Villa end an excellent first season back in the top flight with a draw after a difficult run of six defeats in the final nine games despite having not lost in their previous eight and delivering sixteen wins over the campaign. Villa’s late collapse had seen them fall back to mid table and 12th in the League however enough had been seen of the work done under Jimmy Hogan to suggest the next few seasons would be exciting times for this talented manager and his Villa squad.

The world however had other ideas and whilst football paled into insignificance against the World War that would rage for the next six years it remains an eternal mystery as to just how far Jimmy Hogan could have taken his Villa charges. As it was the final game of 1938-39 would prove to be his last as Villa boss as the breakout of WW2 and the resultant suspension of League and FA Cup football cut short both careers and tragically lives.

Meanwhile, centre back Jimmy Allen made the last of this 161 appearances for Villa aged 29 before retiring from football, whilst centre forward Frank O’Donnell made his 31st and final appearance aged 27 having only joined Villa for their top flight return during which he hit fourteen goals. O’Donnell would move on to Forest.

Also making their final appearances were forward Freddie Haycock, 27, having represented Villa on 111 occasions and scoring 33 goals. Haycock would move on to Wrexham. And Alex Massie, 33, after 152 appearances in League and FA Cup football for Villa before stepping up to the manager position on the resumption of football in 1945.