1879-80
Villa collected their first ever piece of silverware, the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1880. They defeated Saltley College 3–2 in the Final with goals from Eli Davis, William Mason and George Ramsay in front of 6,000 at Aston Lower Grounds (modern-day Villa Park).
Villa's first attempt to win the FA Cup came in the same year, but ended in controversy and confusion. Having defeated Stafford Road 3–2 in the First Round replay, Villa were drawn to play the then-successful Oxford University in the Second Round. Perhaps feeling that it was a waste of time spending good money on travel expenses for a match they felt they would lose, the Villa board took the decision to 'scratch' (forfeit) the game.
Read more about this topic: Aston Villa F.C. In The 1880s