1902–03 Aston Villa F.C. season
| 1902–03 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Frederick Rinder |
| Manager | George Ramsay |
| First Division | 2nd |
| FA Cup | Semi-finals |
The 1902–03 English football season was Aston Villa's 15th season in the Football League competing in the First Division,[a] the then top flight of English football. The season fell in what was to be called Villa's golden era.[1]
During the season Howard Spencer and Albert Evans shared the captaincy of the club.[2] Spencer returned, having taken the 1901–02 season off in order to rest his knee and ankle for twelve months in the hope of recovering from an injury.[3] Billy Garraty, great-great-grandfather of Jack Grealish, made 30 appearances during the season.[4][5]
Alex Leake joined Aston Villa from Small Heath in July 1902, when he was 31, and stayed five years. In a 1901 profile in the Daily Express, C.B. Fry wrote:[6]
Leake is one of the best half-backs of the day; he is a character, and very popular. Fast, with exceptional stamina, he is on the go all the game through; yet never tires.
Other debuts were Arthur Lockett,[7] Albert Fisher,[8] Oscar Evans, [9] and Harry Griffin.[10][11]
In Villa's first home game of 1903 they beat Forest 3–1. Two weeks later they beat Blackburn 5–0 at home. The next home tie was in the FA Cup with Villa beating Sunderland 4–1. In February Villa beat Barnsley 4–1, also a home tie in the FA Cup. April 1903 saw five home fixtures for Villa.[12] They won all five and thus had nine consecutive home wins to end the season.[13][14][15][16][17]
Aston Villa Reserves won the Walsall Senior Cup in 1903.[18][19]
League
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Wednesday (C) | 34 | 19 | 4 | 11 | 54 | 36 | 1.500 | 42 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 34 | 19 | 3 | 12 | 61 | 40 | 1.525 | 41 |
| 3 | Sunderland | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 51 | 36 | 1.417 | 41 |
| 4 | Sheffield United | 34 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 58 | 44 | 1.318 | 39 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 34 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 68 | 49 | 1.388 | 38 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions
Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Notes | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Sep 1902 | Derby | Villa Park | 0–0 | — | — |
| 13 Sep 1902 | Forest | City Ground | 0–2 | — | — |
| 20 Sep 1902 | Bury | Villa Park | 2–2 | — | Joe Bache; George Johnson |
| 27 Sep 1902 | Blackburn | Ewood | 2–0 | — | Joe Bache; George Johnson |
| 4 Oct 1902 | Sunderland | Villa Park | 0–1 | — | — |
| 11 Oct 1902 | Stoke | Victoria Ground | 0–1 | — | — |
| 18 Oct 1902 | Everton | Villa Park | 2–1 | — | Billy Garraty; Michael Noon |
| 1 Nov 1902 | Albion | Villa Park | 0–3 | — | — |
| 8 Nov 1902 | Notts County | Trent Bridge | 1–2 | — | Billy Garraty |
| 15 Nov 1902 | Bolton | Villa Park | 4–2 | — | Joe Bache; Albert Wilkes; Billy Garraty (2) |
| 22 Nov 1902 | Boro | Linthorpe Road | 2–1 | — | Willie Clarke; Own Goal |
| 29 Nov 1902 | Newcastle | Villa Park | 7–0 | — | Joe Bache (2); Alex Leake; Bobby Templeton; George Johnson (2); Own Goal |
| 6 Dec 1902 | Wolves | Molineux | 1–2 | — | Joe Bache |
| 13 Dec 1902 | Liverpool | Villa Park | 1–2 | — | Joe Bache |
| 20 Dec 1902 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane | 4–2 | — | Jasper McLuckie; Bobby Templeton; Billy Garraty; 4–1 |
| 26 Dec 1902 | Wednesday | Villa Park | 1–0 | — | Billy Garraty (pen) |
| 27 Dec 1902 | Grimsby | Villa Park | 2–2 | — | Billy Garraty (1–1, 2–2) |
| 1 Jan 1903 | Wednesday | Owlerton | 0–4 | — | — |
| 3 Jan 1903 | Derby | Baseball Ground | 0–2 | — | — |
| 10 Jan 1903 | Forest | Villa Park | 3–1 | — | Billy Garraty (2); Jasper McLuckie |
| 17 Jan 1903 | Bury | Gigg Lane | 1–0 | — | Jasper McLuckie |
| 24 Jan 1903 | Blackburn | Villa Park | 5–0 | — | Billy Brawn; Tommy Niblo; Jasper McLuckie; Billy Garraty |
| 31 Jan 1903 | Sunderland | Roker | 0–1 | — | — |
| 14 Feb 1903 | Everton | Goodison | 1–0 | — | Joe Bache |
| 28 Feb 1903 | Albion | Hawthorns | 2–1 | — | Jasper McLuckie; Alf Wood |
| 14 Mar 1903 | Bolton | Burnden | 1–0 | — | George Johnson |
| 28 Mar 1903 | Newcastle | St James' | 0–2 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1903 | Wolves | Villa Park | 3–1 | — | Jasper McLuckie; Billy Garraty; George Johnson |
| 11 Apr 1903 | Liverpool | Anfield | 1–2 | — | Billy Garraty (pen) |
| 13 Apr 1903 | Stoke | Villa Park | 2–0 | — | Willie Clarke; Alex Leake |
| 15 Apr 1903 | Notts County | Villa Park | 2–1 | — | Jasper McLuckie; Billy Brawn (pen) |
| 18 Apr 1903 | Sheffield United | Villa Park | 4–2 | — | Jasper McLuckie (3); Billy Garraty |
| 25 Apr 1903 | Grimsby | Blundell Park | 2–0 | — | Jasper McLuckie (2) |
| 27 Apr 1903 | Boro | Villa Park | 5–0 | — | Willie Clarke; Jasper McLuckie; Alex Leake; Alf Wood; George Johnson |
Source: avfchistory.co.uk
FA Cup
First round
The first round proper contained 16 ties between 32 teams. 17 of the 18 First Division sides were given a bye to this round, as were Manchester City and Small Heath from the Second Division, and Southern League teams Southampton, Portsmouth, and Tottenham Hotspur. They joined the ten teams who won in the intermediate round.
