1985–86 Aston Villa F.C. season

Aston Villa
1985–86 season
ChairmanDoug Ellis
ManagerGraham Turner
StadiumVilla Park
First Division16th
FA CupFourth round
League CupSemi-finals
Second City Derby
40--31--26

The 1985–86 English football season was Aston Villa's 87th season in the Football League. Villa competed in the Football League First Division.

First Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
14 Southampton 42 12 10 20 51 62 −11 46
15 Manchester City 42 11 12 19 43 57 −14 45
16 Aston Villa 42 10 14 18 51 67 −16 44
17 Coventry City 42 11 10 21 48 71 −23 43
18 Oxford United 42 10 12 20 62 80 −18 42 Disqualified from the UEFA Cup
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. ↑ Oxford United would have qualified as League Cup winners.
17 August 1985 Manchester United 4–0 Aston Villa Manchester
Report Stadium: Old Trafford
Note: The Football League season begins. FA Cup holders Manchester United beat Aston Villa 4–0 at Old Trafford. The season begins without any live coverage of matches on TV for an indefinite period after the collapse of talks between ITV and the Football League to show live matches this season.
21 August 1985 Aston Villa 2–2 Liverpool Birmingham
Gary Shaw, Mark Walters Report Stadium: Villa Park
24 August 1985 Aston Villa 1–2 Queens Park Rangers Birmingham
Mark Walters Report Stadium: Villa Park
27 August 1985 Southampton 0–0 Aston Villa Southampton
Report Stadium: The Dell
31 August 1985 Aston Villa 3–1 Luton Town Birmingham
Mark Walters, Steve Hodge, David Norton Report Stadium: Villa Park
4 September 1985 West Bromwich Albion 0–3 Aston Villa West Bromwich
Report Allan Evans (pen), Tony Daley, Mark Walters Stadium: The Hawthorns
Note: Midweek clashes in the First Division see a 3–0 away win for Villa over local rivals West Bromwich Albion.
7 September 1985 Birmingham City 0–0 Aston Villa Birmingham
Report Stadium: St Andrew's
14 September 1985 Aston Villa 1–1 Coventry City Birmingham
Steve Hodge Report Stadium: Villa Park
21 September 1985 Ipswich Town 0–3 Aston Villa Ipswich
Report Mark Walters, Steve Hodge, Paul Birch Stadium: Portman Road
28 September 1985 Aston Villa 0–0 Everton Birmingham
Report Stadium: Villa Park
5 October 1985 Arsenal 3–2 Aston Villa London
Report Simon Stainrod, Mark Walters Stadium: Highbury
12 October 1985 Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest Birmingham
Colin Gibson Report Stadium: Villa Park
19 October 1985 West Ham United 4–1 Aston Villa London
Report Simon Stainrod Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Note: The First Division scene produces a string of thrilling matches. West Ham's climb up the table continues with a 4–1 home win over Villa. West Bromwich Albion finally win a league game at the 13th attempt by beating their local rivals Birmingham City 2–1 at The Hawthorns.
26 October 1985 Aston Villa 1–2 Newcastle United Birmingham
Andy Gray Report Stadium: Villa Park
2 November 1985 Aston Villa 2–0 Oxford United Birmingham
Allan Evans (pen), Simon Stainrod Report Stadium: Villa Park
9 November 1985 Watford 1–1 Aston Villa Watford
Report Andy Gray Stadium: Vicarage Road
16 November 1985 Aston Villa 1–1 Sheffield Wednesday Birmingham
Colin Gibson Report Stadium: Villa Park
23 November 1985 Chelsea 2–1 Aston Villa London
Report Andy Gray Stadium: Stamford Bridge
30 November 1985 Aston Villa 1–2 Spurs Birmingham
Mark Walters 88' Report Stadium: Villa Park
7 December 1985 Liverpool 3–0 Aston Villa Liverpool
Report Stadium: Anfield
Note: Kenny Dalglish's team beat Aston Villa 3–0 at Anfield.
14 December 1985 Aston Villa 1–3 Manchester United Birmingham
Steve Hodge 29' Report Stadium: Villa Park
Note: Manchester United move five points ahead at the top of the First Division with a 3–1 win at struggling Aston Villa, who are in danger of relegation four seasons after winning the European Cup and five years after being league champions.
