William Bernard Mason (b. Feb 1855, Birmingham) was an English footballer notable for playing in Aston Villa's first ever FA Cup tie. [1]
Billy Mason was athletic being able to throw a cricket ball 120 yards. [2] In 1874 he was a member of the Aston Villa Wesleyan Chapel. Their Bible meetings consisted around 200 young men some of whom had set up a cricket team. [2] The cricketers were keen to find an outlet for their energy in the off-season, they were initially undecided between rugby and association football and, as Mason was playing with the Adderley Park Grasshoppers rugby team, four other members, W.H. Price, Walter Scattergood, Jack Hughes and George Matthews, were tasked with watching him play. [2] Grasshoppers were to play the Handsworth rugby club at Heathfield Park so the four attended the match. [2] Having watched the game, the four men returned along Heathfield Road. They adjourned beneath a dim gas light near Villa Cross and between themselves agreed rugby was a little too rough and that they would play association football. [2] The gas lamp meeting is traditionally held as the birth of Aston Villa Football Club. [3]
The 1879–80 football season saw Aston Villa's entry into top flight competitive association football with their first tie in the FA Cup. [4] The start of the official record was Saturday 13 December 1879 when Villa faced Stafford Road F.C., of the Stafford Road railway works, Wolverhampton. The match was played before a crowd of 2,000 at Stafford's Half-Way House Ground. [4] In 2024, celebrating the club's 150th anniversary, Aston Villa Legacy Numbers were introduced indexing every first-team player who had represented the club in a competitive fixture. [5] Although playing before shirt numbers were introduced in 1926, Goalkeeper John Ball received Legacy Number 1. [6] Inside-forward Billy Mason received Legacy Number #9, [1] Andy Hunter #4 [7] officially became Villa's first goal-scorer in the 1–1 draw. [4]
The replay was held at Villa's Wellington Road ground on 24 January 1880 with inside-forward George Ramsay #12 replacing Charlie Johnstone. [8] Villa defeated Stafford Road 3–1. Mason scored a brace with Sammy Law getting the third goal. [8] The match proved to be Mason's last match for Villa as the 24-year-old was free-transferred to Wednesbury Town. [1]