Aston Villa played the 1930–31 English football season in the Football League First Division. Villa scored 128 league goals in 42 matches, a First Division record.[1] Villa's Pongo Waring finished as the leagues top scorer with 49 goals,[2] overshadowing Eric Houghton who scored 30 goals.[3] As of 2023, this remains the Villa record season for goals scored.[4]
| 1930–31 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Billy Smith |
| Stadium | Villa Park |
| First Division | 2nd |
| FA Cup | Third round |
| 18—10—11 | |
Villa started the season with four successive league wins, a record not matched until the 2020–21 season.[5] On 17 January 1931 Villa beat Bolton 3–1.[6][7] They would go on to win their eight remaining home games and thus had nine consecutive home wins to end the season.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Other notable statistics included inflicting a 7–0 victory over Manchester United, the joint-heaviest competitive defeat for that club[16] In the Second City derby, following a 1–1 home draw,[17] Villa beat Birmingham 4–0 at St Andrews with goals by Joe Beresford, Eric Houghton, Jack Mandley and Joe Tate.[18]
There were debuts for Tommy Wood (71), Reg Miles (16) and Percy Maggs (14).[19] After a trial with Villa in October 1930, goalkeeper, Harry Morton (192) was signed as an amateur and made his club debut for the reserves in a Central League game against Everton Reserves on 22 November 1930. He went on to sign as a professional in March 1931. Richard York (356) played just four times in the 1930–31 campaign.[20]
Diary of season
edit- 8 Nov 1930 Aston Villa lost 5–2 at Arsenal Stadium in front of a crowd of 56,417.[7]
- 14th Mar 1931: Villa stopped Arsenal in their tracks with a 5–1 victory at Villa Park.[21]
League table
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal (C) | 42 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 127 | 59 | 2.153 | 66 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 128 | 78 | 1.641 | 59 |
| 3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 102 | 75 | 1.360 | 52 |
| 4 | Portsmouth | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 84 | 67 | 1.254 | 49 |
| 5 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 81 | 65 | 1.246 | 48 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Groot, Lucas Franciscus Michaël, Economics, Uncertainty and European Football: Trends in Competitive Balance; pp. 34–35 ISBN 178100823X
- ^ "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ AVFC History: 1930–31
- ^ Goodyear, David; Matthews, Tony, p.161
- ^ BBC, Aston Villa v Leeds United 23 Oct 2020 Premier League
- ^ "Aston Villa 3–1 Bolton Wanderers, 1930–31 Division One, 17 Jan 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ a b "All of the Matches". www.avfchistory.co.uk.
- ^ "Aston Villa 8–1 Middlesbrough, 1930–31 Division One, 31 Jan 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Aston Villa 4–2 Sunderland, 1930–31 Division One, 18 Feb 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Aston Villa 4–2 Leicester City, 1930–31 Division One, 28 Feb 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Aston Villa 5–1 Arsenal, 1930–31 Division One, 14 Mar 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Aston Villa 4–1 Blackpool, 1930–31 Division One, 28 Mar 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Aston Villa 4–3 Newcastle United, 1930–31 Division One, 7 Apr 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Aston Villa 4–0 Sheffield United, 1930–31 Division One, 11 Apr 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Aston Villa 4–2 Manchester City, 1930–31 Division One, 25 Apr 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Man Utd 'eaten alive' & Fernandes a 'disgrace'". BBC Sport. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Aston Villa 1–1 Birmingham, 1930–31 Division One, 18 Oct 1930". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Birmingham 0–4 Aston Villa, 1930–31 Division One, 21 Feb 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.
- ^ "Detailed bio". Aston Villa Database. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- ^ James, Andrew & Kelly, Arsenal: The Complete Record. p160