1992–93 Aston Villa F.C. season

During the 1992–93 English football season, Aston Villa competed in the inaugural season of the Premier League.

Aston Villa
1992–93 season
ChairmanDoug Ellis
ManagerRon Atkinson
StadiumVilla Park
Premier League2nd
FA CupFourth round
League CupFourth round
Top goalscorerLeague: Saunders (13)
All: Saunders (17)
Average home league attendance29,594

Season summary

Aston Villa spent most of the season challenging for the title, and were top of the Premier League with six games left to play, but were eventually overhauled by manager Ron Atkinson's old club Manchester United, who sealed the title without kicking a ball when on 2 May 1993 Villa were surprisingly beaten 1-0 at home by an Oldham Athletic side who were in the process of pulling off a surprise escape from relegation. The club lost their last three games, allowing United to pull ten points clear at the end of the season.[1]

The season began with three successive 1-1 draws, with striker Dalian Atkinson scoring in each of these games. They then lost 1-0 to Everton, meaning that victory did not come until their fifth league game, when they triumphed 2-0 at Sheffield United.

On 9 September, Villa paid a club record £2.5million for Liverpool striker Dean Saunders, who 10 days later scored twice against his former employers in a 4-2 win for Villa at home. This came during a 10-match unbeaten run which sent Villa to the top of the table. Saunders arrived at Villa Park soon after another Liverpool player, Irish winger Ray Houghton. West Ham United and Scotland striker Frank McAvennie joined Villa at the start of the season, but made just a few substitute appearances before returning to his native Scotland for a second spell at Celtic, having been unable to break up the partnership of Saunders and Atkinson. Veteran goalkeeper Les Sealey was dropped for the first team and loaned to Birmingham City before joining Manchester United for a second spell in January 1993. At the end of the season, veteran striker Cyrille Regis joined Wolverhampton Wanderers.

That unbeaten run ended on 28 November when they lost 3-2 at home to a Norwich City side who were emerging as title contenders after being among the pre-season relegation favourites. A 3-0 defeat at Coventry City on Boxing Day was followed by a five-match winning run which restored Villa's leadership of the league from the East Anglians.

On 14 March, Villa travelled to the league's new leaders Manchester United for what was billed by many as the title decider, and came away with a 1-1 draw. Before the month was out, Villa lost at Norwich, but it was not until a 3-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers towards the end of April that Villa's title challenge was really looking dead and buried.

Villa had to win their penultimate game of the season at home to Oldham Athletic to stand any chance of catching Manchester United in the title race. But their opponents also had to win that game to have any hope of avoiding relegation, and it was the unfashionable Greater Manchester side who came away victorious from Villa Park, handing the league title to Manchester United.

Kit

English apparel manufacturer Umbro remained Aston Villa's kit sponsors, and introduced a new kit for the season, featuring a blue circle around a lace-up collar.[2] The club retained the previous season's away and third kits.[3] A new crest, featuring a yellow lion rampant on a blue and maroon striped design, was introduced, although the away and third kits retained the old club crest. Mita Copiers remained the kit sponsors.

Final league table
Main article: 1992–93 FA Premier League
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United (C) 42 24 12 6 67 31 +36 84 Qualification for the Champions League first round
2 Aston Villa 42 21 11 10 57 40 +17 74 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 1]
3 Norwich City 42 21 9 12 61 65 −4 72
4 Blackburn Rovers 42 20 11 11 68 46 +22 71
5 Queens Park Rangers 42 17 12 13 63 55 +8 63
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. Since League Cup winners Arsenal had qualified for UEFA Cup Winners Cup by also winning the FA Cup, the UEFA Cup berth for the League Cup reverted to the league and was awarded to Norwich City. England was considered for an extra slot for the UEFA Cup after the 1993 Polish football scandal, but another one was given to Scotland, and it seemed excessive to give both two slots to Great Britain, and the extra place was reverted to Hungary.

