1896–97 Aston Villa F.C. season
Top goalscorer | League: Fred Wheldon (18) All: Fred Wheldon (22) |
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Event | 1896–97 FA Cup | ||||||
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Date | 10 April 1897 | ||||||
Venue | Crystal Palace, London | ||||||
Referee | J. Lewis | ||||||
Attendance | 65,891 |
The
This was the season during which Villa moved from Wellington Road to their current home at Villa Park, although it was still referred to as 'Aston Lower Grounds' for some time.
There were debuts for Fred Wheldon (123), Jimmy Whitehouse and Albert Evans.[2]
Results
Football League
A total of 16 teams competed in the First Division in the 1896–97 season. Each team would play every other team twice, once at their stadium, and once at the opposition's. Two points were awarded to teams for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats.
The season got off to a slow start, with Villa recording only two wins in the first six games. An unbeaten run of 12 games took them to the top, where they finished with a lead of 11 points. The title was won when Derby County F.C. failed to win on 10 April; Villa had three games left to play, all of which were won.
Final league position
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aston Villa (C) | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 73 | 38 | 1.921 | 47 | |
2 | Sheffield United | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 42 | 29 | 1.448 | 36 | |
3 | Derby County | 30 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 70 | 50 | 1.400 | 36 | |
4 | Preston North End | 30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 55 | 40 | 1.375 | 34 | |
5 | Liverpool | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 46 | 38 | 1.211 | 33 | |
6 | The Wednesday | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 42 | 37 | 1.135 | 31 | |
7 | Everton | 30 | 14 | 3 | 13 | 62 | 57 | 1.088 | 31 | |
8 | Bolton Wanderers | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 40 | 43 | 0.930 | 30 | |
9 | Bury | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | 44 | 0.886 | 30 | |
10 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 45 | 41 | 1.098 | 28 | |
11 | Nottingham Forest | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 44 | 49 | 0.898 | 26 | |
12 | West Bromwich Albion | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 33 | 56 | 0.589 | 26 | |
13 | Stoke | 30 | 11 | 3 | 16 | 48 | 59 | 0.814 | 25 | |
14 | Blackburn Rovers | 30 | 11 | 3 | 16 | 35 | 62 | 0.565 | 25 | |
15 | Sunderland (O) | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 34 | 47 | 0.723 | 23 | Qualification for test matches |
16 | Burnley (R) | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 43 | 61 | 0.705 | 19 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
FA Cup
Trivia
Ever-present: Charlie Athersmith, Jimmy Cowan, Fred Wheldon
First at top: 28 Nov
Players used: 17
See also
- List of Aston Villa F.C. records and statistics
- 1897 FA Cup Final
References
- ISBN 1-85983-010-2.
- ^ "Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.