The 1903–04 Football League season was Aston Villa's 16th season in the First Division, the top flight of English football at the time. The season fell in what was to be called Villa's golden era.[1] In locally organised competition, Villa beat Small Heath in the first round of the Birmingham Senior Cup.[2] Small Heath had been promoted from the Second Division the previous season. Both matches of the Second City derby ended in draws, 2-2,[3] and 1-1.[4]
| 1903–04 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Frederick Rinder |
| Manager |  George Ramsay |
| First Division | 5th |
| FA Cup | second round |
| 7--0--4 | |
Freddie Miles (269) made his Villa debut in a 7–3 win at Nottingham Forest on 19 December 1903. During his first season at Villa he developed a good understanding with Howard Spencer. Other debuts were Jack Windmill, Albert Hall, Mart Watkins and Billy Matthews.[5]
During the season Howard Spencer was captain of the club.[6] Arthur Lockett, such a key figure in the Stoke side the previous season, signed for Villa.[7] Jack Windmill signed from Halesowen Town making his debut on 7 November 1903 in a 3–1 home win against Newcastle United.[8] Bert Hall scored six goals in his nine league outings in the 1903–04 season. He was noted as being a hard working outside left player who teamed up well with Joe Bache.[9]
Fortress Villa Park
editAston Villa had ended the previous season with nine consecutive home wins. Villa faced West Brom in the first home game of the season.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
Football League
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Everton | 34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 59 | 32 | 1.844 | 43 |
| 4 | Newcastle United | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 58 | 45 | 1.289 | 42 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 70 | 48 | 1.458 | 41 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 34 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 63 | 49 | 1.286 | 39 |
| 7 | Sheffield United | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 62 | 57 | 1.088 | 38 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
First team squad
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Billy Brawn, 34 appearances- Alf Wood, 31 appearances
- Alex Leake, 30 appearances
- Joe Bache, 29 appearances
- Arthur Lockett, 27 appearances
- Billy George, 27 appearances, conceded 41
- Howard Spencer, 25 appearances
- Joe Pearson, 25 appearances
- Albert Wilkes, 20 appearances
- Billy Garraty, 18 appearances
Tommy Niblo, 18 appearances- Albert Evans, 15 appearances
- Jasper McLuckie, 15 appearances
- George Johnson, 13 appearances
- Micky Noon, 12 appearances
- Harry Cooch, 9 appearances, conceded 10
- Willie Clarke, 2 appearances
- George Harris, 2 appearances
- Jack Shutt, 1 appearance
- Jack Windmill, 1 appearance
- Freddie Miles, 17 appearances
- Albert Hall, 11 appearances
Mart Watkins, 5 appearances- Billy Matthews, 8 appearances [6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Aston Villa Club History 1900 – 1939". AVFC.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 August 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
- ^ "Birmingham Senior Cup". The Birmingham City FC Archive. Tony Jordan. Archived from the original on 14 May 2005.
- ^ "Birmingham 2-2 Aston Villa, 1903-04 Division One, 19 Sep 1903". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Aston Villa 1-1 Birmingham, 1903-04 Division One, 16 Jan 1904". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.
- ^ a b AVFC History: 1903–04 season
- ^ Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ^ "Jack Windmill". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
- ^ Hayes, pp.80
- ^ 12 September 1903 Villa 3-1 West Brom
- ^ 26 Sept Villa 3-1 Everton
- ^ 10 Oct Villa 3-0 Derby
- ^ 24 Oct Villa 4-0 Notts County
- ^ 7 Nov Villa 3-1 Newcastle
- ^ 14 Nov Villa 2-0 Wolves
- ^ 28 Nov Villa 2-1 Liverpool
External links
edit- Aston Villa official website
- avfchistory.co.uk The Matches