Results

Premier League
Main article: 1992–93 FA Premier League
MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
115 August 1992Ipswich TownA1 – 116,818Atkinson 84'
219 August 1992Leeds UnitedH1 – 129,151Atkinson 77'
322 August 1992SouthamptonH1 – 117,894Atkinson 64'
425 August 1992EvertonA0 – 122,372
529 August 1992Sheffield UnitedA2 – 018,773Parker (2) 2', 86'
62 September 1992ChelseaH1 – 319,125Richardson 30'
75 September 1992Crystal PalaceH3 – 017,120Froggatt 18', Staunton 42', Yorke 72'
813 September 1992Leeds UnitedA1 – 127,817Parker 19'
919 September 1992LiverpoolH4 – 237,863Saunders (2) 44', 66', Atkinson 54', Parker 78'
1026 September 1992MiddlesbroughA3 – 220,905Saunders (2) 22', 74', Atkinson 71'
113 October 1992WimbledonA3 – 26,849Saunders (2) 5', 29', Atkinson 77'
1219 October 1992Blackburn RoversH0 – 030,398
1324 October 1992Oldham AthleticA1 – 113,457Atkinson 81'
141 November 1992Queens Park RangersH2 – 020,140Saunders 43', Atkinson 79'
157 November 1992Manchester UnitedH1 – 039,063Atkinson 12'
1621 November 1992Tottenham HotspurA0 – 032,852
1728 November 1992Norwich CityH2 – 328,837Houghton 45', Parker 46'
185 December 1992Sheffield WednesdayA2 – 129,964Atkinson (2) 19', 67'
1912 December 1992Nottingham ForestH2 – 129,015Regis 33', McGrath 47'
2019 December 1992Manchester CityA1 – 123,525Parker 34'
2126 December 1992Coventry CityA0 – 324,245
2228 December 1992ArsenalH1 – 035,170Saunders 45'
239 January 1993LiverpoolA2 – 140,826Parker 54', Saunders 64'
2417 January 1993MiddlesbroughH5 – 119,997Parker 26', McGrath 32', Yorke 44', Saunders 58', Teale 68'
2527 January 1993Sheffield UnitedH3 – 120,266McGrath 54', Saunders 58', Richardson 89'
2630 January 1993SouthamptonA0 – 219,087
276 February 1993Ipswich TownH2 – 025,395Yorke 32', Saunders 42'
2810 February 1993Crystal PalaceA0 – 112,270
2913 February 1993ChelseaA1 – 020,081Houghton 22'
3020 February 1993EvertonH2 – 132,931Cox 12', Barrett 18'
3127 February 1993WimbledonH1 – 034,496Yorke 79'
3210 March 1993Tottenham HotspurH0 – 037,727
3314 March 1993Manchester UnitedA1 – 136,163Staunton 63'
3420 March 1993Sheffield WednesdayH2 – 038,024Yorke (2) 2', 56'
3524 March 1993Norwich CityA0 – 119,528
364 April 1993Nottingham ForestA1 – 026,742McGrath 63'
3710 April 1993Coventry CityH0 – 038,543
3812 April 1993ArsenalA1 – 027,123Daley 68'
3918 April 1993Manchester CityH3 – 133,108Saunders 47', Parker 67', Houghton 89'
4021 April 1993Blackburn RoversA0 – 315,127
412 May 1993Oldham AthleticH0 – 137,427
429 May 1993Queens Park RangersA1 – 218,904Daley 38'

FA Cup
Main article: 1992–93 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R32 January 1993Bristol RoversH1 – 127,040Cox 38'
R3 Replay20 January 1993Bristol RoversA3 – 08,880Saunders 23', 75', Houghton 83'
R423 January 1993WimbledonH1 – 121,008Yorke 3'
R4 Replay3 February 1993WimbledonA0 – 0 (5 – 6 pens)8,048

League Cup
Main article: 1992–93 Football League Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R2 1st leg23 September 1992Oxford UnitedA2 – 18,837McGrath 52', Teale 72'
R2 2nd leg7 October 1992Oxford UnitedH2 – 119,808Atkinson 11', Richardson 90'
R328 October 1992Manchester UnitedH1 – 035,964Saunders 75'
R42 December 1992Ipswich TownH2 – 221,545Atkinson 65', Saunders 77'
R4 Replay15 December 1992Ipswich TownA0 – 119,196

Players

First-team squad
Squad at end of season[4][5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
GK Michael Oakes
GK Nigel Spink
GK Mark Bosnich
DF Earl Barrett
DF Neil Cox
DF Ugo Ehiogu
DF Bryan Small
DF Shaun Teale
DF Paul McGrath[notes 1]
DF Steve Staunton
DF Dariusz Kubicki
MF Mark Blake
MF Tony Daley
No. Position Player
MF David Farrell
MF Steve Froggatt
MF Garry Parker
MF Kevin Richardson (captain)
MF Ray Houghton[notes 2]
MF Stefan Beinlich
MF Matthias Breitkreutz
FW Dalian Atkinson
FW Martin Carruthers
FW Cyrille Regis[notes 3]
FW Dean Saunders
FW Frank McAvennie
FW Dwight Yorke

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
GK Les Sealey (to Manchester United)
DF Craig Goodwin (to Chester City)
No. Position Player
MF Richard Crisp (on loan to Scunthorpe United)

