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Game #2641

Aston Villa

17-9-16, 43 PTS

Saturday, 29 April 1961

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Won

9th (-)

Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟨 🟩

Division One

Sheffield Wednesday

23-12-7, 58 PTS

Villa Park

Attendance: 26,034

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

Aston Villa

4-1

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Sheffield Wednesday

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🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

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MATCH TIMELINE
Saturday, 29 April 1961

🟢 | 1' Debut, Charlie Aitken
⚽ | 5' Goal, 1-0, Gerry Hitchens, Assist by Johnny Dixon
⚽ | 27' Goal, 2-0, Bobby Thomson, Assist by Harry Burrows
🥅 | 42' Goal, 2-1, (Sheffield Wednesday), Billy Griffin
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
⚽ | 68' Goal, 3-1, Gerry Hitchens
⚽ | 70' Goal, 4-1, Johnny Dixon
💥 | 70' Pitch invasion celebrating Johnny Dixon's goal interrupts play
🚑 | 70' Player retires from field of play with injury, Johnny Dixon
🚑 | 72' Player returns to field of play, Johnny Dixon
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 4-1 Sheffield Wednesday

Match Statistics

Not recorded

Goal ⚽, Assist 🔥, Goal Conceded 🥅, Injury 🚑, Booking 🟨, Sending off 🟥, Comment 🗒️, ❗ Villa Chance,❗❗Huge Villa Chance, 💥 Opposition action, 🎥 VAR, 🆘 Referee error, ❌ Missed pen, disallowed goal, player retires from field of play, 🟢 Debut, 🔴 Final appearance, 🕒 Half time, Full time, 🔁 Substitution

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

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ON THIS DAY
Saturday, 29 April 1961
  • Incredible scenes at Villa Park as Joe Mercer names Villa great in Johnny Dixon who proceeds to create a goal in 5 minutes, score himself and cause a mass pitch invasion in celebration. Villa could have lost 0-10 and it would still be one of the greatest occasions in the club's illistrious history. Villa end the League season 9th with just one more scheduled game left to play - the League Cup semi final replay in three days time.

  • Joe Mercer's Villa's play their twelfth game in thirty six days to make it seventeen wins, nine draws and sixteen defeats in forty two games following their return to the top flight. Villa’s first season back in division one after a season away was an unqualified success and a typical Mercer campaign with a series of excellent runs occasionally punctured by losing form. The season still promised more as further games remained as Villa were still competing in the inaugural League Cup whose addition to the calendar had caused significant fixture congestion that Mercer’s men admirably dealt with. A ninth placed finish on their return to the top flight was no mean feat but it also signalled the end of one of the greatest ever Villa players. Legendary Villa captain, Johnny Dixon, made his only appearance of the season and final appearance for Villa aged 37. Dixon had distinguished himself thought his playing career with Villa that spanned from 1945-46 to 1960-61 during which time he made 437 appearances whilst scoring 144 goals, and winning the 1957 FA Cup. As one legend departed the field however another entered as left back Charlie Aitken made his Villa debut aged 19 after moving from Edinburgh Thistle in August 1959.

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

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DEBUT APPEARANCES

🟢 LB Charlie Aitken | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | #488 | Youth team promotion

FINAL APPEARANCES

🔴 F Johnny Dixon | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 1946-61 🕒 430 | ✅ 430 | 🔁 (-) | ⚽ 144 | 🔥 64 | 🇺 - | #396 |

Seasons | 🕒 Games | ✅ Starts (🔁 Subs) | ⚽ Goals | 🔥 Assists | 🇺 Unused | Player Number |

Aston Villa

League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1956-57

Sheffield Wednesday

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League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1934–35

FIXTURE HISTORY
Sheffield Wednesday
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Previous 5 vs. Wednesday: 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩

Games 🕒, Won 🟩, Drew 🟨, Lost 🟥, Goals Scored ⚽, Goals Conceded 🥅

Sheffield Wednesday

PREVIOUS MATCH
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Sheffield Wednesday

SUBSEQUENT MATCH

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

FIXTURE DETAILS
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Season | 1960-61 |
Matchday | #56 |
League Match | #42 |
Manager Game | #131 |
Saturday, 29 April 1961

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🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

