The 1897 FA Cup final was played on April 10th at Crystal Palace. A crowd of 65,891 saw Aston Villa beat Everton 3-2. Jimmy Crabtree scored the winner in the 44th minute.
Whilst Villa were playing in the final their nearest rivals in the league, Derby, were losing their match at Bury thus confirming Villa as First Division champions.
In their League programme of 30 matches Villa won 21, drew 5 and lost 4. They scored 73 goals and conceded 38. They finished 11 points clear of their rivals.
The Cup run began with a 5-0 defeat of Newcastle at home on 30th January, Notts County were beaten 2-1, a goalless draw with Preston North End was followed by a 3-2 win. In the semi final at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, Liverpool were beaten 3-0.