Reserve squad
The following players made most of their appearances this season for the reserves, and did not appear for the first-team, or only appeared for the first-team in friendlies.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
GK Glen Livingstone
GK Michael Oakes
GK Martin Thomas (on loan from Birmingham City)
DF Chris Boden
DF Christian Beeck (on trial from SG Bergmann-Borsig)
MF Trevor Berry
MF Richard Crisp
MF Graham Fenton
MF Lee Williams
No. Position Player
MF Gareth Farrelly
MF Henrik Larsen (on loan from Pisa)
MF Joe Nagbe (on trial from SAS Épinal)
FW Neil Davis
FW Hans Gillhaus (on trial from Aberdeen)
Template:Country data Steve Donnelly (on trial)
Template:Country data Joe McGuiness (on trial)
Template:Country data Tommy Staunton (on trial)

Youth squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
GK Paul Blenkenship
GK Stuart Brock
GK Adam Rachel
DF Ian Brown
DF Darren Evans
DF Andy Mitchell
DF Dennis Pearce
DF Ben Petty
DF Riccardo Scimeca
DF Graeme Williams
DF Paul Browne
DF John Murphy
DF Leslie Hinds
MF Lee Burchell
MF Steve Cowe
MF Lee Hendrie
MF Ian King
No. Position Player
MF David Moore
MF Christopher Pearce
MF Brian Henderson
MF John Ryan (on trial)
FW Darren Byfield[notes 4]
FW Mike Davis
FW Garry Harrison
Lee Aston
Nick Finney
Mark Pugh
Marc Senior
John Wiltshere
Scott McLaughlin
Template:Country data Michael Boxall
Template:Country data I Henderson
Template:Country data Scalley (on trial)

Schoolboys
The following players were signed to Aston Villa as associated schoolboys, and did not appear for the youth or reserve teams this season.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
DF Lee Collins
DF Tommy Jaszczun
DF Jonathan Miley
MF Mark Peters
Template:Country data Russell Bailey
No. Position Player
Template:Country data Neil Barrett
Template:Country data Paul Evans
Template:Country data Brian Leek
Template:Country data Gareth Shaw

Trainees
The following players were signed to Aston Villa as trainees, and did not appear for the youth or reserve teams this season.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
Shaun Hodgson
Otis Hudson
Matthew McCallum
No. Position Player
Steven Pitcher
Phillip McNamara

Other players
The following players did not play for any Aston Villa teams this season.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
DF Tony Cullen
No. Position Player
FW Alex Bunbury[notes 5] (on trial)

Statistics

Appearances and goals
No. Pos Nat Player TotalPremier LeagueFA CupLeague Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Goalkeepers
GK Nigel Spink 3302503050
GK Mark Bosnich 1801701000
Defenders
DF Earl Barrett 5114214050
DF Paul McGrath 5054244041
DF Shaun Teale 4723914041
DF Steve Staunton 5124224050
DF Neil Cox 2026+912+111+10
DF Bryan Small 15010+400010
DF Ugo Ehiogu 501+300010
DF Dariusz Kubicki 10000010
Midfielders
MF Ray Houghton 4843934150
MF Kevin Richardson 5134224051
MF Garry Parker 4683784050
MF Steve Froggatt 21116+112+1010
MF Tony Daley 1328+520000
MF Stefan Beinlich 701+600000
MF Matthias Breitkreutz 402+10000+10
MF David Farrell 201+100000
MF Mark Blake 100+100000
Forwards
FW Dean Saunders 441735134252
FW Dalian Atkinson 321328110042
FW Dwight Yorke 35722+56412+20
FW Cyrille Regis 1717+610+201+10
FW Frank McAvennie 300+300000
FW Martin Carruthers 100+100000

Last updated: 9 May 1993
Source: Competitions

Notes
  1. McGrath was born in Ealing, England, but was raised in the Republic of Ireland and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1985.
  2. Houghton was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally through his father and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in March 1986.
  3. Regis was born in Maripasoula, French Guiana, and qualified to represent France internationally, but was raised in England from the age of 5 and represented them at U-21 and B level before making his international debut for England in February 1982.
  4. Byfield was born in Sutton Coldfield, England, but also qualifies to represent Jamaica internationally and would make his international debut for Jamaica in 2003.
  5. Bunbury was born in Plaisance, Guyana, but also qualifies to represent Canada internationally and represented them at U-20 level before making his international debut for Canada in August 1986.

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Aston_Villa/Aston_Villa.htm
  3. http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Aston_Villa/Aston_Villa-change-kits.html
  4. http://www.11v11.com/teams/aston-villa/tab/players/season/1993
  5. http://www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com/1992-93.html
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