Joe Mercer's Villa lose six successive games for the first time since 1958-59 under Eric Houghton which led to Mercer’s appointment in December 1958 and Villa’s ultimate relegation to the second tier at the end of that campaign.

Villa’s latest fixture is their fifth in sixteen days as their wildly interrupted season delivered the inevitable fixture list congestion in the final two months of the season.

As a result, Villa make it twelve wins, seven draws and thirteen defeats in thirty two division one games so far this season as a campaign of such promise before the fixture interruption comes completely off the rails.