Archie Hunter

Who was Archie Hunter?

Archibald "Archie" Hunter, was the first captain of Aston Villa to lift the FA Cup, in 1887. He was one of Victorian football's first household names.

Hunter played at Third Lanark, Ayr Thistle, and Aston Villa, whom he signed for in August 1878, just four years after their formation. His Aston Villa career began 10 years before the commencement of the first Football League season. In his league career he played 73 matches scoring 42 goals.

Despite being one of the greats of the 19th century game, Hunter never fulfilled his dream of playing for Scotland against England. This is because at the time the Scottish Football Association had a policy of not picking 'Anglo-Scots'.

Hunter originally came to Birmingham planning to sign for Calthorpe FC, but after failing to locate them was persuaded to sign for Villa instead after hearing of Aston Villa's Scottish connections. Hunter later recalled in his memoirs;

He was idolized by the crowds and became the first player to score in every round of the FA Cup in Villa's victorious 1887 campaign.