The 1989–90 Aston Villa season saw the football club competing in the Football League First Division. A lowly 17th the previous season, Villa improved drastically and spent most of the season challenging for the title though finishing in second behind Liverpool. This was Villa's highest finish since 1980–81, and a great result for a team in the second season of the top flight. At the end of the season Jozef Vengloš became the first manager from outside of Britain of a top flight club in English football history. Key players in the team this season were high-scoring midfielder David Platt, who broke into the England team and went on to play at the World Cup, as well as being voted PFA Player of the Year, and new defender Paul McGrath, a £450,000 pre-season signing from Manchester United. Aston Villa played in kit manufactured by Danish company Hummel and sponsored by Mita Copiers. Slovak Jozef Vengloš, who had just led Czechoslovakia to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, replaced Graham Taylor who had accepted an offer to take over management of the England national football team. During Taylor's tenure the club failed to report to police sexual abuse by scout, Ted Langford. Squad Squad at end of season Left club during season Youth and reserves Trainees Apprentices Other players Trialists Transfers In Paul McGrath – Manchester United, 3 August 1989, £400,000 Dwight Yorke Out Allan Evans – Leicester City Alan McInally – Bayern Munich, £1,200,000 Mark Lillis – Scunthorpe United, 21 September, £40,000 Adrian Heath – Manchester City, February 1990, £300,000 Results First Division Nottingham Forest 1–1 Aston Villa Aston Villa 1–1 Liverpool Aston Villa 1–1 Charlton Athletic Southampton 2–1 Aston Villa Aston Villa 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 Aston Villa Aston Villa 1–3 QPR Aston Villa 1–0 Derby County Luton Town 0–1 Aston Villa Manchester City 0–2 Aston Villa Aston Villa 2–1 Crystal Palace Aston Villa 6–2 Everton Norwich City 2–0 Aston Villa Aston Villa 4–1 Coventry City Wimbledon 0–2 Aston Villa Aston Villa 2–1 Nottingham Forest Liverpool 1–1 Aston Villa Millwall 2–0 Aston Villa Aston Villa 3–0 Manchester United Aston Villa 2–1 Arsenal Chelsea 0–3 Aston Villa Charlton Athletic 0–2 Aston Villa Aston Villa 2–1 Southampton Aston Villa 1–0 Sheffield Wednesday Tottenham Hotspur 0–2 Aston Villa Aston Villa 0–3 Wimbledon Coventry City 2–0 Aston Villa Aston Villa 2–0 Luton Town QPR 1–1 Aston Villa Derby County 0–1 Aston