Season #2 | 1880-81 | Games #3 - #6
AVFC History
Season #129
| 2017-18 |
Games #5438-#5490 |
2017-18 Club Summary
President Emeritus | Sir Herbert Douglas Ellis
Chairman | Tony Jiantong Xia
Manager | Steve Bruce
Chief Executive | Keith Wyness
2017-18 Season Summary
Manager | Steve Bruce |
Games | #5438 - #5490 |
Top Scorer | 15 | #901 Albert Adomah | 14 League | 1 League Cup | Goal |
Most Appearances | 50 | #897 James Chester | 49 (0) League | 1 (0) League Cup | Appearance |
Final League Position | 4th Football League Championship |
Championship Play Offs Progress | Runners Up |
FA Cup Progress | 3rd Round |
League Cup Progress | 3rd Round |
Biggest Win | 5-0 | Bristol City (h) |
Highest Home Attendance | 41,745 | Derby County |
2017-18 Championship Table
| 2 | Cardiff City | P46 | W27 | D9 | L10 | F69 | A39 | GD30 | Pts 90 |
| 3 | Fulham | P46 | W25 | D13 | L8 | F79 | A46 | GD33 | Pts 88 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | P46 | W24 | D11 | L11 | F72 | A42 | GD30 | Pts 83 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | P46 | W22 | D10 | L14 | F67 | A45 | GD22 | Pts 76 |
| 6 | Derby County | P46 | W20 | D15 | L11 | F69 | A48 | GD21 | Pts 75 |
2017-18 Results
| 1 | 5 Aug | a | Hull City | D | 1-1 | Match Report
| 2 | 9 Aug | h | Colchester United (EFL R1) | W | 2-1 | Match Report
| 3 | 12 Aug | a | Cardiff City | L | 0-3 | Match Report
| 4 | 15 Aug | a | Reading | L | 1-2 | Match Report
| 5 | 19 Aug | h | Norwich City | W | 4-2 | Match Report
| 6 | 22 Aug | h | Wigan Athletic (EFL R2) | W | 4-1 | Match Report
| 7 | 25 Aug | a | Bristol City | D | 1-1 | Match Report
| 8 | 9 Sep | h | Brentford | D | 0-0 | Match Report
| 9 | 12 Sep | h | Middlesbrough | D | 0-0 | Match Report
| 10 | 16 Sep | a | Barnsley | W | 3-0 | Match Report
| 11 | 19 Sep | h | Middlesbrough (EFL R3) | L | 0-2 | Match Report
| 12 | 23 Sep | h | Nottingham Forest | W | 2-1 | Match Report
| 13 | 26 Sep | a | Burton Albion | W | 4-0 | Match Report
| 14 | 30 Sep | a | Bolton Wanderers | W | 1-0 | Match Report
| 15 | 14 Oct | a | Wolverhampton Wanderers | L | 0-2 | Match Report
| 16 | 21 Oct | h | Fulham | W | 2-1 | Match Report
| 17 | 26 Oct | a | Birmingham City | D | 0-0 | Match Report
| 18 | 1 Nov | a | Preston North End | W | 2-0 | Match Report
| 19 | 4 Nov | h | Sheffield Wednesday | L | 1-2 | Match Report
| 20 | 18 Nov | a | Queens Park Rangers | W | 2-1 | Match Report
| 21 | 21 Nov | h | Sunderland | W | 2-1 | Match Report
| 22 | 25 Nov | h | Ipswich Town | W | 2-0 | Match Report
| 23 | 1 Dec | a | Leeds United | D | 1-1 | Match Report
| 24 | 9 Dec | h | Millwall | D | 0-0 | Match Report
| 25 | 16 Dec | a | Derby County | L | 0-2 | Match Report
| 26 | 23 Dec | h | Sheffield United | D | 2-2 | Match Report
| 27 | 26 Dec | h | Brentford | L | 1-2 | Match Report
| 28 | 30 Dec | a | Middlesbrough | W | 1-0 | Match Report
| 29 | 1 Jan | h | Bristol City | W | 5-0 | Match Report
| 30 | 6 Jan | h | Peterborough United (FAC R3) | L | 1-3 | Match Report
| 31 | 13 Jan | a | Nottingham Forest | W | 1-0 | Match Report
| 32 | 20 Jan | h | Barnsley | W | 3-1 | Match Report
| 33 | 30 Jan | a | Sheffield United | W | 1-0 | Match Report
| 34 | 3 Feb | a | Burton Albion | W | 3-2 | Match Report
