Questions 1–10

1. Q 01Aston Villa are said to have been founded in 1874 by four chapel cricketers meeting where?

   • ABeneath a dim gas lamp
   • BIn a parish church vestry
   • CAt a cricket pavilion
   • DIn a Handsworth public house
   Show answer

   Beneath a dim gas lamp

   The brine

   Beneath a dim gas lamp in Heathfield Road, the four agreed that the rugby match they had just watched was too rough for them and chose association football instead.

2. Q 02Aston Villa's first win, over rugby club Aston Brook St Mary's, was played under what compromise?

   • ARugby until the first goal
   • BA half under each code
   • CTwo games, one per code
   • DFootball rules, rugby scoring
   Show answer

   A half under each code

   The brine

   A half under each code: St Mary's played rugby, so the match was split between rugby and association rules, and founder Jack Hughes scored the only goal.

3. Q 03Which club's 'combination football' influenced George Ramsay, who joined Villa in 1876?

   • AThird Lanark
   • BCeltic
   • CQueen's Park
   • DRangers
   Show answer

   Queen's Park

   The brine

   Queen's Park pioneered the Scottish short-passing game; Ramsay's skill in a Villa practice match so impressed the players that they invited him to join and soon made him captain.

4. Q 04Villa's 1886 advert, at £100 a year, is credited with creating which football job?

   • AClub doctor
   • BPaid manager
   • CChief scout
   • DPaid referee
   Show answer

   Paid manager

   The brine

   Paid manager: club secretary George Ramsay got the job, often called the first of its kind anywhere, and went on to win six league titles and six FA Cups.

5. Q 05Which Villa captain became the first player to score in every round of the FA Cup, in 1887?

   • AArchie Hunter
   • BCharlie Athersmith
   • CHoward Spencer
   • DJohn Devey
   Show answer

   Archie Hunter

   The brine

   Archie Hunter collapsed with a heart attack during a league match in January 1890 and never played again; he died four years later, aged 35.

6. Q 06Which Aston Villa official proposed the Football League in 1888 after a run of cancelled fixtures?

   • ACharles Alcock
   • BWilliam Sudell
   • CFrederick Rinder
   • DWilliam McGregor
   Show answer

   William McGregor

   The brine

   William McGregor, a draper by trade, wrote to four rival clubs in March 1888, and twelve teams kicked off the world's first league season that September.

7. Q 07Chairman Frederick Rinder was forced out in 1925 over the spiralling cost of building which part of Villa Park?

   • AThe Holte End
   • BThe Witton Lane Stand
   • CThe Trinity Road Stand
   • DThe Witton End
   Show answer

   The Trinity Road Stand

   The brine

   The Trinity Road Stand, with its stained glass and Italian mosaics, ran far over budget; Rinder was later forgiven and rejoined the board.

8. Q 08Aston Villa won five of their seven league titles during which monarch's reign?

   • AEdward VII
   • BQueen Victoria
   • CGeorge V
   • DElizabeth II
   Show answer

   Queen Victoria

   The brine

   Queen Victoria was on the throne for all five, between 1894 and 1900; Villa have won the league only twice since she died, in 1910 and 1981.

9. Q 09Aston Villa's present home opened in 1897 on the site of which amusement park?

   • AThe Aston Lower Grounds
   • BThe Perry Barr Fields
   • CThe Vauxhall Gardens
   • DThe Aston Park Meadows
   Show answer

   The Aston Lower Grounds

   The brine

   The Aston Lower Grounds had boating lakes and an aquarium, and the old aquarium building went on to house Villa's offices.

10. Q 10Who is Aston Villa's record goalscorer, with 244 goals in 531 appearances?

    • AHarry Hampton
    • BJoe Bache
    • CBilly Walker
    • DTom Waring
    Show answer

    Billy Walker

    The brine

    Billy Walker won the FA Cup in his debut season of 1919-20, then won it twice more as a manager, with Sheffield Wednesday in 1935 and Nottingham Forest in 1959.