1930–31 Aston Villa F.C. season

Aston Villa
1930–31 season
PresidentPatrick Hannon
ManagerBilly Smith
StadiumVilla Park
First Division2nd
FA CupThird round
Second City Derby
18—10—11

The 1930–31 English football season was Aston Villa's 39th season in The Football League, Villa playing in the First Division. Villa scored 128 league goals in 42 matches, a First Division record. Villa's Pongo Waring finished as the leagues top scorer with 49 goals, overshadowing Eric Houghton who scored 30 goals. As of 2023, this remains the Villa record season for goals scored.

Villa started the season with four successive league wins, a record not matched until the 2020–21 season. On 17 January 1931 Villa beat Bolton 3–1. They would go on to win their eight remaining home games and thus had nine consecutive home wins to end the season. Other notable statistics included inflicting a 7–0 victory over Manchester United, the joint-heaviest competitive defeat for that club In the Second City derby, following a 1–1 home draw, Villa beat Birmingham 4–0 at St Andrews with goals by Joe Beresford, Eric Houghton, Jack Mandley and Joe Tate.

There were debuts for Tommy Wood (71), Reg Miles (16) and Percy Maggs (14). After a trial with Villa in October 1930, goalkeeper, Harry Morton (192) was signed as an amateur and made his club debut for the reserves in a Central League game against Everton Reserves on 22 November 1930. He went on to sign as a professional in March 1931. Richard York (356) played just four times in the 1930–31 campaign.

League table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1 Arsenal (C) 42 28 10 4 127 59 2.153 66
2 Aston Villa 42 25 9 8 128 78 1.641 59
3 Sheffield Wednesday 42 22 8 12 102 75 1.360 52
4 Portsmouth 42 18 13 11 84 67 1.254 49
5 Huddersfield Town 42 18 12 12 81 65 1.246 48
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions

Matches

1 September 1930 Sheffield Wednesday 0–2 Aston Villa Hillsborough Stadium
Pongo Waring 57'; George Brown 63'
6 September 1930 Aston Villa 6–1 West Ham United Villa Park
Eric Houghton 8'; Billy Walker 2–0; Pongo Waring 27', 53', 66'; 6–1
9 September 1930 Grimsby Town 1–2 Aston Villa Blundell Park
Pongo Waring 24'; Eric Houghton 29'
13 September 1930 Bolton Wanderers 1–1 Aston Villa Burnden Park
Pongo Waring 81'
15 September 1930 Aston Villa 2–0 Grimsby Town Villa Park
Eric Houghton 22'; Pongo Waring 43'
20 September 1930 Aston Villa 4–2 Liverpool Villa Park
Eric Houghton 27'; George Brown 37'; Billy Walker 44'; Pongo Waring 83'
27 September 1930 Middlesbrough 3–1 Aston Villa Ayresome Park
Joe Beresford 17'
4 October 1930 Aston Villa 6–1 Huddersfield Town Villa Park
Eric Houghton 1–0, 66'; Billy Walker 10', 62', 63'; Pongo Waring 48'
11 October 1930 Sunderland 1–1 Aston Villa Roker Park
Eric Houghton 42'
18 October 1930 Aston Villa 1–1 Birmingham City Villa Park
Pongo Waring 35'
25 October 1930 Leicester City 4–1 Aston Villa Filbert Street
Pongo Waring 67'
1 November 1930 Aston Villa 5–2 Blackburn Rovers Villa Park
Pongo Waring 1–0, 4–1; Joe Beresford 27'; Eric Houghton 16', 83'
8 November 1930 Arsenal 5–2 Aston Villa Highbury
Pongo Waring 42'; 2–4
Note: Aston Villa lost 5–2 at Arsenal Stadium in front of a crowd of 56,417.
15 November 1930 Aston Villa 4–6 Derby County Villa Park
Eric Houghton 9' (pen), 55'; Alec Talbot 41'; Pongo Waring 74'
22 November 1930 Blackpool 2–2 Aston Villa Bloomfield Road
Reg Chester 25'; Jack Mandley 84'
3 December 1930 Aston Villa 2–2 Portsmouth Villa Park
Jimmy Gibson 1–0; Jack Mandley 2–0
6 December 1930 Sheffield United 3–4 Aston Villa Bramall Lane
Pongo Waring 6', 11'; Eric Houghton 3–1; Billy Walker 82'
13 December 1930 Aston Villa 4–3 Leeds United Villa Park
Jack Mandley 8'; Eric Houghton 30'; Pongo Waring 41'; Billy Walker 73'
20 December 1930 Manchester City 3–1 Aston Villa Maine Road
Pongo Waring 62'
25 December 1930 Chelsea 0–2 Aston Villa Stamford Bridge
Pongo Waring; Billy Walker
26 December 1930 Aston Villa 3–3 Chelsea Villa Park
Pongo Waring 1–1, 2–1; Eric Houghton 3–3 (pen)
27 December 1930 Aston Villa 7–0 Manchester United Villa Park
Jack Mandley 8', 66'; Eric Houghton 22' (pen), 28' (pen); George Brown 55', 69'; Joe Beresford 76'
3 January 1931 West Ham United 5–5 Aston Villa Boleyn Ground
Joe Beresford 4', 61'; George Brown 40'; Billy Walker 30'; Eric Houghton 53' (pen)
17 January 1931 Aston Villa 3–1 Bolton Wanderers Villa Park
Eric Houghton 22'; Pongo Waring 52'; Jack Mandley 80'
24 January 1931 Liverpool 1–1 Aston Villa Anfield
Billy Walker 79'
31 January 1931 Aston Villa 8–1 Middlesbrough Villa Park
Joe Beresford 6'; Pongo Waring 25', 66'; Billy Walker 40'; Eric Houghton 42', 84'; Jack Mandley 72'
7 February 1931 Huddersfield Town 1–6 Aston Villa Leeds Road
Pongo Waring 16', 75'; Eric Houghton 48', 71'; Jimmy Gibson 85'; Joe Beresford 87'
18 February 1931 Aston Villa 4–2 Sunderland Villa Park
Pongo Waring 5', 13', 36'; 4–1
21 February 1931 Birmingham City 0–4 Aston Villa St Andrew's
Joe Tate 26'; Jack Mandley 58'; Eric Houghton 72'; Joe Beresford 80'
28 February 1931 Aston Villa 4–2 Leicester City Villa Park
Pongo Waring 31'; Joe Beresford 44', 81', 88'
7 March 1931 Blackburn Rovers 0–2 Aston Villa Ewood Park
Joe Beresford 24'; Pongo Waring 82'
14 March 1931 Aston Villa 5–1 Arsenal Villa Park
Pongo Waring 1', 37'; Billy Walker 44'; Eric Houghton 65', 80'
Note: Villa stopped Arsenal in their tracks with a 5–1 victory at Villa Park.
21 March 1931 Derby County 1–1 Aston Villa Baseball Ground
Eric Houghton 87'
28 March 1931 Aston Villa 4–1 Blackpool Villa Park
Pongo Waring 20', 81', 89'; Eric Houghton 2–0
7 April 1931 Aston Villa 4–3 Newcastle United Villa Park
Billy Walker 33', 40'; Eric Houghton 52' (pen); Pongo Waring 85'
11 April 1931 Aston Villa 4–0 Sheffield United Villa Park
Billy Walker 35'; Eric Houghton 48' (pen); Pongo Waring 80', 82'
18 April 1931 Leeds United 0–2 Aston Villa Elland Road
Pongo Waring 42'; Reg Chester 50'
25 April 1931 Aston Villa 4–2 Manchester City Villa Park
Reg Chester 2'; Joe Beresford 7'; Pongo Waring 53'; Eric Houghton 85'

