2007/11/ex-red-gary-gillespie/ 2011-05-29 . Thisisanfield.com (1986-04-26). Retrieved on 2011-03-23. 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.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1986-04-26.html 1986-04-26 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 Simon Stainrod, Paul Elliott Source: avfchistory.co.uk FA Cup 1985–86 FA Cup 29 January 1986 – The FA Cup fourth round replays sees Millwall beat Aston Villa 1–0.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1986-01-29.html 1986-01-29 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 League Cup 1985–86 League Cup 8 October 1985 – A Football League Cup second round second leg scoring spree at Villa Park sees Aston Villa defeat Exeter City 8–1 to make the aggregate score 12–2 over two legs.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1985-10-09.html 1985-10-09 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 26 November 1985 – League Cup fourth round action sees Aston Villa win 2–1 away to local rivals West Bromwich Albion.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1985-11-26.html 1985-11-26 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 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 suffer a 1–0 defeat at QPR.http://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/season/S1985-86/1986-02-12.html 1986-02-12 Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk 9 October 2026 12 March 1986 – Oxford United reach the League Cup final for the first time after defeating Aston Villa 4–3 on aggregate.http://www.soccerbase.com/transfers_by_value.sd?lower_value=&higher_value=1500000&seasonid=115&x=18&y=7 Football Betting | Place Your Football Bet Today Soccerbase.com 9 October 2026 See also List of Aston Villa F.C. records and statistics References Category:Aston Villa F.C. seasons Aston Villa