🟥 7 Jan 1888, Villa 1-3 Preston, Wellington Road

Manager: George Ramsay | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | Glasgow, 1886-1926 led Management Committee
Referee: John Charles Clegg | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Sheffield, 1888- 🆘
HT Score: 🟨 1-1
FT Result: 🟥 Lost
FT Score: 🟥 1-3
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥

💥 | Both captains and referee Clegg discuss that the game cannot be played as an FA Cup tie due to overcrowding and likely encroachment on the playing surface being detrimental to both teams.
🕒 | Kick off
💥 | Crowd encroachment leads to a 7.5’ delay to the game
💥 | Preston officials protest continuance of play as an FA Cup tie and request it to be played as a friendly
⚽ | 13’ Goal, 1-0, Archie Hunter
💥 | Crowd encroachment leads to a 9’ delay to the game
💥 | Villa officials support Preston officials protest continuance of play as an FA Cup tie and request it to be played as a friendly
🥅 | Goal, 1-1, (Preston North End), Johnny Goodall
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 1-1 Preston North End
💥 | Preston North End’s Graham punches Tommy Green on the field of play
🥅 | Goal, 1-2, (Preston North End), Ross jnr
💥 | Mounted police arrive at the ground to try and prevent further encroachment
🥅 | Goal, 1-3, (Preston North End), Ross jnr
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 1-3 Preston North End

Post Match.

Suddell of Preston North End totally reneges on his in game protests.

The match officials and FA however call for a reply under Cup tie conditions.

Suddell refuses such a move and threatens to pull Preston North End from the competition in protest unless the result is upheld.

All parties assume this is a fit of pique and sense will prevail in Preston however Villa are minded to not push the matter so as to not damage the credibility of the competition and relationships between the clubs.

Preston have no such magnanimous pretensions to the disgust of the footballing fraternity.

Umpires C. J. Hughes (Cheshire) and M. P. Betts (Harrow) confirm that both captains had agreed to play the match as a friendly on the second encroachment with Villa one goal to the good.

Referee Clegg denies the recollection of both captains and umpires and claims that Villa had not concurred with the game being treated as a friendly.

Oddly this evidence is accepted by the FA.

As a consequence the FA claim they can only judge whether Preston’s protest with the score at 0-0 means they are unable to claim the game at 3-1, and whether Villa’s alleged (by one individual, contested by four) failure to protest meant Villa were unable to retrospectively support Preston’s protest.

When the FA meet one week later they determine that Preston are awarded the match.

They do so whilst ignoring the basis upon which they had claimed the case would have been judged, in itself that basis, due to some unorthodox statements from referee Clegg, effectively absolved Preston of any responsibility for their protest and counter protests.

The FA decided Preston, should be awarded the game as “Aston Villa had not taken sufficient precautions for keeping the crowd outside the enclosure”.

Villa did not challenge the decision despite the wildly inconsistent nature of the referee’s recollections, the FA’s claims and basis for judgement and the abhorrent behaviour of Suddell and Preston North End.

Preston would end as FA Cup runners up to West Bromwich Albion.

🟩 17 Dec 1887, Villa 9-0 Shankhouse, St James' Park

Manager: George Ramsay | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | Glasgow, 1886-1926 led Management Committee
Referee: Thomas Hindle | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Darwen, 1887-
HT Score: 🟩 4-0
FT Result: 🟩 Won
FT Score: 🟩 9-0
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩

⚽ | 8’ Goal, 1-0, Archie Hunter
⚽ | Goal, 2-0, Albert Allen
⚽ | Goal, 3-0, Archie Hunter
⚽ | Goal, 4-0, Albert Brown
🕒 | HT Shankhouse 0-4 Aston Villa
⚽ | Goal, 5-0, Tommy Green, Assist by Dennis Hodgetts
⚽ | Goal, 6-0, Tommy Green, Assist by Archie Hunter
⚽ | Goal, 7-0, Albert Allen, Assist by Albert Brown
⚽ | Goal, 8-0, Dennis Hodgetts
⚽ | Goal, 9-0, Albert Brown
🕒 | FT Shankhouse 0-9 Aston Villa

🟩 5 Nov 1887, Villa 4-0 Small Heath Alliance, Muntz Street

Manager: George Ramsay | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | Glasgow, 1886-1926 led Management Committee
Referee: Unknown
HT Score: 🟩 2-0
FT Result: 🟩 Won
FT Score: 🟩 4-0
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩

⚽ | Goal, 1-0, Tommy Green, Assist by Albert Allen
⚽ | Goal, 2-0, Tommy Green, Assist by Albert Brown
🕒 | HT Small Heath Alliance 0-2 Aston Villa
⚽ | Goal, 3-0, Albert Brown, Assist by Dennis Hodgetts
⚽ | 80' Goal, 4-0, Albert Allen
🕒 | FT Small Heath Alliance 0-4 Aston Villa

🟩 15 Oct 1887, Villa 4-0 Oldbury Town, Oldbury

Manager: George Ramsay | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | Glasgow, 1886-1926 led Management Committee
Referee: Unknown
HT Score: 🟩 1-0
FT Score: 🟩 4-0
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩

🟢 | 1’ Debut, Gershom Cox, Harry Devey, Tommy Green, Albert Allen
⚽ | 15’ Goal, 1-0, Albert Brown, Assist by Dennis Hodgetts
🕒 | HT Oldbury Town 0-1 Aston Villa
⚽ | Goal, 2-0, Albert Allen
⚽ | Goal, 3-0, Dennis Hodgetts
⚽ | Goal, 4-0, Albert Brown
🕒 | FT Oldbury Town 0-4 Aston Villa