Source: avfchistory.co.uk

FA Cup

See also

References

  1. ↑ Aston Villa Meeting, Birmingham Evening Mail, 5 July 1941, p3
  2. ↑ Groot, Lucas Franciscus Michaël, Economics, Uncertainty and European Football: Trends in Competitive Balance; pp. 34–35 ISBN 178100823X
  3. ↑ "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  4. ↑ AVFC History: 1930–31
  5. ↑ Goodyear, David; Matthews, Tony, p.161
  6. ↑ BBC, Aston Villa v Leeds United 23 Oct 2020 Premier League
  7. ↑ "Aston Villa 3–1 Bolton Wanderers, 1930–31 Division One, 17 Jan 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  8. 1 2 "All of the Matches". www.avfchistory.co.uk.
  9. ↑ "Aston Villa 8–1 Middlesbrough, 1930–31 Division One, 31 Jan 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  10. ↑ "Aston Villa 4–2 Sunderland, 1930–31 Division One, 18 Feb 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  11. ↑ "Aston Villa 4–2 Leicester City, 1930–31 Division One, 28 Feb 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  12. ↑ "Aston Villa 5–1 Arsenal, 1930–31 Division One, 14 Mar 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  13. ↑ "Aston Villa 4–1 Blackpool, 1930–31 Division One, 28 Mar 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  14. ↑ "Aston Villa 4–3 Newcastle United, 1930–31 Division One, 7 Apr 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  15. ↑ "Aston Villa 4–0 Sheffield United, 1930–31 Division One, 11 Apr 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  16. ↑ "Aston Villa 4–2 Manchester City, 1930–31 Division One, 25 Apr 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  17. ↑ "Man Utd 'eaten alive' & Fernandes a 'disgrace'". BBC Sport. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "Aston Villa 1–1 Birmingham, 1930–31 Division One, 18 Oct 1930". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  19. ↑ "Birmingham 0–4 Aston Villa, 1930–31 Division One, 21 Feb 1931". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  20. ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/tommy-wood
  21. ↑ https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/reg-miles
  22. ↑
  23. ↑ "Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.
  24. ↑ "Detailed bio". Aston Villa Database. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
  25. ↑ James, Andrew & Kelly, Arsenal: The Complete Record. p160