1889–90 Aston Villa F.C. season
Aston Villa had a disappointing 1889–90 season, having finished second in the previous season. They started with an unbeaten opening three games including a win over champions Preston, but suffered several defeats after Christmas, winning only one of their six remaining league games. Preston's "Invincibles" were unbeaten from the previous season. They had now won their first league match to stretch their unbeaten league run to 23 games but faced a Villa team who would inflict their first-ever league defeat with a 5–3 victory. Scottish centre back, Jimmy Cowan, made his debut, coming  from Vale of Leven FC. He would go on to make 357 appearances for Villa, his last win seeing Small Heath knocked out of the 1901 FA Cup Quarter-final replay. Results. League. The table below lists all the results of Aston Villa in the Football League for the 1889–90 season