SPORTING NEWS
SATURDAY’S FOOTBALL.
ASSOCIATION RULES.
ENGLISH CUP. - FIRST ROUND.

ASTON VILLA v. WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS.
At Perry Barr, before 27,000 spectators. The Villa won the toss, and played with a gale behind them. Penning the Wanderers in, they scored in the first two minutes, and obtained a dozen corners in succession. Devey obtained a second goal from a free-kick, and Chatt added the third point before half-time. After changing over the Wanderers scored two goals in five minutes, and as the wind abated the Villa recovered, and played determinedly. Splendid long passing enabled Devey to add a fourth goal, and although the Wanderers pressed at times nothing more was done, the Villa winning by 4 goals to 2.

A MEMORABLE MATCH AT PERRY BARR.
Since the draw was first made known the meeting of the Aston Villa and the Wolverhampton Wanderers has been rightly considered as the match of the day.

The consistent form of the Villa seemed to be a strong argument in favour of their victory; but against this was to be set the notoriety of the Wanderers as great cup-fighters.

In 1887, the year of the Villa’s cup success the teams met four times ere the question of supremacy was decided, and five years later the Wanderers again offered a stubborn resistance to the successful course of the Perry Barr club, being only beaten by 3 goals to 1, after a hard-fought battle.

Then, last year when they were the sole representatives of the Midlands after the decision of the first round, they fought their way to the final, and, beating Everton at FaIlowfield, retained the cup in the locality.

It was also borne in mind that the Wanderers have a happy knack of rising to the occasion, and winning matches when the odds have indeed appeared overwhelming.

The thrashings which they administered to Aston Villa and the Blackburn Rovers during the Christmas holidays strengthened the idea that they would prove dangerous foes to the Villa in Saturday’s cup tie, and the meeting of the two teams has been rewarded with nearly as much interest as even the historic match with Preston North End in 1888.

There is little to wonder at, therefore, that, despite strong counter attractions in the district, the contest brought together a crowd 27,000 strong which represents receipts amounting to about £860.

A boisterous wind blew all the morning, and the sky looked very threatening, but, nevertheless a considerable number of enthusiasts awaited the opening of the gates at half-past twelve o’clock, and from that time until the game commenced a continuous stream of people poured into the ground.

At half-past one o’clock there were fully fifteen thousand persons present, and, when the last few stragglers had taken their place, and goodness knows where they got, the sight was a memorable one.

The stands were crowded, with the exception of that in which seats were reserved at the price of 7s. 6d., and on the great cinder banks at each corner of the unreserved side of the ground there was a mass of people fully sixty deep. At times they swayed about in an ominous fashion, but the barriers held firm, and there was no encroachment on the field of play. The arrangements, in fact, were perfect, and there was not the slightest hitch from start to finish.

Although many of the spectators had a long while to wait before the game began, the time passed quickly enough, for the wind was in one of its most frolicsome moods, and displaced numbers of hats, the crowd heartily enjoying the discomfiture of the unfortunate, who were compelled in some cases to work their way through the throng for fifty or sixty yards before they recovered their property.

A military band also discoursed a selection of popular music, and there was much speculation between the onlookers as to whether the euphonium was played by the man or the wind.

But at length a great, cheer went up as John Devey came leading his men on to the field of play, and a minute later Wood appeared at the head of the Wanderers, who were also enthusiastically received. The cheers subsided, and all became attention when Devey and Wood singled themselves out, and the former spun the coin in the air.

A moment of suspense was succeeded by and excluding cry when Devey by gesture of his hand intimated that he would play towards the Wellington Road goal, in which direction the wind was blowing a gale. It was a great stroke of luck to win the toss and there were not a few who declared confidently that it meant victory.

So it did, as the result proved, but nevertheless at one period of the second half the faces of those prophets wore a very anxious look, and they did not appear to have any too much confidence in their own predictions.

It was manifest from the commencement that the side kicking with the wind possessed a great advantage, and the Wolverhampton backs were soon in difficulties. Kick as hard as they would, they could not drive the ball a respectable distance from goal, and on several occasions the wind carried it up into the air and actually blew it back over the goal bar.