| 35 | 11 Feb | h | Birmingham City | W | 2-0 | Match Report
| 36 | 17 Feb | a | Fulham | L | 0-2 | Match Report
| 37 | 20 Feb | h | Preston North End | D | 1-1 | Match Report
| 38 | 24 Feb | a | Sheffield Wednesday | W | 4-2 | Match Report
| 39 | 6 Mar | a | Sunderland | W | 3-0 | Match Report
| 40 | 10 Mar | h | Wolverhampton Wanderers | W | 4-1 | Match Report
| 41 | 13 Mar | h | Queens Park Rangers | L | 1-3 | Match Report
| 42 | 17 Mar | h | Bolton Wanderers | L | 0-1 | Match Report
| 43 | 31 Mar | a | Hull City | D | 0-0 | Match Report
| 44 | 3 Apr | h | Reading | W | 3-0 | Match Report
| 45 | 7 Apr | a | Norwich City | L | 1-3 | Match Report
| 46 | 10 Apr | h | Cardiff City | W | 1-0 | Match Report
| 47 | 13 Apr | h | Leeds United | W | 1-0 | Match Report
| 48 | 21 Apr | a | Ipswich Town | W | 4-0 | Match Report
| 49 | 28 Apr | h | Derby County | D | 1-1 | Match Report
| 50 | 6 May | a | Millwall | L | 0-1 | Match Report
| 51 | 12 May | a | Middlesbrough (Play-Offs Semi Final L1) | W | 1-0 | Match Report
| 52 | 15 May | h | Middlesbrough (Play-Offs Semi Final L2) | D | 0-0 | Match Report
| 53 | 26 May | n | Fulham (Play-Offs Final) | L | 0-1 | Match Report
2017-18 Season Review
Villa’s second season in the second tier promised much and it very nearly delivered.
After the progress of 2016-17 - the complete renewal of the squad, the reconnection with the fans - another season in the most exciting league in world beckoned.
With the improvement however came the expectation of promotion which was bittersweet, Villa belong at the top, but the Championship was so much more enjoyable than the Premier League. Still when push came to shove fun would be discarded by most fans to be a top flight club at the end of the season.
Steve Bruce, like Tim Sherwood in 2014-15, had taken an underperforming squad and immediately transformed form. Unlike Sherwood however Bruce had a transfer window to play with and he bolstered the squad in positive ways yet that hit form for a while until a strong run to the season end saw Villa coming together.
The prospects for 2017-18 then were positive and the transfer dealings sensible - not for nothing were Villa said to have the best squad in the Championship.
On the foundation of Sam Johnstone, James Chester, Jack Grealish, Conor Hourihane, Mile Jedinak, Jonathan Kodjia and Albert Adomah were added legendary centre back John Terry, no nonsense commitment players like Glenn Whelan, Robert Snodgrass, Ahmed El Mohamady and Lewis Grabban together with promising loanees Josh Onomah and Axel Tuanzebe.
Hopes were high, justifiably so and Villa had a great season. Although automatic promotion was out of their grasp, a top 4 spot was consolidated from January onwards and a play off final against form team Fulham beckoned.
Sadly Villa didn’t turn up at Wembley in arguably their worst performance of the season and few could understand why. Within days of the Play Off final defeat however all was revealed - Villa were technically bankrupt, the new owner who arrived in 2016 didn’t have access to the money it was claimed and a fire sale beckoned.
From ecstasy to agony in days. What Villa needed was two of the richest men in the world to take over with patience, planning and passion for all things Villa ….
