1880–81 Aston Villa F.C. season

Early history of Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa records and statistics Aston Villa 1880–81 President W. M. Ellis Aston Villa Football Club, Birmingham Evening Mail, 13 September 1881, p2 William McGregor FA Cup 4th round 1879–80 1881–82 The 1880–81 English football season was Aston Villa's 2nd season in the Football Association Cup, the top-level football competition at the time. In 1881 Villa departed the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage. In 1881 the referee is introduced to decide disputes between the umpires. The caution (for "ungentlemanly behaviour") and the sending-off (for violent conduct) appear in the laws for the first time. FA Cup 1880–81 FA Cup 30 October 1880 1st Round Aston Villa 5–3 https://www.avdb.co.uk/game/3 Wednesbury Strollers W Having avoided last season's opponent Stafford Road, in the first round, Villa faced only their second official opponent, Wednesbury Strollers.🟩 30 Oct 1880, Villa 5-3 Wednesbury Strollers, Wellington Road AVFC History 1970-01-01 https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3 2026-01-29 The club was considered a more upmarket side than the Wednesbury Old Athletic Club with generally richer patrons but less public support.Football Sports Argus 8 January 1916 1 There were season debuts for Howard VaughtonAVFC History - Howard Vaughton avfchistory.co.uk 1970-01-01 https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/howard-vaughton 2026-01-29 George Copley,https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/george-copley George Copley Aston Villa Goalkeeper AVFC History Bill WattsBill Watts Aston Villa Forward https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/bill-watts and Arthur Brown.AVFC History - Arthur Brown www.avfchistory.co.uk https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/arthur-brown 2026-01-29 4 December 1880 2nd Round Nottingham Forest 1–2 https://www.avdb.co.uk/game/4 Aston Villa W James Constant, avfchistory.co.uk, 🟩 4 Dec 1880, Villa 2-1 Forest, Trent Bridge 12 February 1881 3rd Round Notts County 1–3 https://www.avdb.co.uk/game/5 Aston Villa W James Constant, avfchistory.co.uk, 🟩 12 Feb 1881, Villa 3-1 Notts County, Trent Bridge 19 February 1881 4th Round Aston Villa 2–3 https://www.avdb.co.uk/game/6 Stafford Road L Villa's first official defeat came against the same team against whom they had achieved their first victory in the competition, Stafford Road.James Constant, avfchistory.co.uk, 🟥 19 Feb 1881, Villa 2-3 Stafford Road, Wellington Road Birmingham Senior Cup 1880–81 Birmingham Senior Cup thumb|left|1880–81 Birmingham Senior Cup Final, Walsall Swifts 1–0 Aston Villa, Birmingham Evening Mail, 11 April 1881 Holders, Aston Villa participated in the 1880–81 Birmingham Senior Cup. They were runners-up to Walsall Swifts following a 1–0 defeat in the final at Aston Lower Grounds. Villa, began the competition with a 6–0 victory away to Newport (Salop) on 6 November despite having to divide their squad as they also had a Staffordshire Senior Cup match scheduled for the same day.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.com/image-viewer?issue=BL%2F0000766%2F18801113&page=3 Walsall Observer 3 13 November 1880 11 September 2026 subscription British Newspaper Archive Athletic Noteshttps://www.britishnewspaperarchive.com/image-viewer?issue=BL%2F0000405%2F18801113&page=5 Wellington Journal 5 13 November 1880 11 September 2026 subscription British Newspaper Archive Football"Birmingham & District Football Association", Walsall Observer, 11 September 1880, p3Athletics, Cricket, Aquatics etc, The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 4 December 1880, p17 and had beat Sutton Coldfield 10-1 in the second.https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/aug/31/the-knowledge-footballer-names-tv They benefited with a bye in the third round. Walsall Swifts gained a surprise 1–0 win over Villa in the final, to gain the club's greatest success. The following week, the sides met again in the final of the Staffordshire Senior Cup at Stoke. This time Villa took the trophy, with Swifts handicapped by having to play a reserve goalkeeper,Aston Villa v Walsall Swifts Birmingham Post 18 April 1881 7 as Hobson had had his collarbone broken by the Villa forwards in the Senior Cup final.Football matches Walsall Observer 14 May 1881 4 Staffordshire Cup In the April Staffordshire Cup final, Villa beat Walsall Swifts 4-1. Villa had previously beaten Elwell, Fenton and Goldenhill to reach the final.Football, The Birmingham Post, 18 April 1881, p7 Friendlies On 16 August a match was arranged with Small Heath Alliance for the benefit of the John Skirrow Wright statue fund."Football", Birmingham Evening Mail, 13 August 1880, p1 References Category:Aston Villa F.C. seasons Aston Villa F.C. season