The referee had great difficulty in making his whistle heard, and on one occasion Cowan and Edge had a tussle for possession of the ball, lasting for fully three minutes after the referee had great difficulty signalled a foul.

It is not to be wondered at that the Villa pressed, and, indeed, the Wanderers did not cross the half-way line more than half a dozen times in the first half.

Their goal was continually bombarded, and it speaks well for their defence that it was only pierced on three occasions.

The character of the play may be judged from the fact that during the first three-quarters of an hour the Villa had twelve corner-kicks, and the Wanderers never gained one. In every instance the Wanderers packed their goal admirably, and the Villa failed to gain the slightest advantage from the corners, many of which were capitally placed.

The home team were successful five minutes from the start, Cowan scoring with a capital shot.

The second goal was headed by Devey seventeen minutes after the commencement from a free kick, beautifully placed by Groves; whilst the third point was headed by Chatt when the first half was exactly thirty- three minutes old.

Rose stopped many good shots, but taken on the whole the shooting was not so good as it might have been, the wind, no doubt, being responsible for this defect in the Villa attack.

The wind, in fact, greatly bothered the attackers as well as the defenders, inasmuch as it made the ball twist and twirl about in a most eccentric fashion, and made scientific play almost an impossibility.

The Villa’s lead at the interval was none too good indeed, the Wanderers appeared to have an excellent chance of victory. And their chances improved when, four minutes from recommencing, Griflin scored from an almost impossible proposition near the goal line. It was a grand goal, and the Wolverhampton section of the crowd cheered lustily, and a voice like a syren [sic] whistle cried, ”Play up me little Wanderers”. And play they did, giving the Villa defenders no rest and scoring goal number two, five minutes after their first success.

Their chances of winning were then greatly increased, whilst those of the Villa were consequently depreciated; indeed, the game from their point of view was in a critical state.

For the next five minutes they were heavily pressed, but the backs, Baird and Elliott, kicked with great power, and Dunning performed brilliantly in goal, his great height standing him in good stead.

The wind in the meantime had abated slightly, and suddenly a surprising change taint over the game.

The Villa opened the play, there was some excellent passing between the forwards, and Athersmith fairly electrified the crowd by a brilliant run, he centred right across the goal mouth, his shot too high, again, however, the Villa attacked, the tactics were repeated, and the ball came across goal from Athersmith to Woolley. There was a moment of suspense for the little left-winger appeared in difficulties. He combated them successfully, however, and passed the ball right to the feet of Devey who scored a fourth goal amidst a scene of tremendous enthusiasm, hats, handkerchiefs, sticks, and umbrellas being frantically waved.

From now to the finish the Villa had quite as much of the play as the Wanderers, who seemed depressed at the unexpected success of their opponents.

No more goals were scored, however, and the leaders of the League thus gained a great victory by four goals to two.

Although the Villa were decidedly lucky in winning the toss, yet they deserved their victory, inasmuch as taken all round, they were the better team.

Their superiority was especially noticeable in the second half, when the game was in a most desperate condition for them. Every man worked splendidly, they battled with the wind far better than the Wanderers had done, and showed superior skill from front to back.

Whilst all performed well John Devey played the greatest game for Aston Villa, and was indeed the hero of the match. He never spared himself in the slightest degree, and led most of the attacks.

Hodgetts and Woolley were a good wing, whilst Athersmith performed brilliantly in the latter portion of the game, displaying cleverness as well as speed. In the first half, however, he did not use very much judgment.

Chatt was a very useful forward, and was just the right man for such a match. The Vilia half-backs were a fine trio, and there was little to choose between them, but Groves certainly played with the best judgment in the first half.

Baird and Elliott were a powerful pair of backs, the latter playing a really great game and fully justifying his selection, Dunning gave a great exhibition of custodianship, and saved marvellously on many occasions in the second half, when the slightest mistake would probably have lost the match.

Considering the wind, the game was a capital one, and was fought out in the best possible spirit by both teams. The men on both sides lasted well, but the Villa players, if anything, were going stronger than their visitors at the finish, and bore evidence of having received an excellent preparation at the hands of Grierson, their trainer.