2017-18 Season Statistics
Games | 53 |
Won | 27 | 51% |
Drew | 12 | 23% |
Lost | 14 | 26% |
Unbeaten | 39 | 74% |
Goals Scored | 80 | 1.51 Goals per game |
Goals Conceded | 50 | 0.94 Goals per game |
Clean Sheets | 22 | 42% |
Average Home Attendance | 30,730 |
Longest winning run | 5 Games |
League winning run | 5 Games |
Longest unbeaten run | 6 Games |
Longest losing run | 2 Games |
Games without a win | 5 Games |
2017-18 Transfers
1 July 2017 - 30 June 2018
Incoming | 12 |
#911 Christopher Samba | Unattached | Free | Jul 17 | 33 |
#912 Glenn Whelan | Stoke City | £1,530,000 | Jul 17 | 33 |
#914 John Terry | Chelsea | Free | Jul 17 | 36 |
#915 Ahmed Elmohamady | Hull City | £990,000 | Jul 17 | 29 |
Jordan Cox | Youth Team | Signed professional forms | Jul 17 | 18 |
Dominic Revan | Youth Team | Signed professional forms | Jul 17 | 16 |
#933 Jacob Ramsey | Youth Team | Signed professional forms | Jul 17 | 16 |
#913 Josh Onomah | Tottenham Hotspur | Loan | Aug 17 | 20 |
#920 Robert Snodgrass | West Ham United | Loan | Aug 17 | 29 |
#945 Indiana Vassilev | IMG Academy | Free | Oct 17 | 16 |
#921 Axel Tuanzebe | Manchester United | Loan | Jan 18 | 20 |
#922 Lewis Grabban | AFC Bournemouth | Loan | Jan 18 | 30 |
Returning Players | 1 |
#903 Sam Johnstone | Manchester United | Loan | Jul 17 | 24 |
Outgoing | 15 |
#838 Nathan Baker | Bristol City | £3,900,000 | Jul 17 | 26 |
#874 Carlos Sánchez | ACF Fiorentina | £2,700,000 | Jul 17 | 31 |
#882 Jordan Veretout | ACF Fiorentina | £6,300,000 | Jul 17 | 24 |
Riccardo Calder | Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC | Free | Jul 17 | 21 |
Jerell Sellars | Cheltenham Town | Free | Jul 17 | 21 |
Niall Mason | Doncaster Rovers | Free | Jul 17 | 20 |
#860 Leandro Bacuna | Reading | £1,350,000 | Aug 17 | 26 |
#866 Libor Kozák | SSC Bari | Free | Aug 17 | 28 |
#873 Aly Cissokho | Yeni Malatyaspor | Free | Aug 17 | 29 |
#892 Kevin Toner | St. Patricks Athletic | Free | Jan 18 | 21 |
#903 Sam Johnstone | Manchester United | End of Loan | May 18 | 25 |
#913 Josh Onomah | Tottenham Hotspur | End of Loan | May 18 | 21 |
#920 Robert Snodgrass | West Ham United | End of Loan | May 18 | 30 |
#921 Axel Tuanzebe | Manchester United | End of Loan | May 18 | 20 |
#922 Lewis Grabban | AFC Bournemouth | End of Loan | May 18 | 30 |
Loans Out | 8 |
#877 Carles Gil | Deportivo La Coruña | 12 July 2017 - 30 June 2018 |
#895 Aaron Tshibola | MK Dons | 27 July 2017 - 9 November 2017 |
#884 Jordan Amavi | Marseille | 10 August 2017 - 30 June 2018 |
#892 Kevin Toner | Stevenage | 24 August 2017 - 27 November 2017 |
#841 Gary Gardner | Barnsley | 31 August 2017 - 31 May 2018 |
Matija Šarkić | Wigan Athletic | 31 August 2017 - 7 January 2018 |
#896 Ross McCormack | Melbourne City | 29 September 2017 - 31 January 2018 |
#895 Aaron Tshibola | Kilmarnock FC | 29 January 2018 - 14 May 2018 |
2017-18 Squad Changes
Debut Appearances | 12 |
#911 Christopher Samba | Saturday, 5 August 2017 | Hull City (h) | 33 |
#912 Glenn Whelan | Saturday, 5 August 2017 | Hull City (h) | 33 |
#913 Josh Onomah | Saturday, 5 August 2017 | Hull City (h) | 20 |
#914 John Terry | Saturday, 5 August 2017 | Hull City (h) | 36 |
#915 Ahmed Elmohamady | Saturday, 5 August 2017 | Hull City (h) | 29 |
#916 Callum O'Hare | Wednesday, 9 August 2017 | Colchester United (a) | EFL Cup | 19 |
