The 1968–69 English football season was Aston Villa's 70th season in the Football League, this season playing in the Football League Second Division. Aston Villa had been in decline for several years; the club had an ageing five-man board "who had failed to adapt to the new football reality".[1] The club had neither developed a scouting network nor an effective coaching structure.[2]
| 1968–69 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | (1) Norman Smith (2) Doug Ellis |
| Manager | (1) Tommy Cummings (2) Tommy Docherty |
| Stadium | Villa Park |
| Second Division | 18th |
| FA Cup | Fifth round |
| League Cup | Second round |
| 31--23--23 | |
In the pre-season, newspapers reported the arrival of Argentinian International Oscar Arce, formerly of Peñarol and Rosario Central. He was reportedly valued at £100,000 (at the time Martin Chivers was the League record signing at £125,000).[3][4] Following Arce joining, in July 1968, Peter Doherty was appointed chief scout.[5] Arce made seven appearance for the reserves, [6] but, while skilful, he was criticised for his temperament, fitness and lack of effort. The club bought him out of his contract.
Events off the pitch came to a head in November 1968. With Villa lying at the bottom of Division Two, the board sacked Tommy Cummings. On 21 November 1968 the problems in the boardroom were highlighted when board member George Robinson resigned. Following his resignation, the board issued a statement: "[The board] would make available, by their resignation, such seats as new financial arrangements might require".[2] Aston Villa F.C. was up for sale. After much speculation London financier Pat Matthews bought control of the club. He brought in local travel agent Doug Ellis as chair of the new board that was convened on 16 December 1968. Two days later Tommy Docherty was appointed as manager, his third club in six weeks, after his resignation from Rotherham United and a brief spell at Queens Park Rangers.[2]
There were debuts for Brian Tiler (107), Mike Ferguson (38), Dave Simmons (17), John Griffiths (3), John Chambers (2), and Barry Lynch (2).[7] After just two years at Blackburn Barrie Hole (47) moved, this time to Aston Villa for £60,000 in September 1968. In a disappointing season, Hole won the Aston Villa Lions Club Terrace Trophy for the best player at Aston Villa as decided by the fans.[8]
In the Second City derby both teams won their home game.[9]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Bristol City | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 46 | 53 | 0.868 | 38 |
| 17 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 55 | 67 | 0.821 | 38 |
| 18 | Aston Villa | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 37 | 48 | 0.771 | 38 |
| 19 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 52 | 63 | 0.825 | 37 |
| 20 | Oxford United | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 0.618 | 33 |
Matches
edit| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Notes | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Aug 1968 | Sheffield United | A | 1–3 | — | Willie Anderson (79' pen) [10] |
| 17 Aug 1968 | Fulham | H | 1–1 | — | John Woodward (84') |
| 19 Aug 1968 | Millwall | H | 1–1 | — | Willie Anderson (26' pen) |
| 24 Aug 1968 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–2 | — | — |
| 26 Aug 1968 | Bristol City | H | 1–0 | — | John Woodward (73') |
| 31 Aug 1968 | Blackpool | H | 0–1 | — | — |
| 7 Sep 1968 | Derby County | A | 1–3 | — | Mike Ferguson (86') |
| 14 Sep 1968 | Hull City | H | 1–1 | — | Willie Anderson (46') |
| 18 Sep 1968 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–4 | — | Brian Godfrey (64') |
| 21 Sep 1968 | Birmingham City | A | 0–4 | — | — |
| 28 Sep 1968 | Oxford United | H | 2–0 | — | Barrie Hole (42'), Brian Godfrey (83') |
| 5 Oct 1968 | Cardiff City | A | 1–1 | — | Brian Godfrey (72') |
| 8 Oct 1968 | Bristol City | A | 0–1 | — | — |
| 12 Oct 1968 | Crystal Palace | H | 1–1 | — | Willie Anderson (78' pen) |
| 19 Oct 1968 | Norwich City | A | 1–1 | — | Lew Chatterley (3') |
| 26 Oct 1968 | Carlisle United | H | 0–0 | — | — [11] |
| 2 Nov 1968 | Huddersfield Town | A | 1–3 | — | Mike Ferguson (3') [12] |
| 9 Nov 1968 | Preston North End | H | 0–1 | — | — [13] |
| 16 Nov 1968 | Portsmouth | A | 0–2 | — | — [14] |
| 23 Nov 1968 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–0 | — | Own Goal (73') [15] |
| 30 Nov 1968 | Bury | A | 2–3 | — | John Woodward (50'), Willie Anderson (59') [16] |
| 7 Dec 1968 | Charlton Athletic | H | 0–0 | — | — [17] |
