Joe Mercer's Villa lose five successive games for the first time since 1958-59 under Eric Houghton which led to Mercer’s appointment in December 1958. Villa’s latest fixture is their fourth in twelve days as their wildly interrupted season delivered the inevitable fixture list congestion in the final two months of the season. As a result, Villa make it twelve wins, seven draws and twelve defeats in thirty one division one games so far this season as a campaign of such promise before the fixture interruption collapses further.