The matches were played on Saturday, 7 February 1903. Four matches were drawn, with the replays taking place in the following midweek. One of these, the Notts County v Southampton match, went to a second replay, which Notts County won at Small Heath's St Andrew's ground.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Aston Villa | 4–1 | Sunderland | 7 February 1903 |
Second round
The eight Second Round matches were played on Saturday, 21 February 1903. There was one replay, between Nottingham Forest and Stoke City, played in the following midweek.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Aston Villa | 4–1 | Barnsley | 21 February 1903 |
Third round
The four Third Round matches were played on Saturday 7 March 1903. There were no replays.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2–3 | Aston Villa | 7 March 1903 |
Semi-finals
The semi-final matches were played at neutral venues on Saturday 21 March 1903. Bury and Derby County won and went on to meet each other in the final.
Players
- Alf Wood, 35 appearances
- Billy George, 33 appearances, conceded 35
- Alex Leake, 32 appearances
- Howard Spencer, 31 appearances
- Billy Garraty, 30 appearances
- Joe Bache, 28 appearances
- Jasper McLuckie, 24 appearances
- George Johnson, 24 appearances
- Tommy Niblo, 21 appearances
- Albert Wilkes, 21 appearances
- Billy Brawn, 20 appearances
- Willie Clarke, 20 appearances
- Micky Noon, 20 appearances
- Albert Evans, 18 appearances
- Joe Pearson, 17 appearances
- Jack Shutt, 15 appearances
- Bobby Templeton, 11 appearances
- Harry Cooch, 5 appearances, conceded 12
- George Harris, 4 appearances
- Tom Perry, 4 appearances
- NEW Harry Griffin, 1 appearance
- NEW Albert Fisher, 1 appearance
- Oscar Evans, 2 appearances
- NEW Arthur Lockett, 1 appearances [2]
Footnotes
- ^ Up until 1992, the top division of English football was the Football League First Division. The Premier League took over from the First Division as the top tier of the English football league system upon its formation in 1992. The First Division then became the second tier of English football, the Second Division became the third tier and so on. The First Division is now known as the Football League Championship, while the Second Division is now known as Football League One.
References
- ^ "Aston Villa Club History 1900 – 1939". AVFC.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 August 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
- ^ a b AVFC History: 1902-03 season
- ^ "Twelve months rest for Howard Spencer". Dundee Evening Post. 3 July 1901. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ Kendrick, Mat (26 May 2015). "Aston Villa v Arsenal: This 1905 FA Cup winner is related to a current Villa star – find out who". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^ "Player info: William Garraty". Englandstats.com. Davey Naylor. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^ Fry, C.B. (26 October 1901). "Football Gossip. The Small Heath Club and its members. How they play". Daily Express. p. 8.
- ^ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/arthur-lockett
- ^ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/albert-fisher
- ^ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/oscar-evans
- ^ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/harry-griffin
- ^ "Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.
- ^ "All the Matches". www.avfchistory.co.uk.
- ^ 4 April 1903 Villa 3-1 Wolves
- ^ 13 April Villa 2-0 Stoke
- ^ 15 Apr Villa 2-1 Notts County
- ^ 18 Apr Villa 4-2 Sheffield United
- ^ 27 Apr Villa 5-0 Middlesbrough
- ^ "Walsall Cup - Final Tie - Aston Villa Reserves vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers Reserves". Birmingham Daily Mail. 19 April 1899.
- ^ "Walsall Cup - Final Tie - West Bromwich Albion Reserves vs. Aston Villa Reserves". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 24 March 1903.