By Chris Wright
Built on the site of an old Victorian amusement park in 1897, Villa Park is one of English football’s oldest and grandest stadiums so we thought we’d give it the old “Black-And-White-Years” treatment.
Sadly, as Villa Park was regularly used to stage FA Cup Semi Finals in days of yore (before the FA realised they had better start staging everything they possibly can at New Wembley if they are to ever to pay the damn thing off) there aren’t an awful lot of photos in the Pies archive of Villa’s stadium actually full of Villa fans – but hey ho, it’s still a darn fine looking football ground regardless…
Manchester City goalkeeper Len Langford pushes the ball over the head of Arsenal’s David Jack in the FA Cup Semi Final at Villa Park, 1932
Blackpool and Tottenham fans parade around Villa Park in front of a 70,000 crowd gathered to watch the FA Cup Semi-Final between the two side, 1948
The rickety, wooden North Terrace at Villa Park as it looked in 1949
Aston Villa keeper Geoff Sidebottom lies prostrate on the turf after being wrong-footed by a deflection off his own defender as Tottenham fortuitously take the lead at Villa Park, 1961
Another huge crowd crams onto the Villa Park terraces to watch Aston Villa’s Fifth Round FA Cup tie against Tottenham, 1961
Tottenham right-back Peter Baker gets a foot in and stops Villa’s outside-left Peter McParland in his tracks, 1961
Bobby Smith scores Tottenham’s first goal with the North Terrace seething with fans in the background as Spurs return to Villa Park to play Burnley in the FA Cup Semi-Finals…
…and celebrates his opener accordingly, 1961
Tottenham’s Ronald Henry fails to break down Burnley’s unorthodox defence at Villa Park with the Trinity Road Stand and it’s famous old gable (completed in 1922) in the background, 1961
Denis Law gets his pristine white Manchester United strip dirty to prod home the only goal of the game during United’s FA Cup Semi-Final at Villa Park, 1963. Law’s strike put United through to the final against Leicester, which they won 3-1
Burly Southampton centre-half Tony Knapp battles Denis Law for the ball as the full expanse of the Holte End roars him on, 1963
Photographers at the side of the goal at Villa Park, 1963
The Trinity Road stand in all its glory, 1963
Swansea goalkeeper Noel Dwyer fails to make contact with the ball as Preston North End centre-forward Alex Dawson scores from the penalty spot during the 1964 FA Cup Semi Final at Villa Park
Preston players Alex Dawson (left) and George Ross (right) shower off after the match against Swansea, which Preston won 2-1
Chelsea goalkeeper Peter “The Cat” Bonetti goes flying against Liverpool at Villa Park, 1965
Villa Park circa 1966, the year in which Villa’s ground served as one of the eight World Cup host stadiums
Argentina goalkeeper Antonio Roma checks the height of the Villa Park crossbars as he and his teammates inspect the venue for their opening World Cup group game, 1966
A soldier from the Royal Warwickshire Regiment collect autographs from non-playing members of the West Germany squad as they watch their group game against Argentina from the Villa Park benches, 1966
West Bromwich Albion supporters line their dolls up on the pitchside fencing at Villa Park as they watch their side’s 2-0 victory over Birmingham City in the FA Cup Semi Final, 1968
The front gate of Villa Park and the famous brick facade, which backs onto the Trinity Road Stand, as it looked in 1969
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We’ve got a few bits of curio to chuck in here, beginning with the proposed plans for the remodeling of Villa Park as proposed by architect Archibald Leitch in 1914…
And here’s a shot of the North Stand at Villa Park circa 1982. Note the rather swish ‘A’ and ‘V’-shaped floodlights…
(Photos: PA)
More in the series…
30 Vintage Photos Of Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, Taken Between 1905-1967
30 Vintage Photos Of Arsenal’s Highbury Stadium, Taken Between 1931-1967