| 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) |
| Season | 1896–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Aston Villa 3rdEnglish title |
| Relegated | Burnley |
| Top goalscorer | Steve Bloomer (22 goals)[1] |
| Biggest home win | Derby County 8–1West Brom (25 December 1896) Sheffield United 7–0Blackburn (9 January 1897) |
| Biggest away win | Blackburn 1–5Aston Villa (28 November 1896) |
| Highest scoring | Derby County 7–2Bury (26 September 1896) Derby County 8–1West Brom (25 December 1896) Everton 6–3West Brom (17 April 1897) |
| Longest winning run | 6 matches Everton |
| Longest unbeaten run | 12 matches Aston Villa |
| Longest losing run | 6 matches Everton |
| Highest attendance | 40,000 Everton 2–1Liverpool (3 October 1896) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,000 Nottingham Forest 4–1Burnley (24 October 1896) Sheffield United 7–0Blackburn (9 January 1897) |
| Average attendance | 7,734 |
1897–98 → | |
The1896-97 English football season wasAston Villa's 9th season in the Football League.Villa were champions for the third time matching Sunderland's three wins. For good measure, theFA Cup was also won, to make Villa the second team to complete "The Double" afterPreston North Endin 1888–89.
It was the year ofQueen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and the Council had organised celebrations for 22 June 1897. The programme headlined "The Villa with the Cup". To the acclaimation of the crowd, the players sat on two long benches, facing each self-consciously, as a horse-drawnwagonetteproceeded through Aston with theFA Cup in the centre.[2]
This was the season during which Villa moved fromWellington Road to their current home atVilla Park. With growing crowds, it became increasingly apparent that the existing ground was inadequate. Vice-President,Charlie Johnstone's invaluable foresight was pivotal in the acquisition ofVilla Park.[3] The land at the Wellington Road ground had initially been sub-let to the club for £5.00 a year but, as Villa became more successful, the rent kept rising and rising and the landlord would not grant a sufficiently long lease to justify the massive expenditure need to improve the facilities to match the club's ambition. Johnsone acquired an option at the Lower Grounds in Aston long before his other directors were persuaded of its merits.[3] Together with Chairman Fred Rinder they secured the deal to enable the move Villa's new home ground.[4] It was still referred to as 'Aston Lower Grounds' for some time.
The Ever-presents wereCharlie Athersmith,Jimmy Cowan, andFred Wheldon. Villa first reached the top on 28 Nov and used 17 players through out.John Campbell was not quite as productive as in the previous season, and the leading scorer honours went toFred Wheldon. Fred had been signed in 1896 for £350 from local rivalsSmall Heath, who had beenrelegated the previous season.[5] He was a good dribbler with the ball and won four caps forEngland. He played first classcricket forWorcestershire.
There were debuts forFred Wheldon (123),[6]Jimmy Whitehouse[7] andAlbert Evans.[8][9]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
A total of 16 teams competed in the1896–97 Football League. 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, withVilla 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 whenDerby County F.C. failed to win on 10 April; Villa had three games left to play, all of which were won.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Note | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 1896 | Stoke | Wellington Road | 2–1 | — | Jack Cowan 20',Jack Devey[10] |
| 5 September 1896 | Albion | Stoney Lane | 1–3 | — | Jack Devey |
| 12 September 1896 | Sheffield United | Wellington Road | 2–2 | — | Fred Burton,Fred Wheldon |
| 19 September 1896 | Everton | Goodison | 3–2 | — | Johnny Campbell (3) |
| 26 September 1896 | Everton | Wellington Road | 1–2 | — | Jack Devey |
| 3 October 1896 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane | 0–0 | — | — |
| 10 October 1896 | Albion | Wellington Road | 2–0 | — | Fred Wheldon, Johnny Campbell |
| 17 October 1896 | Derby | Baseball Ground | 3–1 | — | Fred Wheldon, Johnny Campbell,Jack Cowan |
| 24 October 1896 | Derby | Wellington Road | 2–1 | — | Jack Cowan, Fred Wheldon |
| 31 October 1896 | Stoke | Victoria Ground | 2–0 | — | Fred Wheldon,Steve Smith |
| 7 November 1896 | Bury | Wellington Road | 1–1 | — | Charlie Athersmith |
| 14 November 1896 | Wednesday | Olive Grove | 3–1 | — | Fred Wheldon, Johnny Campbell, Charlie Athersmith |
| 21 November 1896 | Wednesday | Wellington Road | 4–0 | — | Steve Smith, Charlie Athersmith, Jack Devey, Fred Wheldon |
| 28 November 1896 | Blackburn | Ewood | 5–1 | — | Jack Devey, Johnny Campbell, Charlie Athersmith,Steve Smith, Unknown |
| 19 December 1896 | Nottingham Forest | Wellington Road | 3–2 | — | Jack Reynolds 5', Jack Devey 15', Charlie Athersmith |
| 25 December 1896 | Liverpool | Anfield | 3–3 | — | Jack Cowan, Fred Wheldon, Charlie Athersmith |
| 26 December 1896 | Wolves | Molineux | 2–1 | — | Bob Chatt, Charlie Athersmith |
| 2 January 1897 | Burnley | Wellington Road | 0–3 | — | — |
| 9 January 1897 | Sunderland | Newcastle Road | 2–4 | — | Own Goal, Johnny Campbell |
| 16 January 1897 | Sunderland | Wellington Road | 2–1 | — | Fred Wheldon, Unknown |
| 6 February 1897 | Bury | Gigg Lane | 2–0 | — | Johnny Campbell (2) |
| 8 February 1897 | Burnley | Turf Moor | 4–3 | — | Johnny Campbell, Jack Devey (2), *(fourth scorer)* |
| 22 February 1897 | Preston | Wellington Road | 3–1 | — | Jack Devey, Charlie Athersmith |
| 6 March 1897 | Nottingham Forest | Town Ground | 4–2 | — | Jack Devey,Jack Cowan, Johnny Campbell, Fred Wheldon |
| 13 March 1897 | Liverpool | Wellington Road | 0–0 | — | — |
| 22 March 1897 | Bolton Wanderers | Wellington Road | 6–2 | — | Charlie Athersmith, Jack Reynolds, Johnny Campbell, Fred Wheldon, *(others)* |
| 27 March 1897 | Bolton Wanderers | Pike’s Lane | 2–1 | — | Johnny Campbell, Fred Wheldon |
| 17 April 1897 | Blackburn | Villa Park | 3–0 | — | Johnny Campbell, Fred Wheldon, Own Goal |
| 19 April 1897 | Wolves | Villa Park | 5–0 | — | Jimmy Cowan, Jack Devey,Jack Cowan, Johnny Campbell (2) |
| 26 April 1897 | Preston | Deepdale | 1–0 | — | Fred Wheldon[10] |
Source:avfchistory.co.uk
| Event | 1896–97 FA Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 10 April 1897 | ||||||
| Venue | Crystal Palace,London | ||||||
| Referee | J. Lewis | ||||||
| Attendance | 65,891 | ||||||