#917 Easah Suliman | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 | Wigan Athletic (h) | EFL Cup | 19 |
#918 Jake Doyle-Hayes | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 | Wigan Athletic (h) | EFL Cup | 18 |
#919 Mitchell Clark | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 | Wigan Athletic (h) | EFL Cup | 18 |
#920 Robert Snodgrass | Saturday, 9 September 2017 | Brentford (h) | 30 |
#921 Axel Tuanzebe | Saturday, 3 February 2018 | Burton Albion (h) | 20 |
#922 Lewis Grabban | Sunday, 11 February 2018 | Birmingham City (h) | 30 |
Unused Substitutes | 3 |
Oscar Borg | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 - Tuesday, 22 August 2017 | 19 |
Jordan Cox | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 - Tuesday, 22 August 2017 |
Khalid Abdo | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 - Tuesday, 22 August 2017 | 20 |
Final Appearances | 14 |
#860 Leandro Bacuna | Saturday, 5 August 2017 | Hull City (h) | 25 |
#841 Gary Gardner | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 | Wigan Athletic (h) | EFL Cup | 25 |
#919 Mitchell Clark | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 | Wigan Athletic (h) | EFL Cup | 18 |
#917 Easah Suliman | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 | Wigan Athletic (h) | EFL Cup | 19 |
#896 Ross McCormack | Tuesday, 19 September 2017 | Middlesbrough (h) | EFL Cup | 31 |
#890 Jordan Lyden | Tuesday, 19 September 2017 | Middlesbrough (h) | EFL Cup | 21 |
#910 Corey Blackett-Taylor | Tuesday, 19 September 2017 | Middlesbrough (h) | EFL Cup | 20 |
#794 Gabby Agbonlahor | Saturday, 23 December 2017 | Sheffield United (h) | 31 |
#911 Christopher Samba | Friday, 13 April 2018 | Leeds United (h) | 34 |
#903 Sam Johnstone | Saturday, 26 May 2018 | Fulham (n) | Play Offs | 25 |
#920 Robert Snodgrass | Saturday, 26 May 2018 | Fulham (n) | Play Offs | 30 |
#913 Josh Onomah | Saturday, 26 May 2018 | Fulham (n) | Play Offs | 21 |
#914 John Terry | Saturday, 26 May 2018 | Fulham (n) | Play Offs | 37 |
#922 Lewis Grabban | Saturday, 26 May 2018 | Fulham (n) | Play Offs | 30 |
2017-18 Squad Statistics
Squad Size | 43 | (+4) |
Average Age | 25.34 | (+0.42) |
Average 1st XI Age | 28.53 | +1.26 |
Youngest 1st XI | 24.48 | Wigan Athletic (h), EFL Cup | -2.03 |
Oldest 1st XI | 30.16 | Fulham (n), Play Off Final | +1.75 |
Youngest Player(s) | 18 |
Mitchell Clark | 13-Mar-1999
Oldest Player(s) | 37 |
John Terry | 7-Dec-1980
2017-18 Scorers
Goals Scored | 80 | League Goals | 73 | FA Cup Goals | 1 | League Cup Goals | 6 |
| 15 |
Albert Adomah | Goals | 15 | League | 14 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 1 |
| 11 |
Conor Hourihane | Goals | 11 | League | 11 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
| 9 |
Scott Hogan | Goals | 9 | League | 6 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 3 |
| 8 |
Lewis Grabban | Goals | 8 | League | 8 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
| 7 |
Robert Snodgrass | Goals | 7 | League | 7 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
| 4 |
Jack Grealish | Goals | 4 | League | 4 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
James Chester | Goals | 4 | League | 4 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
Josh Onomah | Goals | 4 | League | 4 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
Birkir Bjarnason | Goals | 4 | League | 3 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 1 |
