TO-MORROW’S FOOTBALL MATCHES. The match of all absorbing interest to-morrow is of course the tie in the fifth round of the competition for the National Cup, at Nottingham, between the Aston Villa and the Notts County Elevens. In Birmingham and district, and in and round about Nottingham, the excitement engendered is intense. The scene of the encounter will be the historical Trent Bridge Ground. Two special excursion trains will be run from Birmingham, and they both promise be largely patronised. During the last few days considerable doubt has prevailed in local football circles as to the composition of the Villa team. With Harvey disabled since the match with Darwen, a vacancy in the regular eleven was caused, and there were rumours afloat that at least one other of the defence positions was in the opinion of the committee open to change. In the last three matches the Villa have played, Lee has been seen in Harvey’s place. and the consistency of his play gave him a big chance of being elected to that position. Last night the committee met, and the result of their decision was that the eleven that has so frequently upheld the credit of Birmingham football will, with the substitution of Lee for Harvey do duty tomorrow at Nottingham. The following is the team: Goal, T. Mason; backs. J. Simmonds and E. Lee half-backs, D. R Anderson and C. Apperley ; forwards Andy Hunter, and O. Whateley (on the right); A. Brown, and Archie Hunter (centres) and H. O. Vaughton and E. Davis (on the left). The Notts team was selected yesterday as follows :— Goal, Gillett; backs, A. T. Dobson, H. Moore ; half-backs, C. Dobson, Macrae, and Chapman forwards, A. W. Cursham, S. G. Smith, H. Cursham, Greenhalgh, and Gunn. The team will leave Birmingham by the 12.35 excursion train. The issue of the match is so open that it would be absurd to predict the probable winner. --- *Birmingham Daily Mail* Friday, 2 March 1883 THE FOOTBALL MATCH AT NOTTINGHAM We are informed that the great match to-morrow between the Aston Villa and the Notts County will take place at the Castle Ground, and not at Trent Bridge, as stated in another column. --- *Birmingham Daily Mail* Monday, 5 March 1883 SATURDAY’S FOOTBALL. ASTON VILLA V. NOTTS COUNTY (English Cup Tie) Played at Nottingham. The game at the call of time, was in the Notts favour by 4 to 3. After Notts scored their fourth goal and between that and time, the Villa pressed them continually. The ball was once headed right Into the Notts goal, and the Villa attack would assuredly have scored if H. Cursham had not handed out. A protest has been lodged by Archie Hunter, asking that goal be allowed. --- *Birmingham Daily Post* Monday, 5 March 1883 Aston Villa v. Notts County ENGLISH CUP TIE No match has excited more interest in football circles this season than the tie in the fifth round of the competition for the National Football Challenge Trophy, which took place at the Castle Grounds, Nottingham on Saturday afternoon, between the Aston Villa and Notts County. Singularly enough, it has been the fate of the Villa and Notts County to meet for the past two seasons in the National Cup Ties, but in earlier rounds than that of this year. Both these ties have been credited to Villa. Last season will be remembered by many football lovers as that in which the clubs had to meet three different times before victory leaned to the Villa. In Birmingham the excitement of the many thousands who take their Saturday afternoon amusement on the football field showed itself by the great number that journeyed to Nottingham in the excursion trains run by the London and North-Wester and Midland Railway Companies. Over 4,500 people took third class ticket, and 500 went by first class and saloon. The Midland route was patronised by 3.900 people, who completely filled five long trains and about 1,100 people went by train run by the rival company. The Villa were the first to appear on the field, and received a hearty cheer from their partisans, who were present in thousands. Winning the toss, Archie chose to play with the wind in his favour towards the pavilion. H Cursham kicked off, and the ball was passed to A W Cursham till Apperley checked him. A pretty bit of passing to Whateley gave Archie it on the line, and a corner kick was obtained off McRae. Some warm play ensued but Whateley ended it by kicking boldly over the line. Following the kick off, A W Cursham, well backed up by McRea, got into the Villa territory, and the redoubtable H Cursham was met by Lee, who immediately returned and shot the ball over the line. For a few minutes the home team were the aggressors, and Gunn elicited a cheer by taking the ball up the wing, and sending Anderson to grass like a log. The Villa men pressed their opponents severely, but for a long time could not pass the defence. After a good shot, which caused the goalkeeper to throw out, Brown kicked over the line. Nothing daunted, A Cursham came away, and only by good fortune was H Cursham prevented from scoring. The wind beat the ball right down in front of the goal. Twice afterwards Simmonds and Lee pushed it out. Gunn now