Aston Villa v Burnley

A cricket club in search of a winter pastime accidentally founded one of English football's oldest fixtures.

On 21 November 1874, members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Handsworth, Birmingham, formed Aston Villa Football Club. They needed something to do between cricket seasons. Eight years later, on 18 May 1882, Burnley Rovers (soon shortened to Burnley) were established in Lancashire. Both clubs would become founding members of the Football League in 1888, making this one of English football's oldest fixtures.

Twelve clubs. One league. Villa and Burnley were there from the very first kick-off in 1888.

The Football League kicked off on 8 September 1888 with twelve founding members. Aston Villa and Burnley were both among them. Villa finished second in that inaugural season; Burnley came ninth. Their first league meeting set the tone for a rivalry that would span three centuries, played out across the top two tiers of English football.

Only the second club in history to claim the Double, Villa also packed their bags for a new home that same season.

The 1896-97 season was Villa's finest Victorian hour. They won both the First Division title and the FA Cup, becoming only the second club to achieve the Double. That same year, they moved from Perry Barr to the Aston Lower Grounds, the site that would become Villa Park. Burnley, meanwhile, had won their own FA Cup in 1914, beating Liverpool 1-0 at Crystal Palace.

Thirty league matches without defeat; Burnley's 1920-21 title campaign was simply in a class of its own.

Burnley's 1920-21 First Division title remains one of the great achievements in the club's history. They went 30 consecutive league matches unbeaten during the campaign. Villa, by contrast, were entering a period of relative decline that would eventually see them relegated for the first time in 1936. The fixture between the two clubs during this era drew enormous crowds, with both sides regularly pulling in 40,000-plus at home.

Burnley won the title by a solitary point in 1960; they have not lifted it since.

Burnley's second and most recent league championship came in 1959-60, when they pipped Wolverhampton Wanderers to the title by a single point. It was the peak of a golden era for the Clarets under manager Harry Potts. Villa were in the First Division too, and the two sides met regularly through the 1950s and 1960s in front of packed houses at both Villa Park and Turf Moor.

One goal from Peter Withe put Villa among Europe's elite; Burnley were busy battling relegation in the divisions below.

Having won the First Division title in 1981, Villa went one better the following year by lifting the European Cup. Peter Withe's goal against Bayern Munich in Rotterdam on 26 May 1982 secured a 1-0 victory and made Villa only the fourth English club to win the competition. Burnley, by contrast, had slipped into the lower divisions and were fighting for survival. The two clubs would not meet in the league for years.

Villa finished second in the very first Premier League season; Burnley would not return to the top flight for another 17 years.

When the Premier League launched in 1992, Aston Villa were among its founding members. They finished runners-up to Manchester United in the inaugural 1992-93 season. Burnley were in the lower divisions and would not reach the top flight again until 2009. The fixture between the two clubs was largely confined to cup competitions during this period, with Villa a consistent Premier League presence for 24 consecutive seasons.

Thirty-three years is a long wait; Burnley made it back in 2009, only to be gone again within twelve months.

Under Owen Coyle, Burnley won promotion to the Premier League in 2009 for the first time since 1976. They were relegated after a single season, but it marked the start of a pattern. Sean Dyche would later establish Burnley as a regular Premier League side from 2016 onwards, renewing the fixture with Villa on a more consistent basis.

Three years in the Championship ended at Wembley; a 2-1 win over Derby brought Villa, and this fixture, back to the top flight.

After three years in the Championship, Aston Villa won promotion via the play-offs in 2019, beating Derby County 2-1 at Wembley. With both Villa and Burnley in the Premier League, the fixture was restored as a regular top-flight meeting. Villa Park, with its 42,000-plus capacity, provided the stage for renewed encounters between two of the Football League's original dozen.

Forty-two years between European nights; Emery ended the wait in style.

Under Unai Emery, Aston Villa finished fourth in the 2023-24 Premier League season and qualified for the Champions League for the first time since their European Cup triumph in 1982. Burnley were relegated that same season but won the Championship title in 2024-25 under Scott Parker to secure an immediate return. The fixture between these two founding members of the Football League continues to carry the weight of 136 years of shared history.