| 1901–02 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Frederick Rinder |
| Manager | George Ramsay |
| First Division | 8th |
| FA Cup | first round |
| 7--0--2 | |
The1901–02 Football League season wasAston Villa's 14th season in theFirst Division, the top flightin English football at the time. The season fell in what was to be calledVilla's golden era.[1]
On Wednesday 25 December 1901, Villa won 3–2 away toEverton in front of a crowd of 18,000 at Goodison Park.[2] Villa scorer,Willie Clarke (41) became the first non-white player to score in the EnglishFirst Division.[3][4][5]
During the seasonJoe Bache (431), andJimmy Crabtree (176) shared the captaincy of the club.[2] Knee and ankle injuries inducedHoward Spencer (258) to take the season off for twelve months rest.[6]
The previous seasonSmall Heath had finished runners-up inSecond Division, so werepromoted to theFirst Divisionfor 1901–02.[7] Villa won 2–0 atCoventry Road Muntz Street with goals by Bache andJack Devey (268).[8] In the 1901Boxing Day fixture, Villa'sJasper McLuckie (57) was the only scorer.[9] At the end of the season Small Heath wererelegated back to the Second Division. In locally organised competition, Small Heath lost to Villa in the first round of theBirmingham Senior Cup.[10]
There were debuts for Willie Clarke, George Smith, George Harris, George Shutt, Tom Perry, Billy Marriott, Jasper McLuckie, Billy Brawn, Tommy Niblo,Bert Banks (5) and Harry Cooch.[11]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Derby County | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 39 | 41 | 0.951 | 35 |
| 7 | Bury | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 44 | 38 | 1.158 | 34 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 42 | 40 | 1.050 | 34 |
| 9 | The Wednesday | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 48 | 52 | 0.923 | 34 |
| 10 | Sheffield United | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 53 | 48 | 1.104 | 33 |