1894–95 Aston Villa F.C. season
| 1894–95 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | George Ramsay |
| Ground | Wellington Road |
| Football League | 3rd |
| FA Cup | Winners |
| Season | 1894–95 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Sunderland, 3rd title |
| Relegated | Liverpool |
| Top goalscorer | John Campbell (22 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Sunderland 8–0 Derby County (1 September 1894) Blackburn 9–1 Small Heath (5 January 1895) |
| Biggest away win | Wolves 0–4 Aston Villa (22 December 1894) |
| Highest scoring | Blackburn 9–1 Small Heath (5 January 1895) |
| Longest winning run | 8 matches Everton |
| Longest unbeaten run | 10 matches Sunderland |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches Burnley |
| Highest attendance | 35,000 (27 October 1894) Everton 2–2 Sunderland |
| Lowest attendance | 1,000 Small Heath 4–4 Preston (29 September 1894) Stoke 2–2 Small Heath (27 October 1894) Blackburn 3–0 West Brom (22 December 1894) Derby County 1–1 Stoke (19 January 1895) Stoke 2–5 Sunderland (26 January 1895) |
| Average attendance | 7,431 |
← 1893–94 1895–96 → | |
The 1894–95 English football season was Aston Villa's 7th season in the Football League falling into what was to be called Villa's golden era.[1] Villa started the season as League champions and, under George Ramsay's management committee, won the FA Cup for the second time.[2] The 1894–95 Division 1 season was the first season of the First league Second City Derby with Aston Villa beating local rivals Small Heath 2–1 on 1 September 1894. Villa beat Small Heath in the final of the Mayor of Birmingham's Charity Cup.
The 1895 FA Cup Final was contested by Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion at Crystal Palace. Aston Villa won 1–0, with Bob Chatt being credited with scoring the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history, scored after just 30 seconds. This record would stand for 114 years before being broken by Everton 's Louis Saha in 2009 with a goal after 25 seconds. The first trophy, the 'little tin idol', had been made by Martin, Hall & Co at a cost of £20.[3] It was stolen from a Birmingham shoe shop window belonging to William Shillcock while held by Aston Villa on 11 September 1895 and was never seen again. Despite a £10 reward for information, the crime was never solved. As it happened while it was in their care, the FA fined Villa £25 to pay for a replacement. Just over 60 years later, 80 year old career criminal Henry (Harry) James Burge claimed to have committed the theft, confessing to a newspaper, with the story being published in the Sunday Pictorial newspaper on 23 February 1958.Burge claimed the cup had been melted down to make counterfeit half-crown coins, which matched known intelligence of the time that stolen silver was being used to forge coins which were then laundered through betting shops at a local racecourse.[4]
There were debut appearances for Harry Wilkes, Billy Dorrell, George Kinsey, Howard Spencer, Tom Purslow, Billy Podmore and Bob Gordon.[5]
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunderland (C) | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 80 | 37 | 2.162 | 47 |
| 2 | Everton | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 82 | 50 | 1.640 | 42 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 82 | 43 | 1.907 | 39 |
| 4 | Preston North End | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 62 | 46 | 1.348 | 35 |
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 59 | 49 | 1.204 | 32 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions
Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Notes | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep 1894 | Small Heath | Wellington Road | 2–1 | – | Steve Smith; Bob Gordon |
| 8 Sep 1894 | Liverpool | Anfield | 2–1 | – | Steve Smith; Charlie Athersmith |
| 15 Sep 1894 | Sunderland | Wellington Road | 1–2 | – | Steve Smith |
| 22 Sep 1894 | Derby County | Racecourse Ground | 2–0 | – | Bob Chatt; Jack Devey |
| 29 Sep 1894 | Stoke | Victoria Ground | 1–4 | – | Charlie Athersmith |
| 6 Oct 1894 | Nottingham Forest | New Town Ground | 1–2 | – | Jack Devey |
| 13 Oct 1894 | West Bromwich Albion | Wellington Road | 3–1 | – | Dennis Hodgetts; Albert Woolley; Bob Chatt |
| 20 Oct 1894 | Small Heath | Muntz Street | 2–2 | – | Bob Gordon; Dennis Hodgetts |
| 22 Oct 1894 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane | 1–2 | – | Bob Gordon |
| 27 Oct 1894 | Liverpool | Wellington Road | 5–0 | – | Jimmy Cowan; Jack Reynolds (2, 1 pen); Billy Dorrell; Dennis Hodgetts |
| 3 Nov 1894 | Sheffield Wednesday | Olive Grove | 0–1 | – | — |
| 10 Nov 1894 | Preston North End | Wellington Road | 4–1 | – | Jack Devey; Own goal; Dennis Hodgetts; Bob Chatt |
| 12 Nov 1894 | Sheffield United | Wellington Road | 5–0 | Played in driving freezing rain. Villa's players had dry clothes available,[6] and were given hot drinks, a courtesy apparently not extended to the visitors.[7][8] The Sheffield players were worse affected, several needing treatment for exposure, and by the end of the match only six were still on the field.[8][9] Villa's Jack Devey put on an overcoat, and Charlie Athersmith played under an umbrella borrowed from a spectator[10][9] before collapsing in the dressing-room afterwards.[8] | Bob Chatt (2); Jack Devey (2); Jack Reynolds |
| 17 Nov 1894 | West Bromwich Albion | Stoney Lane | 2–3 | – | Steve Smith; Tom Purslow |
| 24 Nov 1894 | Nottingham Forest | Wellington Road | 4–1 | – | Dennis Hodgetts; Jack Devey (2); Jimmy Cowan |
| 1 Dec 1894 | Blackburn Rovers | Ewood Park | 3–1 | – | Steve Smith (3) |
