1891–92 Aston Villa F.C. season

Main article: History of Aston Villa F.C. (1874–1961)

Aston Villa made a storming start to the 1891–92 English Football League season, winning their first four games and scoring sixteen goals in the process. They eventually finished a much-improved fourth in The Football League and created history by defeating Accrington 12-2 (still a club record for a league game). Bizarrely, Villa didn't draw a single game all season!

Aston Villa

1891–92 season
Chairman
Manager	George Ramsay
Ground	Wellington Road
Football League	4th
FA Cup	Runners-up (1)
Home colours Away colours

1892 FA Cup Final

Illustration of the match by Stephen Dadd
Event	1891–92 FA Cup
West Bromwich Albion Aston Villa 3 0
Date	19 March 1892
Venue	Kennington Oval, London
Referee	Charles Clegg
Attendance	32,710
Weather	Warm, Sunny and cloudless

It was the FA Cup, however, which retained the most excitement for supporters. Villa dispatched Heanor Town F.C., Darwen, local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. and Sunderland to reach their second final at The Oval. Villa were matched against their fierce Warwickshire rivals West Bromwich Albion F.C. in a repeat of Villa's triumphant 1887 FA Cup Final. Unlike in 1887, however, Villa started as strong favourites. They had already comfortably beaten Albion home and away in the league.

It was with some consternation then that the large crowd assembled at Birmingham New Street station to hear the result learned that Villa had been defeated 3–0. After the game rumours circulated that Villa's goalkeeper, Jimmy Warner, had thrown the match. Every window in his pub in Spring Hill, Birmingham was smashed by an angry mob. Despite his probable innocence, Warner was scapegoated and never played for Villa again.

Despite the Cup final heart-break Villa had stumbled upon the nucleus of its most dominant side ever. With stars like James Cowan, Charlie Athersmith and John Devey, Villa were now in a much stronger position to challenge for supremacy of English football.

There were debut appearances for Jack Devey (268), Percy Hislop, John Baird, Albert Hinchley, Charlie Hare, Tom Dutton and Ted Diver.

First Division

Main article: 1891–92 Football League

Pos	Team	Pld	HW	HD	HL	HGF	HGA	AW	AD	AL	AGF	AGA	GAv	Pts
2	Preston North End	26	12	0	1	42	8	6	1	6	19	23	1.968	37
3	Bolton Wanderers	26	9	2	2	29	14	8	0	5	22	23	1.378	36
4	Aston Villa	26	10	0	3	63	23	5	0	8	26	33	1.589	30
5	Everton	26	8	2	3	32	22	4	2	7	17	27	1.000	28
6	Wolverhampton Wanderers	26	8	2	3	34	15	3	2	8	25	31	1.283	26

Source:

1891
Date	Team	Venue	Result	Score
5 September	Blackburn Rovers	H	W	5-1
12 September	West Bromwich Albion	H	W	5-1
19 September	Preston North End	A	W	1-0
28 September	Sunderland	H	W	5-3
3 October	Derby County	A	L	2–4
10 October	Bolton Wanderers	H	L	1–2
17 October	Burnley	A	L	1–4
24 October	Stoke City	A	W	3-2
31 October	Darwen	A	W	5-1
7 November	Notts County	H	W	5-1
14 November	West Brom	A	W	3-0
21 November	Stoke C	H	W	2-1
28 November	Everton	A	L	1–5
5 December	Burnley	H	W	6-1
19 December	Wolves	A	L	0–2
26 December	Darwen	H	W	7-0
28 December	Everton	H	L	3–4
1892
2 January	Notts Co	A	L	2–5
4 Jan	Accrington	A	L	2–3
12 March	Accrington	H	W	12-2
26 March	Sunderland	A	L	1–2
2 April	Bolton W	A	W	2-1
16 April	Preston NE	H	W	3-1
18 April	Wolves	H	L	3–6

FA Cup

Main article: 1892 FA Cup Final

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Score
1st Round	16 January	Heanor Town	H	W	4-1
2nd Round	30 Jan	Darwen	H	W	2-0
3rd Round	13 February	Wolves	A	W	3-1
Semi-Final		Sunderland	at Sheffield	W	4-1
Final	19 March	West Brom	The Oval	L	0–3

See also

• List of Aston Villa F.C. records and statistics