1895–96 Aston Villa F.C. season
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| 1895–96 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | George Ramsay |
| Ground | Wellington Road |
| First Division | Champions (2) |
| FA Cup | Round 1 |
| Season | 1895–96 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Aston Villa, 2nd title |
| Relegated | Small Heath |
| Top goalscorer | John Campbell Steve Bloomer (22 goals each) |
| Biggest home win | Derby County 8–0 Small Heath (30 November 1895) Sheffield United 8–0 Bury (6 April 1896) |
| Biggest away win | The Wednesday 0–4 Derby County (28 December 1895) |
| Highest scoring | Aston Villa 7–3 Small Heath (7 September 1895) |
| Longest winning run | 9 matches Everton |
| Longest unbeaten run | 14 matches Everton |
| Longest losing run | 6 matches Burnley Small Heath |
| Highest attendance | 30,000 Everton 2–0 Aston Villa (21 December 1895) |
| Lowest attendance | 560 West Brom 3–2 Blackburn Rovers (29 April 1896) |
| Average attendance | 7,682 |
← 1894–95 1896–97 → | |
| 4--0--1 | |
The 1895–96 English football season was Aston Villa's 8th season in the Football League.[1] Under George Ramsay's management committee Villa were League champions for the second time in their history.[2]
This was the season Villa lost the FA Cup – literally. Following their FA Cup win in 1894/95, it was on display in the window of a Birmingham shoe shop belonging to William Shillcock. In the night of 11–12 September 1895 it was stolen and never seen again. The first trophy, the 'little tin idol', had been made by Martin, Hall & Co at a cost of £20.[3] Despite a £10 reward for information, the crime was never solved. The FA fined Villa £25 to pay for a replacement and a replica had to be made to the same design. Luckily they had it insured for £200! 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]
Jimmy Crabtree (176) became Aston Villa's record signing in the summer of 1895 when the Club paid Burnley £250 for international back. Crabtree, Reynolds and Jimmy Cowan formed an outstanding line of half-backs. There were also debuts for Johnny Campbell, Jack Cowan, Edward Harris and Jeremiah Griffiths.[5] John Campbell was a Scot from Celtic where he had won the Scottish championship twice, and later returned to the club. He had developed an outstanding reputation in Scotland, and emphasized his skill by scoring his 26 goals in just 26 games. 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall but nearly 12 stone (170 lb; 76 kg) in weight, he was said to be difficult to stop when running at the opposition's defence.
Football League
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Villa (C) | 30 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 78 | 45 | 1.733 | 45 |
| 2 | Derby County | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 68 | 35 | 1.943 | 41 |
| 3 | Everton | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 66 | 43 | 1.535 | 39 |
| 4 | Bolton Wanderers | 30 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 49 | 37 | 1.324 | 37 |
| 5 | Sunderland | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 52 | 41 | 1.268 | 37 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions
Ever-present: Jack Devey
Players used: 18
Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Notes | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 1895 | Albion | Home | W 1–0 | — | Jack Devey |
