The 1989–90 English football season was Aston Villa's 91st season in the Football League with Villa competing in the Football League First Division. A lowly 17th the previous season, Villa improved drastically and spent most of the season challenging for the title though finishing in second behind Liverpool. This was Villa's highest finish since 1980–81, and a great result for a team in the second season of the top flight. At the end of the season Jozef Vengloš became the first manager from outside of Britain of a top flight club in English football history.
Key players in the team this season were high-scoring midfielder David Platt, who broke into the England team and went on to play at the World Cup, as well as being voted PFA Player of the Year, and new defender Paul McGrath, a £450,000 pre-season signing from Manchester United. Aston Villa played in kit manufactured by Danish company Hummel and sponsored by Mita Copiers. There were also debuts for Kent Nielsen, Adrian Heath, Andy Comyn, Mark Blake, Tony Cascarino and Dwight Yorke.
Slovak Jozef Vengloš, who had just led Czechoslovakia to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, replaced Graham Taylor who had accepted an offer to take over management of the England national football team. First Division
Matches
FA Cup Home club Score Away club Round Date Blackburn Rovers 2–2 Aston Villa Third round proper 6 January 1990 Aston Villa 3–1 Blackburn Rovers Third round proper replay 10 January 1990 Aston Villa 6–0 Port Vale Fourth round proper 27 January 1990 West Bromwich Albion 0–2 Aston Villa Fifth round proper 17 February 1990 Oldham Athletic 3–0 Aston Villa Sixth round proper 14 March 1990
League Cup
Second round A total of 64 teams took part in the second round, including the 28 winners from round one. The remaining Second Division clubs entered in this round, as well as the 20 sides from the First Division. Each tie was again played across two legs.
First leg Home teamScoreAway teamDate Aston Villa 2–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 20 September 1989
Second leg Home teamScoreAway teamDateAgg Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Aston Villa 4 October 1989 2–3
Third round Home teamResultAway teamDate Aston Villa 0–0 West Ham United 25 October 1989 Replay Home teamResultAway teamDate West Ham United 1–0 Aston Villa 8 November 1989
Squad Squad at end of season
Transfers Left club during season
In Paul McGrath – Manchester United, 3 August 1989, £400,000 Dwight Yorke - St Clair's, 19 December 1989, £120,000
Out Allan Evans – Leicester City Alan McInally – Bayern Munich, £1,200,000 Mark Lillis – Scunthorpe United, 21 September, £40,000 Adrian Heath – Manchester City, February 1990, £300,000
Youth and reserves
Trainees
Apprentices
Other players
Trialists
Notes
References