Villa lose home and away to a previously struggling Preston side who have now put seven past Villa in two games.

Villa, unable to catch a break it seems, are forced to play with nine men for much of the first half following injuries to Tommy Weston and debutant Jack Hampson with the latter completely unable to turn out for the second half.

Villa have one win in their last twelve games including the end of the 1914-15 season. 

Villa suffer their an eighth defeat in ten games in 1919-20.

Villa score two goals in a game for the first time in eight but have now conceded 24.

Villa remain bottom of the table as their post WWI campaign got off to the worst imaginable start. Thankfully however they are just three points from safety and not yet cut adrift despite their woeful sequence of results.

Villa, some enforced, others not, hand out yet more debuts, but the overriding concern is that many do not look sufficiently the part to cope with the rigours of first division football with some already left by the wayside.

One player however, the promising Arthur Dorrell, scores his first goal for the club albeit in defeat.

As with Dick Sloley, Joe Worrell and Walter Maiden before him midfielder George Hadley becomes the latest of four new arrivals to already have made their final appearances. For Hadley it is his fourth and final appearance aged 30 before moving on to Coventry City in August 1920.

In the case of Sloley, the very folly of signing an amateur on loan was laid bare when the player elected to turn out for his parent club Corinthians when he was supposed to be appearing at Villa Park. Needless to say Sloley's career was over before it started.

Hoping for more success, Villa hand their latest debuts to forward Walter Boyman and midfielder Jack Hampson, 28 and 22, after they joined from Cradley Heath St Luke’s and Leeds City in August and October 1919 respectively. 

As a result, having started the season with six of eleven players who had represented Villa in their final game of 1914-15, across the subsequent ten games Villa had handed debuts to thirteen players without finding the necessary combination to win football matches.

Villa are in desperate need of their experienced players playing in a settled side, something that in the first ten games of 1919-20 has proved elusive.

Up next is a double header against joint second placed Middlesbrough, twelve points ahead in the table after 10 games.

George Hadley makes his final appearance.