Villa are robbed of a first half equaliser in a game they were more than matching their opponents. Harry Burrows, mystifyingly allowed to leave a week earlier lines up for Stoke in a result that leaves Villa one point of the relegation places.

Dick Taylor's Villa hopes of a desperately needed improvement in form after successive wins suffer a setback as they lose at the Victoria ground to make it eleven wins, two draws and twenty defeats in thirty three division one matches this season. At the same point in 1963-64, under former manager Joe Mercer, Villa had lost fifteen and won nine before going on to finish 19th, two places above relegation.