MATCH SUMMARY
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Manager: Joe Mercer | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Ellesmere Port, 1958-1964
Referee: J. S. McLoughlin | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Manchester, 1955-1961
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
FT Score: 🟩 4-1
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟨 🟩

Scorers
Timeline
On This Day
Trophies
Fixture
Manager
MANAGERIAL RECORD
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Joe Mercer | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 1958-1964

🕒 128 | 🟩 | 61 🟨 30 🟥 37 | 1.66

Villa Career Form:

Top 6

Joe Mercer | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 1958-1964

Games 🕒, Won 🟩, Drew 🟨, Lost 🟥, Points per Game

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

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MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: J. S. McLoughlin | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Manchester, 1955-1961

VAR PROFILE (from 2021)

CARDS
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None

CARDS
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None

Won 🟩, Drew 🟨, Lost 🟥, Notably poor performance 🆘, Cards 🟨 Booking, Cards 🟥 Sending off, Disallowed ❌ Goal disallowed, ⚽ Penalty for, 🥅 Penalty against, ❌ Penalty Disallowed

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

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TEAM NEWS
TEAM STATS

Legendary Villa captain Johnny Dixon is poignantly handed his first start of the season for his final appearance as another future Villa great, Charlie Aitken, makes his debut.

John Neal also returns to the line up as Gordon Lee, Stan Lynn and Ron Wylie drop out.

Starting XI Average Age
| 26.93 |

Oldest Player |
F Johnny Dixon | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 37.41 |

Youngest Player |
LB Charlie Aitken | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | 19.01 |

Referee

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

MANAGER

Joe Mercer | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 1958-1964

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Aston Villa

GK Nigel Sims | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
FB John Neal | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
LB Charlie Aitken | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | 🟢 |
CB Jimmy Dugdale | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
M Alan Deakin | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
M Vic Crowe | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 |
W Jimmy MacEwan | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 |
W Harry Burrows | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 🔥 |
F Gerry Hitchens | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | ⚽ | ⚽ |
F Johnny Dixon | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 🔥 | ⚽ | 🚑 | 🔴 |
F Bobby Thomson | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | ⚽ |

MANAGER

Harry Catterick | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

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Sheffield Wednesday

GK Ron Springett | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
LB Don Megson | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
CB Peter Swan | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
RB Peter Johnson | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
M Tom McAnearney | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 |
M Tony Kay | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
W Alan Finney | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
F Billy Griffin | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | ⚽ |
F Johnny Fantham | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
F Bobby Craig | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 |
CF Keith Ellis | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

Line Ups

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

SUBSTITUTES
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No Substitutions permitted in period

SUBSTITUTES

No Substitutions Permitted in Period

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Substitutes

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
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No Substitutions permitted in period

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
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No Substitutions Permitted in Period

Player Positions:

GK : Goalkeeper
CB, D, B : Centre Back, Defender, Back
FB, LB, RB, WH : Full Back, Left Back, Right Back, Wing Back, Wing Half


M, CH, LH, RH : Midfielder, Centre Half, Left Half, Right Half
W, OL, OR : Winger, Outside Left, Outside Right
F, IF, IL, IR : Forward, Inside Forward, Inside Left, Inside Right, Second Striker, False 9
CF : Centre Forward

Match Symbols:

⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution

🟨 | Booking

🟥 | Sending off

🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game

Squad Bios

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

SQUAD STATS
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Villa XI:
Home Nation 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇬🇧 : 11/11

SQUAD STATS
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Wednesday XI:
Home Nation 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇬🇧 : 11/11

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

MATCHDAY SQUAD
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MATCHDAY SQUAD
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🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

UNAVAILABLE
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Injury | 1 |
F Peter McParland | 🇬🇧 |

UNAVAILABLE
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Not Recorded

Unavailable
LEAGUE TABLE
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Tables & Programmes
🟩 12 Apr 2025, Villa 3-0 Southampton, St Mary's TBL.png
MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
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🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

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MATCH QUOTES
Quotes

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

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MATCH REPORTS

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. With thanks to Reach PLC. Digitised by Findmypast Newspaper Archive Limited. All rights reserved. Source: British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)

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Reports

🟩 29 Apr 1961, Villa 4-1 Wednesday, Villa Park

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MATCH VIDEO
Videos
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