[4] This success was repeated two years later, and in 1880, having joined the Staffordshire Football Association, the Old Athletic won the Staffs Cup, beating Aston Villa 2–1 in the Final.

Unable to obtain the use of a regular home ground, the club withdraw from the Walsall Junior League halfway through the season and subsequently folded.

It existed in local football, playing cup ties and friendlies, before joining the West Midlands Amateur League in 1896.

The club dropped back down to the Birmingham Combination, but after collecting just a single point from 12 fixtures the Old Athletic withdrew from the competition and disbanded.

The original club initially played at the Well's Field, through which Rooth Street now runs, opposite the Horse & Jockey public house.

It later played at the Athletic Ground, on the upper side of Wood Green Cemetery, a site which forms part of Brunswick Park.

[9] This is close to the site of present-day Wood Green High School, where a playing field known affectionately as "Elwell's" existed until recently.