See main article: History of Aston Villa F.C. (1874–1961).
| Season: | 1894–95 |
| Stdtitle: | Ground |
| League Result: | 3rd |
| Cup1 Result: | Winners |
| Nextseason: | 1895–96 |
| 1895 FA Cup final | |
| Event: | 1894–95 FA Cup |
| Team1: | Aston Villa |
| Team1score: | 1 |
| Team2: | West Bromwich Albion |
| Team2score: | 0 |
| Date: | 20 April 1895 |
| Stadium: | Crystal Palace |
| City: | London |
| Referee: | John Lewis |
| Attendance: | 42,560 |
The 1894–95 Football League season fell in what was to be called Villa's golden era.[1] Under George Ramsay's management committee Villa won the FA Cup for the second time.[2] The 1894–95 Division 1 season was the first season of the First league Second City Derby with Aston Villa beating local rivals Small Heath 2–1 on 1 September 1894.
A league match in November 1894 against Sheffield United at Perry Barr was played in driving freezing rain. Villa's players had dry clothes available,[3] and were given hot drinks, a courtesy apparently not extended to the visitors.[4] [5] The Sheffield players were worse affected, several needing treatment for exposure, and by the end of the match only six were still on the field.[5] Villa's Jack Devey put on an overcoat, and Charlie Athersmith played under an umbrella borrowed from a spectator[6] [7] before collapsing in the dressing-room afterwards.[5]
Villa registered the biggest away win in the League when they defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–4 on 22 December 1894, and beat Small Heath in the final of the Mayor of Birmingham's Charity Cup.
Twenty thousand people saw Sunderland win the championship with a 2–1 scoreline and rendered Everton's final game meaningless. As it was, Everton could only draw that game at Aston Villa 2–2, a result which would have taken the title to Sunderland regardless.
The 1895 FA Cup Final was contested by Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion at Crystal Palace. Aston Villa won 1–0, with Bob Chatt being credited with scoring the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history, scored after just 30 seconds. This record would stand for 114 years before being broken by Louis Saha of Everton in the 2009 FA Cup Final with a goal after 25 seconds.
There were debut appearances for Harry Wilkes, Billy Dorrell, George Kinsey, Howard Spencer, Tom Purslow, Billy Podmore and Bob Gordon.[8]
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunderland | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 80 | 37 | 2.162 | 47 |
| 2 | Everton | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 82 | 50 | 1.640 | 42 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 82 | 43 | 1.907 | 39 |
| 4 | Preston North End | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 62 | 46 | 1.348 | 35 |
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 59 | 49 | 1.204 | 32 |
| League Result: | 2--0--1 |
| Nextseason: | 1895–96 |
See main article: Second City Derby. Small Heath's First Division campaign began on Saturday 1 September with a visit to local rivals and League champions Aston Villa. The match turned out rather closer than predicted. Small Heath's Jack Hallam opened the scoring from a Tommy Hands cross with the first League goal of the season, "for the match was started punctually, and it would have been a sheer impossibility to score faster than the Small Heath player did." Steve Smith equalised for Villa some 20 minutes later, and a Bob Gordon goal meant they took the lead immediately afterwards, and retained that lead to the end. The Birmingham Daily Post picked out Hallam and Caesar Jenkyns for praise, was disappointed by Fred Wheldon, "usually the bright particular star of the front rank", and suggested that Jack Oliver would be a success "when he has lost a little superfluous flesh".[9] [10]
The reverse fixture resulted in a 2-2 draw on 20 October 1894 with Bob Gordon and Denny Hodgetts scoring for Villa.(2-0-1)[11]
Small Heath took on Aston Villa in their last match of the season, the final of the Birmingham Charity Cup. Unfortunately for the charities, the weather was poor and the attendance low, but those spectators present saw an exciting game. Wheldon scored first with a fierce shot that entered the net off the goalkeeper and the underside of the bar, then Bob Chatt equalised from a free kick and Charlie Athersmith outpaced Oliver and his parried shot was forced over the line. Mobley tied the scores with a long shot, but in the second half with the wind behind them, Villa scored three times to Jack Hallam's one to take the match 5–3.[12]