Game #340
Saturday, 2 April 1898
Attendance: 8,000
Drew
Division One
5th
Stoke
WWWLD
Villa Park
Harry Wilkes, Villa’s former League winning ‘keeper lined up for Stoke as George Ramsay's reigning champions can only draw and thereby render their title defence over. With three games left to play, Sheffield United are 7 points clear with Villa back in 5th place. Villa however remain reigning League Champions as the destination of the 1897-98 title remains to be decided.
Aston Villa (Champions)
1-1
Stoke
Assists(s) | Not recorded
KEY MAN
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
[Exact timings not recorded]
1’ Debut, Edmund Strange, Billy Garraty
HT Aston Villa 0-0 Stoke
Player retired injured (Stoke)
Goal, 1-0, Jack Sharp, Assist by Jack Cowan
Goal, 1-1, (Stoke)
Stoke return to full complement
FT Aston Villa 1-1 Stoke
ON THIS DAY
Harry Wilkes, Villa’s former League winning ‘keeper lined up for Stoke as the reigning champions can only draw and thereby render their title defence over. With three games left to play, Sheffield United are 7 points clear with Villa back in 5th place. Villa however remain reigning League Champions as the destination of the 1897-98 title remains to be decided.
Midfielder Edmund Strange made his Villa debut aged 27 after joining from Unity Gas FC.
Centre forward Billy Garraty made his Villa debut aged 19 after joining from Aston Shakespeare.
Aston Villa
Stoke
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌
FIXTURE HISTORY
Stoke
Previous 5 vs. Stoke: | 🟩 | 🟩 | 🟩 | 🟩 | 🟨 |
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1897-98 |
Matchday | #28 |
League Match | #27 |
Manager Game | #314 |
Saturday, 2 April 1898
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager | George Ramsay led Management Committee |
Referee | Charles Sutcliffe, Burnley |
FT Score | 1-1 |
FT Result | Drew |
Last 5 Games | WWWLD |
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Charles Sutcliffe
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Villa make changes all round and as a result field their youngest XI of the season with an average age of 23.80.
Jimmy Cowan drops out, as does Fred Wheldon, Jimmy Crabtree, Charlie Athersmith who are all on International duty whilst Steve Smith also misses out.
Bert Sharp, Jack Cowan and Howard Harvey return whilst Villa hand debuts to Edmund Strange and future great Billy Garraty.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 23.80 |
Oldest Player |
F Bob Chatt | 27.69 |
Youngest Player |
CF Billy Garraty | 19.50 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
George Ramsay led Management Committee
Aston Villa
GK Jimmy Whitehouse |
RB Bert Sharp |
FB Albert Evans |
M Tommy Bowman |
M Edmund Strange |
W Jack Sharp |
W Jack Cowan |
F Howard Harvey |
F James Fisher |
F Bob Chatt |
CF Billy Garraty |
Stoke
SUBSTITUTES
No Substitutions permitted in period
SUBSTITUTES
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
No Substitutions permitted in period
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
SQUAD STATS
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE
PROGRAMME

MATCHDAY QUOTES
"The colours of both clubs are very much alike and some confusion was occasioned through this in the first half. Aston Villa, after the brief rest, returned to the field arrayed in white jerseys."
*The Sporting Life*
Monday, 4 April 1898
ASTON VILLA V. STOKE
The meeting of these teams in the return League match at Aston Lower grounds, Birmingham, drew out a crowd of fully 10,000 spectators.
Stoke were powerfully represented, but the Aston Villa team was considerably below its usual strength, on account t of some of the most prominent men being at Glasgow taking part in the International
Wheldon, Athersmith, James Cowan and Crabtree were all absentees.
In the Stoke eleven was included Wilkes the old Aston Villa goalkeeper.
The weather favourable, although there was a stiff breeze blowing, and winning the toss Stoke had the advantage of this in the first half. The Villa were the first to press, and in saving a shot from J Sharp, Wilkes was injured, Fisher netting the ball when the custodian was lying on the ground. As the whistle had previously blown the point went for nothing.
The home men continued to press, and forced a corner, which however came to nothing. The Stoke forwards, led by Schofield, broke down the field, and Miller sent in a fine shot, which Whitehouse cleared with difficult.
John Cowan bounded to the other end, but he did not part with the ball to advantage, for Rowley cleared with ease. The subsequent play was of a very even character, both elevens being equally matched, and the interval arrived with both elevens pointless.
The colours of both clubs are very much alike and some confusion was occasioned through this in the first half. Aston Villa, after the brief rest, returned to the field arrayed in white jerseys.
Stoke pressed and led on by Johnson became very dangerous, although the play of both sets of forwards in front of goal was very weak.
An injury to Kennedy compelled that player to leave the field, and this little incident did not improve the visitors’ prospects.
John Cowan dribbled the ball beautifully through a ruck of opponents, and passing to Sharp, the last named beat Wilkes with a beauty.
This infused the first real bit of excitement into the game so far.
Stoke played up in determined style, Schofield shooting, and before Whitehouse could get the ball away Molyneux had banged it into the net, and the rivals were once again on equal terms.
This incident had taken place exactly two minutes after the goal scored by the home team.
Kennedy now returned to the field, although he was limping badly, and the game proceeded on very brisk lines.
J Sharp headed clean for the Stoke goal, but Wilkes cleared, the Villa centre being slightly injured in a collision with the Stoke custodian.
The game was very fast towards the finish, but nothing further transpired.