| 7 Sep 1895 | Small Heath | Home | W 7–3 | The 1895–96 Division 1 season was the second season of the elite level Second City Derby against local rivals Small Heath. According to the Birmingham Daily Post, [Jim Roach] should take no blame for any of the five goals conceded before half-time, due in part to the sun in his eyes and with the half-backs "little more than landmarks on the field".[6] On change of ends, the balance of play tilted towards the visitors, but the match still finished 7–3.[6][7] | Johnny Campbell (3), Steve Smith, Jack Devey (2), Jimmy Cowan |
| 14 Sep 1895 | Sheffield United | Away | L 1–2 | — | Dennis Hodgetts |
| 21 Sep 1895 | Derby | Home | W 4–1 | — | Jack Cowan, Jack Devey, Johnny Campbell, Jimmy Cowan |
| 28 Sep 1895 | Blackburn | Away | D 1–1 | — | Johnny Campbell |
| 30 Sep 1895 | Everton | Home | W 4–3 | Villa reach top for first time | Jack Cowan, Charlie Athersmith, Jack Devey, Johnny Campbell |
| 5 Oct 1895 | Sunderland | Home | W 2–1 | — | Johnny Campbell, Jack Cowan |
| 12 Oct 1895 | Albion | Away | D 1–1 | — | Johnny Campbell |
| 19 Oct 1895 | Blackburn | Home | W 3–1 | — | Jimmy Crabtree, Dennis Hodgetts, Billy Dorrell |
| 26 Oct 1895 | Small Heath | Away | W 4–1 | When Villa visited Coventry Road/Muntz Street they won the fixture 4–1.[8] | Jack Devey (2), Jack Reynolds, Johnny Campbell |
| 2 Nov 1895 | Burnley | Home | W 5–1 | — | Charlie Athersmith (2), Jack Devey (2), Unknown |
| 9 Nov 1895 | Sunderland | Away | L 1–2 | — | Johnny Campbell |
| 16 Nov 1895 | Sheffield United | Home | D 2–2 | — | Jack Cowan, Bob Chatt |
| 23 Nov 1895 | Burnley | Away | W 4–3 | — | Unknown, Jimmy Crabtree, Jack Reynolds, Charlie Athersmith |
| 7 Dec 1895 | Preston | Away | L 3–4 | — | Unknown, Johnny Campbell |
| 14 Dec 1895 | Bolton | Home | W 2–0 | — | Jimmy Welford, Johnny Campbell |
| 21 Dec 1895 | Everton | Away | L 0–2 | — | — |
| 26 Dec 1895 | Wolves | Away | W 2–1 | — | Steve Smith, Howard Spencer |
| 28 Dec 1895 | Bury | Home | W 2–0 | Derby County won all 10 home games and led the table at the end of December, with Villa in third. | Johnny Campbell |
| 4 Jan 1896 | Stoke | Away | W 2–1 | James Cowan missed the new year fixture due to his attending (and winning) the illustrious 100 yard New Year Sprint event held at Powderhall, Scotland. The club fined him but he still made a healthy profit due to the prize money! | Johnny Campbell (2) |
| 11 Jan 1896 | Preston | Home | W 1–0 | — | Jack Cowan |
| 18 Jan 1896 | Wednesday | Away | W 3–1 | — | Jack Cowan, Johnny Campbell, Jimmy Crabtree |
| 25 Jan 1896 | Forest | Home | W 3–1 | Six consecutive wins took Villa to the top in January | Jack Cowan, Bob Chatt, Jack Devey |
| 8 Feb 1896 | Derby | Away | D 2–2 | — | Jack Devey, Charlie Athersmith |
| 22 Feb 1896 | Stoke | Home | W 5–2 | — | Bob Chatt, Johnny Campbell (2), Jack Devey |
| 7 Mar 1896 | Bolton | Away | D 2–2 | — | Jack Devey |
| 14 Mar 1896 | Wednesday | Home | W 2–1 | — | Jack Cowan, Jack Devey |
| 21 Mar 1896 | Bury | Away | L 3–5 | — | Jack Devey, Johnny Campbell, Jack Cowan |
| 3 Apr 1896 | Forest | Away | W 2–0 | — | Fred Burton, Johnny Campbell |
| 6 Apr 1896 | Wolves | Home | W 4–1 | Villa finished with a four-point margin over Derby, taking the title when Derby dropped a point on 4 April. | Jack Cowan, Johnny Campbell (2), Jimmy Crabtree |
Source: avfchistory.co.uk
Football Association
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.
- ^ a b "Notes on Sport". Birmingham Daily Post. 9 September 1895. p. 5.
- ^ "Aston Villa 7-3 Small Heath, 1895-96 Division One, 7 Sep 1895". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Small Heath 1-4 Aston Villa, 1895-96 Division One, 26 Oct 1895". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
External links
- Aston Villa official website
- avfchistory.co.uk The Matches