| 14 Dec 1968 | Crystal Palace | A | 2–4 | — | Lionel Martin (75'), Dick Edwards (88') [18] |
| 21 Dec 1968 | Norwich City | H | 2–1 | On 18 December Tommy Docherty had become the manager. | Dick Edwards (4'), Barrie Hole (82') [19] |
| 26 Dec 1968 | Cardiff City | H | 2–0 | — | Barrie Hole (31'), Brian Tiler (70') [20] |
| 28 Dec 1968 | Carlisle United | A | 1–0 | — | Willie Anderson (65') [21] |
| 11 Jan 1969 | Huddersfield Town | H | 1–0 | — | Barrie Hole (8') |
| 18 Jan 1969 | Preston North End | A | 0–1 | — | — |
| 1 Feb 1969 | Portsmouth | H | 2–0 | — | Dave Rudge (53'), Brian Godfrey (78') |
| 15 Feb 1969 | Bury | H | 1–0 | — | Dave Rudge (73') |
| 22 Feb 1969 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–1 | — | Dave Simmons (4') |
| 1 Mar 1969 | Sheffield United | H | 3–1 | — | Barrie Hole (4'), Dave Simmons (58', 69') |
| 4 Mar 1969 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–0 | — | — |
| 8 Mar 1969 | Fulham | A | 1–1 | — | Own Goal (15') |
| 15 Mar 1969 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1–1 | — | Dave Simmons (39') |
| 22 Mar 1969 | Blackpool | A | 1–1 | — | Brian Godfrey (2') |
| 29 Mar 1969 | Derby County | H | 0–1 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1969 | Millwall | A | 1–0 | — | Lionel Martin (83') |
| 5 Apr 1969 | Oxford United | A | 0–1 | — | — |
| 8 Apr 1969 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–1 | — | Own Goal (14') |
| 12 Apr 1969 | Birmingham City | H | 1–0 | — | Dave Simmons (55') |
| 19 Apr 1969 | Hull City | A | 0–1[10] | — | — |
Source: avfchistory.co.uk
FA Cup
editThird round proper
editThe 44 First and Second Division clubs entered the competition at this stage. The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 4 January 1969. Seven matches were drawn and went to replays. Kettering Town was the last non-league club left in the competition.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Aston Villa | 2–1 | Queens Park Rangers | 4 January 1969 |
Fourth round proper
editThe matches were scheduled for Saturday, 25 January 1969. Six matches were drawn and went to replays.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Southampton | 2–2 | Aston Villa | 25 January 1969 |
| Replay | Aston Villa | 2–1 | Southampton | 29 January 1969 |
Fifth round proper
editThe matches were scheduled for Saturday, 8 February 1969. However, for the first time in history, the entire fifth round draw for the FA Cup was unable to be played due to heavy snowfall across England,[22] and the matches were replayed at various times after this date. Most took place by the following Wednesday (one of these requiring a replay), two were played a fortnight later, but the final match was not played until 1 March and required a replay two days later.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3–2 | Aston Villa | 12 February 1969 |
League Cup
editSecond round
edit| Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 1–4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 September 1968 |
References
edit- ↑ Ward, Adam, p. 98
- 1 2 3 Ward, Adam, p. 100
- ↑ "Villa planning to sign an Argentinian". The Birmingham Post. 24 June 1968. p. 13.
- ↑ "Football...South American style". The Birmingham Post. 24 June 1968. p. 13.
- ↑ Peter Doherty joins Villa as chief scout, The Birmingham Post, 3 July 1968, p40
- ↑ p26, The Aston Villa Miscellany, David Woodhall, 2007. ISBN 1-905326-17-3
- ↑ "Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.
- ↑ "Special feature: The former Aston Villa and Notts County star showing plenty of pluck". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ↑ "All Aston Villa's Matches". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- 1 2 https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/league/1968-69
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3000
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3001
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3002
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3003
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3004
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3005
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3006
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3007
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3008
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3009
- ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3010
- ↑ "The Times Archive". London: Times Newspapers Ltd. 10 February 1969. Retrieved 2 September 2008.[dead link]
External links
edit- AVFC History: 1968-69 season
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