The 1880–81 English football season was Aston Villa's 2nd season in the Football Association Cup, the top-level football competition at the time. In 1881 Villa departed the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage.
In 1881 the referee is introduced to decide disputes between the umpires. The caution (for "ungentlemanly behaviour") and the sending-off (for violent conduct) appear in the laws for the first time.
FA Cup
Birmingham Senior Cup
Holders, Aston Villa participated in the 1880–81 Birmingham Senior Cup. They were runners-up to Walsall Swifts following a 1–0 defeat in the final at Aston Lower Grounds.
Villa, began the competition with a 6–0 victory away to Newport (Salop) on 6 November despite having to divide their squad as they also had a Staffordshire Senior Cup match scheduled for the same day."Birmingham & District Football Association", Walsall Observer, 11 September 1880, p3Athletics, Cricket, Aquatics etc, The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 4 December 1880, p17 and had beat Sutton Coldfield 10-1 in the second.https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/aug/31/the-knowledge-footballer-names-tv They benefited with a bye in the third round.
Walsall Swifts gained a surprise 1–0 win over Villa in the final, to gain the club's greatest success. The following week, the sides met again in the final of the Staffordshire Senior Cup at Stoke. This time Villa took the trophy, with Swifts handicapped by having to play a reserve goalkeeper, as Hobson had had his collarbone broken by the Villa forwards in the Senior Cup final.
Staffordshire Cup In the April Staffordshire Cup final, Villa beat Walsall Swifts 4-1. Villa had previously beaten Elwell, Fenton and Goldenhill to reach the final.Football, The Birmingham Post, 18 April 1881, p7 Friendlies On 16 August a match was arranged with Small Heath Alliance for the benefit of the John Skirrow Wright statue fund."Football", Birmingham Evening Mail, 13 August 1880, p1
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