With Fred Biddlestone injured Bill Carey is named as replacement 'keeper just 10 minutes before kick off as a late decision is made to play him ahead of 16 year old clerk from the Villa staff offices, Alan Wakeman. 

Eric Houghton hits a brace to make it three in as many games as Villa get their promotion push back on track with a seventh win of the season in eleven games under Jimmy Hogan.

Villa recover from their third defeat in ten games to beat Newcastle and make it seven wins, a draw and three defeats in eleven division two games under Jimmy Hogan. Meanwhile, centre forward Tommy Clayton and goalkeeper Bill Carey made their Villa debuts aged 27 and 24 after joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Hereford United earlier this month and in in May 1936 respectively.

• Villa win again, and for the third successive away game, but so do Coventry as they maintain a two point gap ahead of Jimmy Hogan's side who now occupy 3rd place outright.

• Up next are leaders Coventry at Villa Park, a win would put Villa joint top but Coventry look formidable opposition.

• Eric Houghton scores his fourth in as many games as Villa keep up their promotion push with an eighth win of the season in twelve games under Jimmy Hogan.

• Villa set a Division Two League record attendance of 68,029 for the top of the table clash with Coventry.

• Eric Houghton scores direct from a free kick for his fifth goal in as many games but Villa are held at home by the leaders and although they extend their unbeaten run to three and have eight wins, two draws and three defeats in thirteen division two games under Jimmy Hogan, they climb to joint second place alongside Sheffield United but remain two points behind their opponents.

• The game itself is a full throttle assault by Villa versus a Coventry rearguard action.

• If poor finishing cost them victory against Coventry last time out then it was pure luck this time as despite Freddie Haycock's fifth goal of the season Villa are held to a second successive draw, this time a Gigg Lane.

• Villa extend their unbeaten run to four to make it eight wins, three draws and three defeats in fourteen division two games under Jimmy Hogan.

• Villa remain joint second - now level with Chesterfield - with Coventry, who also drew, still two points ahead.

• Like a broken record, Villa dominate but cannot get the goal their play deserves. 

• Villa have now played 15 games and in not one have they been outplayed by the opposition however they have just eight wins to show for it alongside four draws and three defeats.

• As Villa drop a point so do Coventry and Chesterfield are hit for seven at home. With Sheffield United winning a thriller 5-3 it is the Blades that share second place with Villa, still two behind Coventry.

• Centre back Jeff Barker made his Villa debut aged 22 after joining from Scunthorpe United in November 1936 for a fee of £400.

• Villa's players all wear black armbands in memory of the Villa Colt player Edward Strain who had died the previous day aged just 17. Strain was great friends with Amos Moss, son of Frank, and a fellow Colt, who all lived locally in St John's, Worcester.

• Villa suffer a shock defeat - and rare one at that too - to mid-table Manchester United, a side fresh from putting seven past Chesterfield. 

• To the surprise of nobody the performance of the referee - Barton from Repton - left plenty to be desired. Allowing United to play on despite a clear offside and nearly claiming a goal from a one on one situation of the official's own creation, before allowing United a second goal despite it being demonstrably offside.

• That the official would not even listen to the protests - he ignored them and ran for the centre - made matters even more concerning.

• It's Villa's first defeat in six and they're now winless in four after a Fred Biddlestone error hands the hosts a lead before incessant Villa pressure ends in the homesters getting a second goal against the run of play just before half time.

• They make sure of the win as Biddlestone errs again in the second half before Bob Iverson finally gets a goal that Villa's play deserved.

• Villa though never stopped pressing and the difference was simple, a poor referee, a poor game from the 'keeper and poor finishing.

• Amazingly though Coventry lose too as the two sides continue to mirror each other's results but Villa drop to third as Sheffield United win to go level with the leaders two ahead of Villa and Chesterfield.

• Up next - new joint leaders Sheffield United.

• Tommy Clayton scores his first goal for Villa as Villa win for the first time in five under Jimmy Hogan as they beat joint leaders Sheffield United at Villa Park.

• What is it about Sheffield sides and on pitch thuggery though? Yet again the unseemly side of the game, whether Wednesday or United, is on show.

• Villa bounce back from a first defeat in six to win for the first time in five and make it nine wins, four draws and four defeats in seventeen division two games under Jimmy Hogan.

• Eric Houghton hits his sixth of the season but Villa lose for the second time in three games as they are genuinely outplayed for the first time in 1937-38.

• Villa lose for the second time in three games to make it nine wins, four draws and five defeats in eighteen division two games under Jimmy Hogan. 

• Villa drop to joint third alongside Chesterfield, two points behind leaders Coventry and Sheffield United.

• Despite his man of the match performance, centre back Jeff Barker made his third and final appearance for Villa aged 22 before moving on to Huddersfield Town in November 1945.

• Villa fall to a first loss in eight in all competitions as they lose at St James' to make it seventeen wins, six draws and seven defeats in thirty division two games. 

• Everything is status quo at the top of the table but Villa waste another game in hand to remain second, two point behind leaders Sheffield United, one point ahead of Coventry and two ahead of Manchester United.

• Midfielder Tommy Gardner made the last of his 76 appearances for Villa aged 27 before moving on to Burnley in April 1938.

• Eric Houghton scores from the spot to earn Villa a draw at Ayresome.

• Villa make it two top flight games unbeaten for the first time since April 1936 as they are held to a draw at Ayresome Park.

• Villa lose for the first time in their return to the top flight as they lose against the run of play in their first home game of 1938-39.

• Centre forward Tommy Clayton made his eleventh and final appearance for Villa during which time he scored once before moving on to Burnley in October 1938.