17 December 1985 QPR 0–1 Aston Villa London
Report Paul Birch 5' Stadium: Loftus Road
26 December 1985 Leicester City 3–1 Aston Villa Leicester
Report Mark Walters 32' Stadium: Filbert Street
28 December 1985 Aston Villa 1–1 West Bromwich Albion Birmingham
Paul Kerr 43' Report Stadium: Villa Park
Note: A local derby at Villa Park sees Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion draw 1–1.
1 January 1986 Aston Villa 0–1 Manchester City Birmingham
Report Stadium: Villa Park
11 January 1986 Coventry City 3–3 Aston Villa Coventry
Report Simon Stainrod 2', Andy Gray 61', Paul Elliott 79' Stadium: Highfield Road
18 January 1986 Luton Town 2–0 Aston Villa Luton
Report Stadium: Kenilworth Road
1 February 1986 Aston Villa 0–0 Southampton Birmingham
Report Stadium: Villa Park
1 March 1986 Everton 2–0 Aston Villa Liverpool
Report Stadium: Goodison Park
Note: Aston Villa have slipped into the relegation zone alongside West Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City. Everton strengthen their hold on the top position in the First Division by beating Aston Villa 2–0 at home.
8 March 1986 Aston Villa 1–4 Arsenal Birmingham
Mark Walters 49' Report Stadium: Villa Park
Note: On the league scene, Aston Villa remain in the relegation zone after losing 4–1 at home to Arsenal.
15 March 1986 Forest 1–1 Aston Villa Nottingham
Report Mark Walte Stadium: City Ground
19 March 1986 Aston Villa 2–1 West Ham United Birmingham
Steve Hodge (2) Report Stadium: Villa Park
22 March 1986 Aston Villa 0–3 Birmingham City Birmingham
— Report Stadium: Villa Park
Note: A relegation crunch clash at Villa Park sees Birmingham City boost their own survival hopes and dent those of their local rivals Villa.
29 March 1986 Manchester City 2–2 Aston Villa Manchester
Report Steve Hodge, Simon Stainrod Stadium: Maine Road
31 March 1986 Aston Villa 1–0 Leicester City Birmingham
Simon Stainrod Report Stadium: Villa Park
5 April 1986 Oxford United 1–1 Aston Villa Oxford
Report Simon Stainrod Stadium: Manor Ground
9 April 1986 Newcastle United 2–2 Aston Villa Newcastle upon Tyne
Report Tony Daley, Steve Hunt Stadium: St James' Park
12 April 1986 Aston Villa 4–1 Watford Birmingham
Tony Dorigo, Allan Evans (pen), Andy Gray, Simon Stainrod Report Stadium: Villa Park
Note: Aston Villa climb out of the bottom three with a 4–1 home win over Watford.
16 April 1986 Aston Villa 1–0 Ipswich Town Birmingham
Steve Hodge Report Stadium: Villa Park
Note: In a scrap to stay clear of the relegation zone at Villa Park, Aston Villa beat Ipswich Town 1–0. Birmingham City lose 2–0 at Tottenham and now need to win all three of their remaining games to stand any chance of avoiding relegation.
19 April 1986 Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 Aston Villa Sheffield
Report — Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium
26 April 1986 Aston Villa 3–1 Chelsea Birmingham
David Norton, Steve Hunt, Simon Stainrod Report Stadium: Villa Park
Note:
3 May 1986 Tottenham Hotspur 4–2 Aston Villa London
Report Simon Stainrod, Paul Elliott Stadium: White Hart Lane
Note: Wolverhampton Wanderers become the third West Midlands club to be relegated this season, and become only the second English league club ever to suffer three successive relegations, after their descent into the Fourth Division is confirmed. Liverpool defender Gary Gillespie scores a hat-trick in a 5–0 league win over relegated Birmingham City at Anfield. Chelsea's title challenge is over after they lose 3–1 at Aston Villa, whose victory takes them closer to survival. The First Division relegation battle takes a dramatic turn when Ipswich Town climb three places clear of the drop zone with a 3–2 win over Oxford United, who are still in the bottom three.

Source: avfchistory.co.uk

FA Cup

29 January 1986 – The FA Cup fourth round replays sees Millwall beat Aston Villa 1–0.

League Cup

Second round 1st leg Exeter City 1–4 Aston Villa St James' Park
Report Simon Stainrod (4)
Note: Having arrived from Sheffield Wednesday for £350,000, Simon Stainrod enjoyed a spectacular debut when he scored all four goals against Exeter City in the League Cup.
8 October 1985 Second round 2nd leg Aston Villa 8–1 Exeter City Villa Park
Report
Note: A Football League Cup second round second leg scoring spree at sees Aston Villa defeat Exeter City 8–1 to make the aggregate score 12–2 over two legs.
30 October 1985 Third round Leeds United 0–3 Aston Villa Elland Road
Report Walters 15', Stainrod 63', 71'
Note: All 32 winners from round two took part over a single leg. Villa's black wingers, Tony Daley and Mark Walters suffered racial abuse from elements of the Leeds crowd. FA Chairman Bert Millichip threatened to close Elland Road if the behaviour was repeated and Leeds Chairman, Leslie Silver, sent a letter of apology to the players and Club. Villa: Spink, Williams, Dorigo, Evans (c), Glover, Daley, Stainrod, Gray, Hodge, Walters

26 November 1985 – League Cup fourth round action sees Aston Villa win 2–1 away to local rivals West Bromwich Albion.

12 February 1986 – The first legs of the League Cup semi-finals are played. Aston Villa draw 2–2 at home with Oxford United while Liverpool suffer a 1–0 defeat at QPR.

12 March 1986 – Oxford United reach the League Cup final for the first time after defeating Aston Villa 4–3 on aggregate.

Players

There were debuts for Simon Stainrod (63), Paul Elliott (57) and Steve Hodge (53).

10 July 1985 – Everton sell striker Andy Gray to Aston Villa for £150,000, six years after he first left Villa Park to sign for Wolves. The departure of Gray from Goodison Park comes despite calls from fans for manager Howard Kendall to retain the striker who played a crucial role in Everton winning three major trophies in his two seasons at the club.

29 November 1985 – Manchester United sign Aston Villa midfielder Colin Gibson for £275,000.

26 March 1986 – The return leg of the under-21 European Championship quarter-final sees England reach the next stage by drawing 1–1 with Denmark at Maine Road, with Aston Villa defender Paul Elliott equalising after the Danes took a 1–0 lead in the first half.

References

  1. 1 2 English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from the season 1985–86 on until the season 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster in 1985, involving Liverpool fans.
  2. ↑ "1985-08-17". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  3. ↑ "Remember the 1985 TV blackout? Only the Big Yin knew who McAvennie was". Independent.co.uk. 22 October 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Season IQ | AVDB". Aston Villa Database. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "1985-09-04". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "1985-10-19". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  7. ↑ "1985-12-07". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "Liverpool loses ground in soccer chase". Montreal Gazette. The Canadian Press. 16 December 1985.
  9. ↑ "1985-12-28". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  10. ↑ Manchester United FC News – United Mad. Manchesterunited-mad.co.uk (1986-02-22). Retrieved on 2011-03-23.
  11. ↑ "1986-03-01". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "Everton 2-0 Aston Villa | Match IQ | AVDB". Aston Villa Database. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  13. ↑ "1986-03-08". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "1986-03-22". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  15. ↑ "1986-04-12". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  16. ↑ "1986-04-16". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  17. ↑ Ex-Red: Gary Gillespie – This Is Anfield (Liverpool FC) Archived 2011-05-29 at the Wayback Machine. Thisisanfield.com (1986-04-26). Retrieved on 2011-03-23.
  18. ↑ "1986-04-26". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  19. ↑ "1986-01-29". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  20. ↑ Queens Park Rangers Official Matchday Magazine 2 March 2008 v Stoke City
  21. ↑ "1985-10-09". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  22. ↑ Leeds chief says sorry to Villa duo, Birmingham Evening Mail, 1 November 1985, p67
  23. ↑ "1985-11-26". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  24. ↑ "1986-02-12". Englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  25. ↑ "Football Betting | Place Your Football Bet Today". Soccerbase.com. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  26. ↑ "Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.
  27. ↑ "Score Draw | Andy Gray".
  28. ↑ "Colin GIBSON - Football League appearances. - Leicester City FC".
  29. ↑ England – U-21 International Results 1986–1995 – Details Archived 25 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Rsssf.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-23.