During the 1992–93 English football season, Aston Villa competed in the inaugural season of the Premier League.
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. 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
Updated to games played on 11 May 1993.
Source: Soccerbase
Rules for classification:
1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
1Arsenal qualified by winning the FA Cup.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.
Results
Premier League
Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
1 | 15 August 1992 | Ipswich Town | A | 1 – 1 | 16,818 | Atkinson 84' |
2 | 19 August 1992 | Leeds United | H | 1 – 1 | 29,151 | Atkinson 77' |
3 | 22 August 1992 | Southampton | H | 1 – 1 | 17,894 | Atkinson 64' |
4 | 25 August 1992 | Everton | A | 0 – 1 | 22,372 | |
5 | 29 August 1992 | Sheffield United | A | 2 – 0 | 18,773 | Parker (2) 2', 86' |
6 | 2 September 1992 | Chelsea | H | 1 – 3 | 19,125 | Richardson 30' |
7 | 5 September 1992 | Crystal Palace | H | 3 – 0 | 17,120 | Froggatt 18', Staunton 42', Yorke 72' |
8 | 13 September 1992 | Leeds United | A | 1 – 1 | 27,817 | Parker 19' |
9 | 19 September 1992 | Liverpool | H | 4 – 2 | 37,863 | Saunders (2) 44', 66', Atkinson 54', Parker 78' |
10 | 26 September 1992 | Middlesbrough | A | 3 – 2 | 20,905 | Saunders (2) 22', 74', Atkinson 71' |
11 | 3 October 1992 | Wimbledon | A | 3 – 2 | 6,849 | Saunders (2) 5', 29', Atkinson 77' |
12 | 19 October 1992 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 0 – 0 | 30,398 | |
13 | 24 October 1992 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1 – 1 | 13,457 | Atkinson 81' |
14 | 1 November 1992 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2 – 0 | 20,140 | Saunders 43', Atkinson 79' |
15 | 7 November 1992 | Manchester United | H | 1 – 0 | 39,063 | Atkinson 12' |
16 | 21 November 1992 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0 – 0 | 32,852 | |
17 | 28 November 1992 | Norwich City | H | 2 – 3 | 28,837 | Houghton 45', Parker 46' |
18 | 5 December 1992 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 2 – 1 | 29,964 | Atkinson (2) 19', 67' |
19 | 12 December 1992 | Nottingham Forest | H | 2 – 1 | 29,015 | Regis 33', McGrath 47' |
20 | 19 December 1992 | Manchester City | A | 1 – 1 | 23,525 | Parker 34' |
21 | 26 December 1992 | Coventry City | A | 0 – 3 | 24,245 | |
22 | 28 December 1992 | Arsenal | H | 1 – 0 | 35,170 | Saunders 45' |
23 | 9 January 1993 | Liverpool | A | 2 – 1 | 40,826 | Parker 54', Saunders 64' |
24 | 17 January 1993 | Middlesbrough | H | 5 – 1 | 19,997 | Parker 26', McGrath 32', Yorke 44', Saunders 58', Teale 68' |
25 | 27 January 1993 | Sheffield United | H | 3 – 1 | 20,266 | McGrath 54', Saunders 58', Richardson 89' |
26 | 30 January 1993 | Southampton | A | 0 – 2 | 19,087 | |
27 | 6 February 1993 | Ipswich Town | H | 2 – 0 | 25,395 | Yorke 32', Saunders 42' |
28 | 10 February 1993 | Crystal Palace | A | 0 – 1 | 12,270 | |
29 | 13 February 1993 | Chelsea | A | 1 – 0 | 20,081 | Houghton 22' |
30 | 20 February 1993 | Everton | H | 2 – 1 | 32,931 | Cox 12', Barrett 18' |
31 | 27 February 1993 | Wimbledon | H | 1 – 0 | 34,496 | Yorke 79' |
32 | 10 March 1993 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0 – 0 | 37,727 | |
33 | 14 March 1993 | Manchester United | A | 1 – 1 | 36,163 | Staunton 63' |
34 | 20 March 1993 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2 – 0 | 38,024 | Yorke (2) 2', 56' |
35 | 24 March 1993 | Norwich City | A | 0 – 1 | 19,528 | |
36 | 4 April 1993 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1 – 0 | 26,742 | McGrath 63' |
37 | 10 April 1993 | Coventry City | H | 0 – 0 | 38,543 | |
38 | 12 April 1993 | Arsenal | A | 1 – 0 | 27,123 | Daley 68' |
39 | 18 April 1993 | Manchester City | H | 3 – 1 | 33,108 | Saunders 47', Parker 67', Houghton 89' |
40 | 21 April 1993 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0 – 3 | 15,127 | |
41 | 2 May 1993 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0 – 1 | 37,427 | |
42 | 9 May 1993 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1 – 2 | 18,904 | Daley 38' |
FA Cup
League Cup
First-team squad
- Squad at end of season[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Statistics
Appearances and goals
References
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