The 1880–81 English football season was Aston Villa's 2nd season in the Football Association Cup, the top-level football competition at the time. In 1881 Villa departed the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage.
| 1880–81 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | William McGregor |
| FA Cup | 4th round |
In 1881 The referee is introduced to decide disputes between the umpires. The caution (for "ungentlemanly behaviour") and the sending-off (for violent conduct) appear in the laws for the first time.
In the April Staffordshire Cup final, Villa beat Walsall Swifts 4-1. Villa had previously beaten Elwell, Fenton and Goldenhill to reach the final.[1]
Aston Villa participated in the 1880–81 Birmingham Senior Cup being runners-up to Walsall Swifts following a 1–0 defeat in the final at Aston Lower Grounds.
FA Cup
edit| 30 October 1880 1st Round | Aston Villa | 5–3 | Wednesbury Strollers | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: Having avoided last season's opponent Stafford Road, in the first round, Villa faced only their second official opponent, Wednesbury Strollers.[2] The club was considered a more upmarket side than the Wednesbury Old Athletic Club with generally richer patrons but less public support.[3] There were season debuts for Howard Vaughton[4] George Copley,[5] Bill Watts [6] and Arthur Brown.[7] | ||||
| 4 December 1880 2nd Round | Nottingham Forest | 1–2 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: [8] | ||||
| 12 February 1881 3rd Round | Notts County | 1–3 | Aston Villa | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: [9] | ||||
| 19 February 1881 4th Round | Aston Villa | 2–3 | Stafford Road | |
| Report | ||||
| Note: Villa's first official defeat came against the same team against whom they had achieved their first victory in the competition, Stafford Road. [10] | ||||
Friendlies
editOn 16th August a match was arranged with Small Heath Alliance for the benefit of the John Skirrow Wright statue fund.[11]
References
edit- ↑ Football, The Birmingham Post, 18 April 1881, p7
- ↑ "🟩 30 Oct 1880, Villa 5-3 Wednesbury Strollers, Wellington Road". AVFC History. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ "Football". Sports Argus: 1. 8 January 1916.
- ↑ "AVFC History - Howard Vaughton". avfchistory.co.uk. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ "George Copley Aston Villa Goalkeeper". AVFC History.
- ↑ "Bill Watts Aston Villa Forward".
- ↑ "AVFC History - Arthur Brown". www.avfchistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ James Constant, avfchistory.co.uk, 🟩 4 Dec 1880, Villa 2-1 Forest, Trent Bridge
- ↑ James Constant, avfchistory.co.uk, 🟩 12 Feb 1881, Villa 3-1 Notts County, Trent Bridge
- ↑ James Constant, avfchistory.co.uk, 🟥 19 Feb 1881, Villa 2-3 Stafford Road, Wellington Road
- ↑ "Football", Birmingham Evening Mail, 13 August 1880, p1
  | This article about an English association football club season is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |