1879–80 Aston Villa F.C. season

Early history of Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa records and statistics Aston Villa 1879–80 William McGregor FA Cup 2nd round Billy Mason 1878–79 1880–81 thumb|left|Aston Villa 1879–80 The 1879–80 English football season saw Aston Villa's first ever FA Cup tie 🟨 13 Dec 1879, Villa 1-1 Stafford Road, Half-Way House Ground https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/1 2026-01-23 AVFC History en This season, nine years before the creation of the Football League, Villa collected their first ever piece of silverware, the Birmingham Senior Cup. They defeated Saltley College 3–2 in the final with goals from Eli Davis, William Mason and George Ramsay in front of 6,000 at Aston Lower Grounds.Football, 5 April 1880, The Times J. Hughes was Aston Villa's umpire in the last season before a referee would be appointed before the match. Originally team captains would consult each other in order to resolve any dispute on the pitch. Eventually this role was delegated to an umpire. Each team would bring their own partisan umpire allowing the team captains to concentrate on the game. In 1881, the referee, a third "neutral" official was added; this referee would be "referred to" if the umpires could not resolve a dispute. The referee did not take his place on the pitch until 1891, when the umpires became linesmen (now assistant referees). FA Cup 1879–80 FA Cup 1st Round bye 13 December 1879 2nd Round Stafford Road 1–1 https://www.avdb.co.uk/game/1 Aston Villa D On Saturday 13 December 1879 Villa faced Stafford Road F.C., of the Stafford Road railway works, Wolverhampton. The match was played before a crowd of 2,000 at Stafford's Half-Way House Ground. As the start of the official record, in 2024, celebrating the club's 150th anniversary, Aston Villa Legacy Numbers were introduced indexing every player who had represented the club in a first-class competitive fixture.https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2024/august/15/legacy-numbers--all-997-aston-villa-players/ Although playing before shirt numbers were introduced in 1926, Goalkeeper John Ball received Legacy Number 1.John Ball at avfchistory.co.uk Andy Hunter #4 https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/andy-hunter officially became Villa's first goal-scorer in the 1-1 draw. There were also first-class debuts for William Crossland #2,https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/william-crossland Harry Simmonds #11,https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/harry-simmonds Tommy Pank #10,https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/tommy-pank Sammy Law #7,https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/sammy-law Ted Lee #8,https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/ted-lee Eli Davis #3,https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/eli-davis Billy Mason #9,https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/billy-mason Archie Hunter #5 https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/archie-hunter and Charlie Johnstone #6.https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/charlie-johnstonehttps://www.avfchistory.co.uk/villa-seasons Aston Villa's Seasons AVFC History 24 January 1880 2nd Round Replay Aston Villa 3–1 https://www.avdb.co.uk/game/2 Stafford Road W The replay was held at Villa's Wellington Road ground in Perry Bar on 24 January 1880. Underdogs Villa "Football Jottings" Nottingham Evening Post, 3 January 1880, p3 defeated Stafford Road 3–1. Billy Mason scored a brace with Sammy Law getting the third goal. For the replay, inside-forward and future manager George Ramsay #12 replaced Johnstone.