ASTON VILLA v. BURY.

The weather was wet and miserable in the extreme at Perry Barr on Saturday on the occasion of the first meeting of the above teams in first League fixtures.

James Cowan and Reynold were absentees from the Villa ranks but the visitors were at full strength. There were 5,000 people present when the game started.

Millar opened for Bury. Athersmith and Devey and went away, but the sturdy defence of Barbour and Davidson kept the Villa attack at bay.

The Villa at the opening had much the best of the play, but the wretched meteorological conditions helped in preventing the homesters penetrating the defence of the Lancastrians but be it said that both the halves and backs played magnificently, and were cheered time after time as they saved their goal when disaster seemed certain.

A fine run Athersmith at length brought a downfall to the visitors. Campbell doing the necessary by putting on the finishing touch.

No further change was effected in the score before the interval. On resuming the Villa went off with a rush, but the visitors now improved their tactics. Moonie and Barr did yeoman service for their side, but Crabtree gave them a deal of trouble and hampered them at every turn. The homesters were by no means having things as easy as they had had, and it seemed as it the Perryites would suffer, but Wilkes played marvellously between the sticks, and saved in most brilliant fashion, whilst Spencer and Welford stopped rush after rush.

The Villa next had an innings, Athersmith, Devey, and Campbell figuring prominently but the Bury contingent fought bravely and well.

Campbell at length seized on the ball, and dribbling in fine fashion took the ball through the opposing defence, and shot the ball cleverly into the net, not giving Montgomery a chance.

Desperate efforts were made by Bury to make up lost ground, and homesters had an anxious time in the closing stages, but Wilkes saved time after time, and eventually the game closed—Villa, two goals; Bury. nil.