The 1919–20 English football season was the 28th season in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for Aston Villa, and the first following the end of World War I. Villa won their sixth FA Cup at the end of season, beating Huddersfield Town 1–0 at

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...

Debuts

Billy Walker (478) made his senior debut in January 1920 in the FA Cup, scoring twice as Villa won 2-1 in the first round against non-league side Queens Park Rangers. He played in five more FA Cup games, scoring another three, helping

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

reach the FA Cup Final. An extra time winner at

by Billy Kirton saw Walker become an FA Cup winner in his debut season. Walker also scored 8 league goals in 15 matches at the back end of the 1919-20 season, including a hat-trick against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

, as Villa ended the first season after the first world war in ninth place. Tommy Smart (405) played for Halesowen Town before signing for

in January 1920 for a £300.00 fee.

Richard York Richard Ernest York (25 April 1899 – 9 December 1969), also known as Dicky York, which is often also spelled as Dickie York, was an English footballer, who in addition to a long club career with Aston Villa in the Football League appeared tw ...

(356) scored one goal in 17 games in 1919–20, but did not feature in the

1920 FA Cup Final The 1920 FA Cup Final, the first since the end of the First World War, was contested by Aston Villa and Huddersfield at Stamford Bridge. Aston Villa won 1–0, with the goal coming in extra time from Billy Kirton, to clinch the trophy for a reco ...

, which ended in a 1–0 victory over Huddersfield Town at

Arthur Dorrell Arthur Reginald Dorrell (30 March 1896 – 13 September 1942) was an English international footballer who played on the left-wing. He was the son of former Villa player William Dorrell. He played for Aston Villa between 1919 and 1931, scoring ...

(355) played for Carey Hall and R.A.S.C., before joining

in May 1919. Billy Kirton (261) was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. Kirton was a member of the Temperance Society and played for Pandon Temperance before joining Leeds City in May 1919. After Kirton had played only one game for the club, City went out of business and he was transferred to Aston Villa for £500 in October 1919. He played 261 matches for Aston Villa. After a very public fall out with the Barnsley directors over travelling expenses,

Frank Barson Frank Barson (10 April 1891 – 13 August 1968) was an English association football, footballer from Grimesthorpe who played for several English football clubs including Barnsley F.C., Barnsley, Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, Aston Vi ...

(92) joined

in October 1919. Barson joined Villa for a fee of £2,850 – "more than the average Sheffield worker earned in a year", according to a Sheffield newspaper – after persuasion from

George Ramsay George Burrell Ramsay (4 March 1855 – 7 October 1935) was a Scottish footballer and manager. Ramsay was the secretary and manager of Aston Villa Football Club during the club's 'Golden Age'. As a player he was the first Aston Villa captain ...

, who was rebuilding Villa after the First World War. In October 1919, he made his debut in a 4–1 win at Middlesbrough. Barson played a large part in the Villa team during his three seasons at the club, but it is his run-ins with authority for which he is best known. Tommy Ball (74) (shot dead on 11 November 1923) joined from Newcastle in January 1920. Ball was seen as cover for

. and first-team appearances were limited until Barson left in August 1922. Ball then became the first-choice

centre-half In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

, making 36 appearances in the 1922–23 season. In the following season, he continued to perform well at the heart of Villa's defence and he was forecast to be called up to play for England. Other debuts included: * Ernie Blackburn (32) * Jack Thompson (26)
Andy Young (26)Walter Boyman (24)
* Jim Lee (18) *

Jack Hampson John Hampson (28 December 1887 – December 1960) was a Welsh Association football, footballer who played for Oswestry Town F.C., Oswestry Town, Northampton Town F.C., Northampton Town, Leeds City F.C., Leeds City, Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa, ...

(14) * Jimmy Lawrence (13)
Hubert Bourne (7)Jack Pendleton (6)Arthur Davis (5)Joe Worrell (4)
* George Hadley (4) * Dick Sloley (2)
Walter Maiden (1)

Table

FA Cup

The

1920 FA Cup final The 1920 FA Cup Final, the first since the end of the First World War, was contested by Aston Villa and Huddersfield at Stamford Bridge. Aston Villa won 1–0, with the goal coming in extra time from Billy Kirton, to clinch the trophy for a reco ...

, the first since the end of the First World War, was contested by

and Huddersfield at

. Aston Villa won 1–0, with the goal coming in extra time from Billy Kirton, to clinch the trophy for a record sixth time. This was the first ever FA Cup Final to require extra time to be played. Huddersfield had secured promotion from the Second Division this season and were appearing in their first final. Aston Villa captain, Andy Ducat, had represented England at both football and cricket. The Villa team had four surviving members of the club's last victory in the 1913 F.A. Cup final; Tommy Weston,

Sam Hardy Sam Hardy may refer to: * Sam Hardy (actor) * Sam Hardy (footballer) Sam Hardy (26 August 1882 – 24 October 1966) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Football career In 1902, Chesterfield manager Jack Hoskin beat Derby Co ...

, Clem Stephenson and Charlie Wallace. Those four Villa players and

Frank Moss Frank Edward "Ted" Moss (September 23, 1911 – January 29, 2003) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he served as a United States Senator from Utah from 1959 to 1977. Early life and education Frank Moss was born in Holladay ...

had all served in the Armed Forces during World War I.

, known for his tough style of play, was warned before the kick-off by the referee against using his normal tactics. The trophy was presented by Prince Henry, the fourth son of King George V. This was Villa manager

's sixth FA Cup Final win, a record for a manager, and one that was only equalled in 2015 by

Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...

– against Aston Villa.

Road to the Final

Match details

References

External links

FA Cup Final lineupsAston Villa football club match record: 1920
Aston Villa F.C. seasons

{{DEFAULTSORT:1919-20 Aston Villa F.C. season