🟩 24 Jan 1880, Villa 3-1 Stafford Road, Wellington Road, James Constant, avfchistory.co.uk Ramsay had joined Villa in 1876. The 21-year-old came across a Villa players' practice match whilst taking a stroll in Aston Park. When asked to make up the numbers, they were amazed by his display of close ball control. Ramsay was invited to join the club and he soon he became captain.https://www.avfc.co.uk/players/g/r/george-ramsay Mens AVFC Word spread about how fine a player Ramsay was, spectators began turning up to watch the little man nicknamed 'Scotty'. He also took charge of training which saw dramatic improvement in results, introducing what was known as the "passing game". This had become the main style of play in Scotland whereas in England most teams relied on what was known as the "dribbling game".Grant Michael Robertson Rob The Management: Scotland's Great Football Managers 2011 Birlinn Edinburgh 978-1-78027016-6 3rd Round Oxford University — Aston Villa S Villa's first attempt to win the FA Cup ended in controversy and confusion. Villa were drawn to play the then-successful Oxford University but had lost the toss for home status in the third round tie.AVFC History: 1879–80 Oxford had beaten Birmingham 6-0 in the previous round. Perhaps feeling that it was a waste of time spending good money on travel expenses for a match they felt they would lose, the Villa board took the decision to 'scratch' (forfeit) the game. Birmingham Cup The 1879–80 Birmingham Senior Cup was the fourth season of the oldest county cup competition still active and the third oldest in the world overall.Birmingham County FA Cups http://www.birminghamfa.com/cups BCFA 2026-06-07 2018-01-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20180130205328/http://www.birminghamfa.com/cups deadCarr Steve The History of the Birmingham Senior Cup 1876 to 1905 2000 Grorty Dick. ASIN:B00L3AL7YE 1st Aston Villa beat Saltley College 3–1 in the final. Villa beat Birmingham Excelsior 8–1 in the second round. On Saturday 14 February, in the third round of the Birmingham Senior Cup, Villa registered 16 undefeated when they beat Newport (Salop) 7-0.Matches played on Saturday, Birmingham Evening Mail, 16 February 1880, p3 They beat Walsall Swifts in the semi-finals."Gossip on rural pastimes", The Leeds Mercury, 26 March 1880, p2 Aston Unity's best run in the Birmingham Cup, at the time the second-most prestigious tournament for football clubs in the Midlands, came in 1879–80, the club beating Small Heath Alliance and St George's (the latter 9–1 away from home), before losing to Villa at the Aston Lower Grounds; because of Villa's predatory poaching of players in the area, and importation of Scots shamateurs, "partisanship on both sides ran high", and Unity played a more brutal game than normal, Villa's Eli Davis having to go off injured, but the ten men won with a late goal from George Ramsay.Birmingham Association Challenge Cup Birmingham Gazette 1 March 1880 7 Staffordshire Cup In the earlier rounds Villa beat Walsall Swifts 7–1 Football, Birmingham Evening Mail, 20 October 1879, p3 Villa were beaten 2–1 by Wednesbury Old Athletic in the final of the Staffordshire Cup.The Staffordshire Cup https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000347/19000224/124/0012 subscription British Newspaper Archive 27 October 2024 The Staffordshire Sentinel 24 February 1900 Stoke-upon-Trent 12 Friendlies 27 September 1879 Small Heath Alliance 1—0 Aston Villa Muntz Street L A "Second City derby" occurred on 27 September 1879, when Villa played Small Heath Alliance. The game, on a pitch at Small Heath's Muntz Street ground described by the Villa players as "only suitable for pot-holing",Matthews Tony The Encyclopedia of Birmingham City Football Club 1875–2000 Aston Villa October 2000 Britespot Cradley Heath 17 978-0-9539288-0-4 finished 1–0 – recorded as "one goal and a disputed goal to nil"Lewis Peter Keeping right on since 1875. The Official History of Birmingham City Football Club 2000 Arrow 9 Lytham 1-900722-12-7 – to the home side.Sporting Mail 22 December 1906 1 The Week's Gossip It was not until 1879 that the Alliance first met Aston Villa, and present-day supporters may be glad to be reminded that the encounter ended in a victory for Small Heath. 1 January 1880 Aston Villa 4—2 Heart of Midlothian W On New Year's Day 1880 Villa beat the visiting Heart of Midlothian 4-2,Matches played on Saturday, Birmingham Evening Mail 2 January 1881, p3 On Saturday, 3 January the Second team lost 4-2 to Aston Unity at Aston Lane."Football" Birmingham Evening Mail, 5 January 1880, p2 On Whit Monday May 1880, the club arranged a six-a-side football competition at their Wellington Road ground. Other club entries included Blackburn Rovers, Darwen, Wednesbury Old Athletic, Walsall Swifts, Elwell's, and Notts Forest.Aston Villa Football Club, Birmingham Evening Mail, 14 May 1880, p1 References Category:Aston Villa F.C. seasons Aston Villa F.C. season