3-5

Villa return to League action and concede five at home to Portsmouth to leave them four points from safety at the bottom of the table but with a game in hand on third from bottom Preston. 

Villa’s latest defeat - their thirteenth in twenty six games - proves to be Tommy Docherty’s final game in charge. 

Docherty had spent £350,000, had made increasingly outlandish claims as to his and Villa’s imminent success, had continued his self publicising ways, had ostracised essential squad quality but many fans continued to idolise someone who had delivered just four wins and who was clearly unable to rectify his shortcomings from the very first games of the season. 

Only inactivity of the equally culpable Herbert Douglas Ellis and the honeymoon period for the ‘new’ board allowed the unfolding disaster to continue past the obvious point of action. 

Yet still the media called it a “shock” as did the unrepentant Docherty himself. 

Tommy Docherty's terrible season continues as Villa lose for a fourth time in the last five League games to make it four wins, nine draws and thirteen defeats in twenty six division two matches. Villa’s latest reverse saw them rooted to the bottom of the Division Two table having conceded 36 and scoring only 19 goals. 

Meanwhile, defender Dick Edwards made his final appearance for Villa aged 27 before moving on to Torquay United in June 1970. Edwards played for Villa between 1967-68 and 1969-70 making 77 appearances, scoring twice. 

Full back Barry Lynch made his third and final appearance for Villa aged 18 before moving on to Atlanta Chiefs in the summer of 1971. --- Monday, 19 January 1970 

Manager Tommy Docherty and first team trainer-coach Arthur Cox were sacked by Villa after presiding over an appalling season of football leaving the club facing almost certain relegation to the third tier. --- 

Friday, 23 January 1970 Following similar behaviour earlier in his Villa career, full back Mick Wright declares he will no longer play for the club in the wake of the Docherty sacking. 

“Ellis must go” chants reverberate around a Villa Park reserve match as supporters point the finger of blame at upstart Chairman Herbert Douglas Ellis. --- 

Monday, 26 January 1970 Former Villa wing half Vic Crowe is appointed manager of Villa having acted as caretaker in the week since Tommy Docherty’s sacking after stepping up from his position as second team coach.