The 1896-97 English football season was Aston Villa's 9th season in the Football League since being one of its 12 founding members in 1888. Villa were champions for the third time matching Sunderland's three wins. For good measure, the FA Cup was also won, to make Villa the second team to complete "The Double" after Preston North End in 1888–89.
| 1896–97 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager |  George Ramsay |
| Grounds | Wellington Road |
| First Division | Champions (3) |
| FA Cup | Winners |
| Top goalscorer | League: Fred Wheldon (18) All: Fred Wheldon (22) |
 The Aston Villa team of 1897 that won The Double | |||||||
| Event | 1896–97 FA Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 10 April 1897 | ||||||
| Venue | Crystal Palace, London | ||||||
| Referee | J. Lewis | ||||||
| Attendance | 65,891 | ||||||
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.
John Campbell was not quite as productive as in the previous season, and the leading scorer honours went to Fred Wheldon. Fred had been signed in 1896 for £350 from local rivals Small Heath, who had been relegated the previous season.[1] He was a good dribbler with the ball and won four caps for England. He played first class cricket for Worcestershire.
There were debuts for Fred Wheldon (123), Jimmy Whitehouse and Albert Evans.[2]
Results
editFootball League
editA 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
edit
| 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
editTrivia
editEver-present: Charlie Athersmith, Jimmy Cowan, Fred Wheldon
First at top: 28 Nov
Players used: 17
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Tony Matthews (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Breedon Books. p. 133. ISBN 1-85983-010-2.
- ^ "Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.