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Game #307

Aston Villa

Monday, 22 March 1897

Won

1st

WWDWW

Division One

Attendance: 8,000

Bolton Wanderers

Wellington Road, Perry Barr

Aston Villa (Champions)

6-2

Bolton Wanderers

Assists(s) | Not recorded

MATCH SUMMARY

Charlie Athersmith opened the floodgates as reigning Champions Villa's second half performance puts Bolton to the sword and extend their lead at the top of the First Division table to 7 points and a game in hand over second placed Sheffield United.

KEY MAN

Charlie Athersmith, opened the floodgates, Monday, 22 March 1897

PREVIOUS MATCH

NEXT MATCH

MATCH TIMELINE

Monday, 22 March 1897

[Exact timings not recorded]
17’ Goal, 0-1, (Bolton Wanderers)
Goal, 0-2, (Bolton Wanderers)
HT Aston Villa 0-2 Bolton Wanderers
62’ Goal, 1-2, Charlie Athersmith
67’ Goal, 2-2, Jack Reynolds
Goal, 3-2, Johnny Campbell, Assist by Steve Smith
72’ Goal, 4-2, Fred Wheldon
Goal, 5-2, Fred Wheldon
Goal, 6-2, Jack Devey
FT Aston Villa 6-2 Bolton Wanderers

ON THIS DAY

Reigning Champions Villa's second half performance puts Bolton to the sword and extend their lead at the top of the First Division table to 7 points and a game in hand over second placed Sheffield United.

Jeremiah Griffiths made his final appearance for Villa aged 24 before moving on to Bilston Town. Griffiths had made only 3 appearances
but each of those appearances came in a competition that Villa went on to win: the 1895-96 Football League season, the 1896-97 FA Cup and the 1896-97 Football League season.

Aston Villa

League Champions: 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1895-96

Bolton Wanderers

League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌

FIXTURE HISTORY

Bolton Wanderers

Previous 5 vs. Bolton: | 🟥 | 🟩 | 🟥 | 🟩 | 🟨 |

FIXTURE DETAILS

Villa.gif
2509-2.png

Season | 1896-97 |
Matchday | #32 |
League Match | #26 |
Manager Game | #281 |
Monday, 22 March 1897

MATCH SUMMARY

Manager | George Ramsay led Management Committee |
FT Score | 6-2 |
FT Result | Won |
Last 5 Games | WWDWW |

MANAGERIAL RECORD

George Ramsay led Management Committee

GAMES | WINS | DRAWS | LOSSES | POINTS PER GAME

🕒 281 | 🟩 159 🟨 44 🟥 78 | 1.85

Villa Career Form:

Top 4

George Ramsay led Management Committee

MATCH OFFICIALS

All the matches refereed by:

CARDS

Villa

Bolton Wanderers

TEAM NEWS

Villa make two changes to the team that qualified for the FA Cup final last time out with Harry Wilkes retuning in goal for Jimmy Whitehouse and Steve Smith replacing Jack Cowan.

TEAM STATS

Starting XI Average Age
| 25.43 |

Oldest Player |
F Jack Devey | 30.26 |

Youngest Player |
FB Howard Spencer | 21.59 |

MANAGER

George Ramsay led Management Committee

Villa.gif

Aston Villa

GK Harry Wilkes |
CB Jimmy Cowan |
FB Howard Spencer |
FB Albert Evans |
M Jack Reynolds |
M Jeremiah Griffiths |
W Steve Smith |
W Charlie Athersmith |
F Fred Wheldon |
F Johnny Campbell |
F Jack Devey |

MANAGER

2509-2.png

Bolton Wanderers

Villa.gif

Not necessarily indicative of the actual matchday formation

SUBSTITUTES

Villa.gif

No Substitutions permitted in period

SUBSTITUTES

2509-2.png

No Substitutions Permitted in Period

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

Villa.gif

No Substitutions permitted in period

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

2509-2.png

No Substitutions Permitted in Period

SQUAD STATS

Villa.gif

MATCHDAY SQUAD

Villa.gif

SQUAD STATS

2509-2.png

MATCHDAY SQUAD

2509-2.png

UNAVAILABLE

Not recorded

UNAVAILABLE

Not Recorded

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

DEBUT APPEARANCES

FINAL APPEARANCES

MATCH STATS

Not recorded

LEAGUE TABLE

2021-22 Matchweek 38.jpg

MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

Quotation Marks.png

MATCHDAY QUOTES

"Amidst great cheering the pressure was maintained, and from a centre by Smith, Campbell shot the third goal and put Villa ahead. Then Wheldon added another, four goals having been scored in ten minutes Wheldon got a fifth, and the Villa won as below. Result; ASTON VILLA 6 goals. BOLTON WANDERERS 2 goals."

*The Sheffield Independent*
Tuesday, 23 March 1897

LEAGUE.
DIVISION I.
VILLA v. BOLTON WANDERERS.

This League match was played yesterday at Perry Barr before 7,000 persons. Neither side was fully represented.

Bolton played downhill in the first half, but Villa had the most of the game.

Seventeen minutes from the start Spencer missed his kick and Jack scored for Bolton.

The game was subsequently well contested, and Sutcliffe gave a good display in goal. Jack scored for Bolton, and the interval score was Bolton Wanderers 2 goals, Aston Villa 0 goal.

Play was resumed in wind and rain, and the Villa pressed heavily.

After 17 minutes Athersmith scored, five minutes later Reynolds equalised.

Amidst great cheering the pressure was maintained, and from a centre by Smith, Campbell shot the third goal and put Villa ahead. Then Wheldon added another, four goals having been scored in ten minutes Wheldon got a fifth, and the Villa won as below. Result; ASTON VILLA 6 goals. BOLTON WANDERERS 2 goals.

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

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