Aston Villa have won the FA Cup seven times, with numerous players and managers writing their name into club history with their exploits in the grand old competition.
Hopes of an eighth triumph rest on Saturday's semi-final against Crystal Palace as Unai Emery's team look to follow in the footsteps of past Villa teams.
Ahead of the match and as part of the Aston Villa Legacy Numbers initiative, which has shone a light on every single player who has represented the club competitively as part of our 150th anniversary celebrations this season, we're remembering four Villans who made their mark in the FA Cup.
This quality quartet contains three Cup winners and one finalist. Here are their stories...
175: Harry Hampton
There was no expectation on Harry Hampton’s youthful shoulders when he joined Villa from Shropshire non-league side Wellington Town in the spring of 1904. Villa paid £100 with the promise of a further £50 after Hampton had made four first-team appearances. The player pocketed a £10 signing-on fee.
Although the club were desperate to find a new centre-forward, Hampton was merely one of a string of players auditioned in the roles. He was, after all, completely untried, only 19 – some thought he looked even younger – and at 5ft 8in was not most people’s idea of a forward who was going to strike fear in opposing defenders.
Yet from the moment he made his debut, away to Manchester City in November 1904, it was clear the club had excavated a diamond. By the end of the season everyone in football knew about the 'Wellington Whirlwind'. His 22 goals in 28 appearances included the brace that brought the FA Cup back to Villa Park for the fourth time.
What were the qualities that made Hampton an instant superstar? For a start, he was quick: an early biographical sketch mentioned he had won prizes as a sprinter. Second, like all great goal scorers, he was cool and clinical when presented with a chance.
Perhaps best of all, though, he was utterly fearless. “I never shirked a tackle, no matter how big and tough my rival might be,” he reflected in 1961. “Although quite a youngster and of not much weight, he bumped into the men as if he had been a 15-stoner,” wrote Villa director William McGregor after his home debut against Notts County. Hampton’s man-to-man combat with opposing goalkeepers became the stuff of legend.
His Cup-winning double against Newcastle United at the Crystal Palace were a contrasting pair. The opener (pictured above), timed at two-and-a-half minutes, was with a first-time left-foot shot after Joe Bache headed down a cross. The second, 15 minutes from time, was a typical poacher’s finish, following in after goalkeeper Jimmy Lawrence had spilt Albert Hall’s stinging drive.
Span: 1904-05 — 1919-20
Appearances: 372
Goals: 242.
422: Stan Lynn
Imagine being asked to take a penalty in the dying minutes of an FA Cup final? Hard to think of anything more daunting, especially in an era when the game at Wembley was the highest profile match in the sport.
Stan Lynn, right full-back in the Villa team that lifted the trophy in 1957, was not daunted by the prospect: he was hoping it would happen. “The idea was thrilling,” he told the journalist Leon Hickman in 1990. “People often say that taking penalties is a nerve-racking business. I just don’t agree. It’s just a matter of giving the ball a good hard crack.”
Lynn joined Villa from Accrington Stanley in March 1950, although he did not establish himself until 1954-55. Physically imposing and formidably fit, his awesome shooting power earned him the nickname 'Stan the Wham'.
In some respects he epitomised the qualities of the heroes of ’57. “Why did we get to Wembley?,” he said. “Simple. It wasn’t skill, it was fitness.”
A more nuanced view came from Geoffrey Green, the great football correspondent of The Times. “Theirs is an orthodox, fast, straight-forward game founded upon a tall, well-built half-back line and hard challenging full backs, all of whom tackle like war horses and never know when they are beaten.”
Span: 1950-51 — 1961-62
Appearances: 324
Goals: 38
112: Jimmy Crabtree
One way to measure the brilliance of Jimmy Crabtree is to read the tributes that followed his tragically early death, aged just 36, in June 1908. “Was considered by many to be the greatest Association footballer of all time,” said one newsagency report, while the Daily Mirror added: “Few better players ever went on a football field than James Crabtree.”
Soon after winning the FA Cup in 1895, Villa broke the bank to sign Crabtree from Burnley for an astronomical £250. It proved a remarkably shrewd piece of business. Over the next seven seasons, he repaid that investment several times over. In that spell, Crabtree won four league championship winners’ medals and was an FA Cup winner in the double season of 1896-97. He scored the winning goal in the 3-2 victory over Everton.
He arrived as a full-back but converted to the half-back line, though his versatility meant he occupied a number of positions with equal calm assurance. In an era where football could become an overly physical hurly-burly, Crabtree radiated class. “Cool, resourceful and brainy,” said a profile in the News & Record.
He became a pub landlord in Nechells, but was reported to have had drink problems. He died a week after being badly scalded in an accident.
Span: 1895-96 — 1901-02
Appearances: 202
Goals: 8
731: Dion Dublin
It was a fairytale that had everything but the required happy ending. When Dion Dublin drove home the penalty that gave Villa a shootout victory over Bolton Wanderers in the 2000 FA Cup semi-final, the scriptwriters began to savour the prospect of one of those storylines which are the competition’s speciality. Sadly, it was not to be.
Dublin had not been in the starting line-up at Wembley, but replaced Benito Carbone after 71 minutes. “I’ll score the winner for you, boss,” he said to John Gregory before running on. He was true to his word, even if it was in a shootout. “Few footballers are more engaging than Dublin,” wrote Henry Winter in The Daily Telegraph. “If anyone deserves to feature in the last final at the old Wembley it is him.”
Dublin had just returned to the team after recovering from a broken neck suffered after a routine collision against Sheffield Wednesday just before Christmas 1999. It was an injury that threatened more than just his playing career.
By the time of the final against Chelsea, he was back in the starting line-up. But there was no romance under the twin towers as Villa sank to a 1-0 defeat.
Span: 1998-99 — 2003-04
Appearances: 189
Goals: 59
Legacy Numbers Initiative
