Archie Hunter Memorial Match

Archie Hunter died in Novenber 1894 at the age of 35. 

In a League match against Everton at Anfield on 4th January 1890. Torrential rain and a quagmire of a pitch, the game reduced to 35 minutes each way.  Hunter had collapsed at half time (with Villa 4-0 down, reduced to 10 men they eventually succumbed 7-0). Press reports were that he had 'fainted' or 'had a fit'.Heart trouble appears to have been the reason for this collapse.

Hunter never played again.

Birmingham Daily Post - 16.01.90

The match advertised, 'for the benefit of his widow', was played on September 23rd 1895.

The teams lined up as follows:

Aston Villa		West Bromwich Albion
Wilkes	G	Reader
Welford	B	C. Perry
Crabtree	B	Williams
Reynolds	HB	Higgins
Jimmy Cowan	HB	Banks
Burton	HB	T.Perry
Athersmith	F	Bassett
Devey	F	McLeod
Campbell	F	Hutchinson
Hodgetts	F	Saunders
John Cowan	F	Edwards

Jack Burton, Jimmy Cowan, Harry Devey and Denny Hodgetts had been in the Villa side the day that Hunter was taken ill.  The Baggies took the lead through  Saunders but Villa came back with 2 goals by Johnny Campbell.                                                       

It was a  busy week for Albion , having played this match on the  Monday, they faced  Walsall away on Tuesday and Aberystwyth Town away on Wednesday.

Archie Hunter

Archie Hunter was a prince of dribblers. It was not an unusual performance of his to start at the half way mark, and dribble through the whole of the opposing team! he would not lose the ball until he had literally dribbled it between the posts.
Alfred Gibson and William Pickford in Association Football And The Men Who Made It (1906)

Archie Hunter joined Aston Villa from Ayr Thistle in 1878. Records of his career are incomplete because most of his games were played in the pre Football League era. He was never capped for Scotland because he played for an English club (this was the convention at the time). Hunter was captain of Villa when they won the FA Cup for the first time (1887). His career ended prematurely when he suffered a heart attack in a game against Everton in 1890, at the age of 31. He died four years later.