VILLA CARDS
1940-1944
World War II meant no Football League fixtures, and no football cards (so far as we know - we will add them here, if any come to light).
Wartime football continued in its way, but was a mixed bag. Villa won the Birmingham & District League in 1941-1942, but the rest of the field was particularly weak (Villa won one game by the scoreline, 19-2, with three different players bagging four goals apiece!). The same season they won the mini-tournament, the Birmingham League Cup, with one 14-1 victory along the way. They also won the even smaller Keys Cup, beating Hednesford 5-0 in the final, having disposed of only Worcester City and Revo Electric to get to the final.
Their best achievement was winning the Football League North Cup, with a 5-4 aggregate win over Blackpool, in May 1944 - not least because they were up against better sides, representing clubs such as Stoke, Wolves, Birmingham, West Brom and Sheffield United. The victory was followed by a challenge match against the Southern Cup winners, Charlton Athletic, which ended in a draw - and honours shared.