earned a corner kick in a pretty pass by H Cursham. The Notts had for the next few minutes hard work to keep the Villa from scoring. After the play had lasted twenty seven minutes, the Villa captain scored the first goal for this side amid the cheers of his men and partisans. Restarting, the Villa forwards played with renewed vigour, and again and again the Notts goal was invested, the ball flying all around it. As last A W Cursham sent it to Smith, and piloted it along the left wing till Simmonds forced it out. The throw in, well up, placed the ball in front of the Villa goal, and, as before, the Notts men sought to head it through, and the wind beat it down in front of the goal. A hard fight ended in the ball at last bobbing on to and over the crossbar either too near to be pleasant. Some grand play by Davis and Archie next gained two corner kicks, and lost of wide and close shots kept the home backs on the strict defensive. A lot of hot play about the Notts goal was followed by Gunn outwitting Anderson, and after a severe scrimmage, the Notts men came with a rush, and the game was equal, the Notts ‘lambs’ fairly screaming at the score, which was appealed against without success. There now remained but a few minutes to half time, and up till goals were changed no more scoring was done. On resuming, Archie restarted, and after some hard kicking Smith twice had long shots at the Villa goal, which Mason easily averted, and then H Cursham sent the ball flying over the line. With nice passing the Villa next worked up to midfield, but the strong backplay of the Notts was too much for them, and after a lot of big kicking, a grand centre by A W Cursham was badly met by Lee and Mason in turn and H Cursham, rushing up, breasted the ball through the Villa goal, falling in the endeavour, and making a second point for Notts. The home team, following up this, played with dash, their great weight bearing down the slight Villans, and, after a series of hard attacks, in which Mason saved his goal wire, a shot from the foot of H Cursham beat him, and the third goal was credited to Notts. On restarting matters did not seem to improve for the Villa. A W Cursham all but scored from a big kick into goal by Smith. After a hard defence, Brown and Davis got out, and a wide forward pass to Andy Hunter allowed that player to get right past Moore and into goal but he failed to score. The respite was brief, as Gunn immediately was seen tearing down the field with the ball at this toe, and two fouls well into the Villa position looked extremely dangerous. The Ville were, however, evidently waking up, and corners fell to them, neither effective. Andy Hunter and Whateley each shot wildly over the Notts lines, and then H Cursham got a straight run away, but Smith, who ran in, spoiled it by kicking out. Splendid defence by Simmonds again saved his goal from downfall, and then after passing by Whateley and a dashing run by Andy Hunter, Whateley scored a second goal for the Villa seven minutes from time. The crowd now broke in, and the rest of the game was played amid great disorder and confusion, in which it was impossible to discern the players. Although only three minutes from time remained, the Villa put on a third goal and amid tremendous excitement the ball was started from midfield with the scores three-all. Fortune, however, as against the Birmingham team, as a run down by Gunn made a fourth goal. After this the ball was headed right into the Notts goal, and the Villa assert would assuredly have scored if H Cursham had not handled it out. A protest has been lodged by Archie Hunter, asking that a goal be allowed. --- *Birmingham Daily Mail* Tuesday, 6 March 1883 THE RESULT OF VISIT TO NOTTINGHAM. Nottingham, Tuesday. At the Nottingham Police Court yesterday morning two Birmingham men, named Henry Taylor and Henry Gill, were brought up in custody charged with being drunk and assaulting the police at the Midland Railway Station at Nottingham on Saturday night. It appeared from the evidence that the prisoners came over to Nottingham by the special train from Birmingham on Saturday afternoon, to witness the football match between Notts and Aston Villa. About nine o’clock they got in the train to return home, both being under the influence of drink. A quarrel arose and Taylor struck his fist through the window. A policeman was fetched to eject him, and on this being done, Gill taking his companion’s part, severely assaulted the policeman by striking and kicking him. The prisoners also assaulted a porter. The magistrates fined them 40s. with the option of days’ imprisonment. --- *Birmingham Daily Mail* Wednesday, 7 March 1883 ENGLISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION. Yesterday evening the committee of the Football Association met at the offices at Paternoster Row, to draw the semi-final ties. The protest of Aston Villa against Notts County on the ground of a foul in front of the Notts goal just before time, which the officials ignored, was fully considered but not sustained, and the Notts County thus enter the semi-final, the draw for which resulted. ---