| 3 Dec 1894 | Sheffield Wednesday | Wellington Road | 3–1 | – | George Russell; Jack Devey; Jack Reynolds (pen) |
| 8 Dec 1894 | Blackburn Rovers | Wellington Road | 3–0 | – | Charlie Athersmith; Jack Devey (2) |
| 22 Dec 1894 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Molineux | 4–0 | Villa registered the biggest away win in the League | Dennis Hodgetts (2); Bob Chatt; Jack Devey |
| 26 Dec 1894 | Stoke | Wellington Road | 6–0 | – | Charlie Athersmith (3); Jack Reynolds; Bob Chatt; Jack Devey |
| 2 Jan 1895 | Sunderland | Newcastle Road | 4–4 | – | Dennis Hodgetts; Steve Smith; Jack Reynolds (pen); Jack Devey |
| 5 Jan 1895 | Derby County | Wellington Road | 4–0 | – | Dennis Hodgetts (2); Steve Smith; Bob Chatt |
| 12 Jan 1895 | Preston North End | Deepdale | 1–0 | – | Jack Devey |
| 17 Jan 1895 | Everton | Goodison Park | 2–4 | – | Billy Dorrell; Steve Smith |
| 26 Jan 1895 | Bolton Wanderers | Wellington Road | 2–1 | – | Own goal; Jack Devey |
| 23 Feb 1895 | Burnley | Turf Moor | 3–3 | – | Bob Chatt; Own goal; Charlie Athersmith |
| 23 Mar 1895 | Bolton Wanderers | Pike's Lane | 3–4 | – | Steve Smith; Bob Chatt (2) |
| 6 Apr 1895 | Burnley | Wellington Road | 5–0 | – | Billy Dorrell (2); Dennis Hodgetts; Charlie Athersmith; Bob Chatt |
| 15 Apr 1895 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Wellington Road | 2–2 | – | Charlie Athersmith; Howard Spencer |
| 24 Apr 1895 | Everton | Wellington Road | 2–2 | Sunderland win the championship with a 2–1 scoreline and rendered Everton's final game meaningless. As it was, Everton could only draw that game at Aston Villa 2–2, a result which would have taken the title to Sunderland regardless. | Charlie Athersmith; Steve Smith |
Source: avfchistory.co.uk
Second City Derby
| 2--0--1 | |
Small Heath's First Division campaign began on Saturday 1 September with a visit to local rivals and League champions Aston Villa. The match turned out rather closer than predicted. Small Heath's Jack Hallam opened the scoring from a Tommy Hands cross with the first League goal of the season, "for the match was started punctually, and it would have been a sheer impossibility to score faster than the Small Heath player did."[11] Steve Smith equalised for Villa some 20 minutes later, and a Bob Gordon goal meant they took the lead immediately afterwards, and retained that lead to the end. The Birmingham Daily Post picked out Hallam and Caesar Jenkyns for praise, was disappointed by Fred Wheldon, "usually the bright particular star of the front rank", and suggested that Jack Oliver would be a success "when he has lost a little superfluous flesh".[11][12]
The reverse fixture resulted in a 2-2 draw on 20 October 1894 with Bob Gordon and Denny Hodgetts scoring for Villa.(2-0-1)[13]
Small Heath took on Aston Villa in their last match of the season, the final of the Birmingham Charity Cup. Unfortunately for the charities, the weather was poor and the attendance low, but those spectators present saw an exciting game. Wheldon scored first with a fierce shot that entered the net off the goalkeeper and the underside of the bar, then Bob Chatt equalised from a free kick and Charlie Athersmith outpaced Oliver and his parried shot was forced over the line. Mobley tied the scores with a long shot, but in the second half with the wind behind them, Villa scored three times to Jack Hallam's one to take the match 5–3.[14]
FA Cup
 Match programme | |||||||
| Event | 1894–95 FA Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 20 April 1895 | ||||||
| Venue | Crystal Palace, London | ||||||
| Referee | John Lewis | ||||||
| Attendance | 42,560 | ||||||
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Notes | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb 1895 | Derby County | H | 2–1 | FA Cup – 1st Round | — |
| 16 Feb 1895 | Newcastle United | H | 7–1 | FA Cup – 2nd Round | — |
| 2 Mar 1895 | Nottingham Forest | H | 6–2 | FA Cup – 3rd Round | — |
| 16 Mar 1895 | Sunderland | A | 2–1 | FA Cup – Semi-final | — |
| 20 Apr 1895 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–0 | FA Cup – Final | — |
See also
References
- ^ "Aston Villa Club History 1900 – 1939". AVFC.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 August 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
- ^ AVFC History:1894–95 season
- ^ "The Trophies". The Football Association. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Unsolved: Did this OAP really steal the famous FA Cup?". Birmingham Mail. 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ "Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.
- ^ "Ernest Needham's story". Sports Special. Sheffield. 28 December 1912. p. 5.
- ^ "Football". Burnley Express. 14 November 1894. p. 4.
- ^ a b c "Football Fancies". Evening Telegraph and Star. Sheffield. 16 November 1894. p. 4.
- ^ a b "Aston Villa v. Sheffield United. A farcical performance. United finish with six men. Serious illness of the players". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 13 November 1894. p. 8.
- ^ Murray, Scott (2017). The Title: The Story of the First Division. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-4729-3662-2.
- ^ a b "Notes on Sport". Birmingham Daily Post. 3 September 1894. p. 5.
- ^ "Aston Villa (Champions) 2-1 Small Heath, 1894-95 Division One , 1 Sep 1894". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Small Heath 2-2 Aston Villa (Champions), 1894-95 Division One , 20 Oct 1894". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Notes on Sport". Birmingham Daily Post. 29 April 1895. p. 7.
External links
- Aston Villa official website
- avfchistory.co.uk The Matches