| 3 |
Keinan Davis | Goals | 3 | League | 2 | FA Cup | 1 | League Cup | 0 |
| 2 |
Henri Lansbury | Goals | 2 | League | 2 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
Own Goal | Goals | 2 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 1 |
| 1 |
Gabby Agbonlahor | Goals | 1 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
André Green | Goals | 1 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
Jonathan Kodjia | Goals | 1 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
John Terry | Goals | 1 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
Christopher Samba | Goals | 1 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
Mile Jedinak | Goals | 1 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
Glenn Whelan | Goals | 1 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
2017-18 First Team Squad
#794 | 11 | Gabby Agbonlahor | 30 |
#841 | 25 | Gary Gardner | 25 | ON LOAN 31 AUGUST 2017 - 31 MAY 2018
#843 | 21 | Alan Hutton | 32 |
#860 | 7 | Leandro Bacuna | 25 | LEFT 13 AUGUST 2017
#865 | 13 | Jed Steer | 24 |
#866 | 13 | Libor Kozák | 28 | LEFT 30 AUGUST 2017
#870 | 10 | Jack Grealish | 21 |
#877 | - | Carles Gil | 24 | ON LOAN 22 JULY 2016 - 30 JUNE 2018
#879 | 29 | Rushian Hepburn-Murphy | 18 |
#880 | 17 | Micah Richards | 29 |
#884 | 23 | Jordan Amavi | 23 | ON LOAN 10 AUGUST 2017 - 30 JUNE 2018
#887 | 31 | Mark Bunn | 32 |
#890 | 38 | Jordan Lyden | 21 |
#891 | 19 | André Green | 19 |
#892 | - | Kevin Toner | 21 | LEFT 1 JANUARY 2018
#893 | - | Pierluigi Gollini | 22 | ON LOAN 13 JANUARY 2017 - 30 JUNE 2018
#894 | 24 | Tommy Elphick | 29 |
#895 | - | Aaron Tshibola | 22 | ON LOAN 27 JULY 2017 - 9 NOVEMBER 2017 | 29 JANUARY 2018 - 14 MAY 2018
#896 | 44 | Ross McCormack | 31 | ON LOAN 29 SEPTEMBER 2017 - 31 JANUARY 2018
#897 | 5 | James Chester | 28 |
#898 | 15 | Mile Jedinak | 33 |
#899 | 2 | Ritchie De Laet | 28 |
#900 | 22 | Jonathan Kodjia | 27 |
#901 | 37 | Albert Adomah | 29 |
#902 | 39 | Keinan Davis | 19 |
#903 | 1 | Sam Johnstone | 24 |
#904 | 8 | Henri Lansbury | 26 |
#905 | 14 | Conor Hourihane | 26 |
#906 | 20 | Birkir Bjarnason | 29 |
#907 | 16 | James Bree | 19 |
#908 | 9 | Scott Hogan | 25 |
#909 | 3 | Neil Taylor | 28 |
#910 | 43 | Corey Blackett-Taylor | 19 |
#911 | 4 | Christopher Samba | 33 |
#912 | 6 | Glenn Whelan | 33 |
#913 | 18 | Josh Onomah | 20 |
#914 | 26 | John Terry | 36 |
#915 | 27 | Ahmed Elmohamady | 29 |
#916 | 36 | Callum O’Hare | 19 |
#917 | 34 | Easah Suliman | 19 |
#918 | 32 | Jake Doyle-Hayes | 18 |
#919 | 35 | Mitchell Clark | 18 |
#920 | 7 | Robert Snodgrass | 29 |
#921 | 28 | Axel Tuanzebe | 19 |
#922 | 45 | Lewis Grabban | 29 |
| - | Matija Šarkić | 20 | ON LOAN 31 AUGUST 2017 - 7 JANUARY 2018
| - | Brad Watkins | 22 |
| 42 | Oscar Borg | 19 |
| 40 | Jordan Cox | 18 |
| 30 | Khalid Abdo | 20 |
2017-18 Appearances
| 50 |
#897 James Chester | Appearances | 50 | League | 49 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 1 (0) | . Player Profile
| 48 |
#903 Sam Johnstone | Appearances | 48 | League | 48 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 46 |
#905 Conor Hourihane | Appearances | 46 | League | 43 (1) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 1 (0) | . Player Profile
| 45 |
#915 Ahmed Elmohamady | Appearances | 45 | League | 38 (7) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile