History of Aston Villa F.C. (1874–1961)
[3] For the remainder of the inter-war years though, Villa were on a slow decline that would lead to them being relegated to the Second Division in 1936 for the first time in their history.
As with many clubs, the war brought much change to Villa Park and remainder of the 1940s were spent rebuilding the team.
The club's official history states that soccer (association football) was chosen after witnessing an "impromptu game on a meadow off Heathfield Road".
[6] Four of the founders of Aston Villa FC and those who were delegated to view the game were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood.
Villa moved to their first official home, Wellington Road in Perry Barr, in 1876 after their recently appointed captain, George Ramsay, noted that in order to progress, Villa would need to move into an enclosed ground to be able to collect gate money.
However, the Scottish draper and director of Aston Villa, William McGregor had become frustrated with watching his team in one-sided friendly matches and low attendances for all games but FA Cup ties.
In November 1923, Villa's centre-half Tommy Ball was killed by his neighbour, thus becoming the only active Football League player to have been murdered.
[16] In their Golden Jubilee season of 1923–24, Villa got through to the second final to be held at the then new Wembley Stadium, where they lost 2–0 to Newcastle United.
Waring scored a record 49 league goals in the 1930–31 season as Villa finished runners-up to Arsenal.
In the 1933–34 season, Villa had no fewer than fourteen full internationals and they continued to challenge for honours being second in the League in 1933.
[8] The relegation though was largely due a dismal defensive record, they conceded 110 goals, 7 of them coming from Arsenal's Ted Drake in a 1–7 defeat at Villa Park.
By the outbreak of the Second World War, Aston Villa were back in the top-flight of English football.
[17] Their Aston Villa reserves (or seconds) team enlisted in the army and were captured at the Dunkirk evacuation in June 1940.
In December in an Eastern German camp, a German Guard regiment challenged British prisoners of war to a game of football; the guards were being defeated 27–0 when they stopped the game, only then learning these prisoners were Aston Villa's second team.
Massie made some bold signings in his time with the club, the first of which was 23-year-old Wales international Trevor Ford, who was bought from Swansea for £9,500 in 1946, when Villa finished eighth in the League.
[20][21] For the remainder of the 1940s and early 1950s, Massie continued to bring in new players whilst the team regularly had mid-table finishes.
"[19] Under Houghton's stewardship, Villa won the 1957 FA Cup Final against Manchester United's celebrated Busby Babes.
Peter McParland scored both goals in a 2–1 victory, in a record-equalling ninth FA Cup final.
[3] The success of the previous season proved to be something of a false dawn though, with the team finishing 14th, seven points above relegation.
His successor Joe Mercer was unable to prevent the club being relegated in 1959, for only the second time in its history.
