1978–79 Aston Villa F.C. season
English football club season
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The 1978–79 English football season was Aston Villa's 80th season in the Football League and their fourth consecutive season in the top division. Manager, Ron Saunders had signed a six-year contract in the pre-season.[1]
| 1978–79 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Harry Kartz |
| Manager | Ron Saunders |
| Stadium | Villa Park |
| First Division | 8th |
| FA Cup | Third round |
| League Cup | Fourth round |
| 35--28--24 | |
There were debut appearances for Gary Williams (324), Colin J Gibson (185), Gary Shaw (165), Kenny Swain (148), Brendan Ormsby (117),[2] Gary Shelton (24), Lee Jenkins (3), Joe Ward (3) and Willie Young.[3]
Diary of the season
19 Aug 1978: The First Division season begins with a 1–0 home victory over Wolves.[4]
8 May 1979: Liverpool beat Aston Villa 3–0 at Anfield to clinch the First Division title.[5]
Villa won both games in the Second City derby.[6]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 63 | 49 | +14 | 49 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 7 | Arsenal | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 61 | 48 | +13 | 48 | Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round[a] |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 42 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 59 | 49 | +10 | 46 | |
| 9 | Manchester United | 42 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 60 | 63 | −3 | 45 | |
| 10 | Coventry City | 42 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 58 | 68 | −10 | 44 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
- Arsenal qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1978–79 FA Cup winners.
Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 1978 | Wolves | h | 1–0 | — | Andy Gray 60' [7] |
| 23 Aug 1978 | Tottenham Hotspur | a | 4–1 | — | Allan Evans 35', John Gregory 49', Brian Little 80', Gary Shelton 86' |
| 26 Aug 1978 | Bristol City | a | 0–1 | — | — |
| 2 Sep 1978 | Southampton | h | 1–1 | — | Andy Gray 23' [8] |
| 9 Sep 1978 | Ipswich Town | a | 2–0 | — | John Gregory 17', Andy Gray 90' (pen) [9] |
| 16 Sep 1978 | Everton | h | 1–1 | — | Tommy Craig 42' [10] |
| 23 Sep 1978 | Queens Park Rangers | a | 0–1 | — | — [11] |
| 30 Sep 1978 | Nottingham Forest | h | 1–2 | — | Tommy Craig 20' (pen) [12] |
| 7 Oct 1978 | Arsenal | a | 1–1 | — | John Gregory 84' |
| 14 Oct 1978 | Manchester United | h | 2–2 | — | John Gregory 32', 45' |
| 21 Oct 1978 | Birmingham City | a | 1–0 | — | Andy Gray 8' |
| 27 Oct 1978 | Middlesbrough | h | 0–2 | — | — |
| 4 Nov 1978 | Manchester City | h | 1–1 | — | John Deehan 62' |
| 11 Nov 1978 | Wolves | a | 4–0 | — | Gary Shelton 39', Ken McNaught 43', John Deehan 81', Dennis Mortimer 85' |
| 18 Nov 1978 | Bristol City | h | 2–0 | — | John Deehan 59', Gordon Cowans 70' |
| 21 Nov 1978 | Southampton | a | 0–2 | — | — |
| 25 Nov 1978 | West Bromwich Albion | a | 1–1 | — | Allan Evans 64' |
| 9 Dec 1978 | Chelsea | a | 1–0 | — | Allan Evans 15' |
| 16 Dec 1978 | Norwich City | h | 1–1 | — | Own Goal 79' |
| 23 Dec 1978 | Derby County | a | 0–0 | — | — |
| 26 Dec 1978 | Leeds United | h | 2–2 | — | John Gregory 21', 26' |
| 31 Jan 1979 | Everton | a | 1–1 | — | Gary Shelton 49' |
| 24 Feb 1979 | Manchester United | a | 1–1 | — | Kenny Swain 58' |
| 3 Mar 1979 | Birmingham City | h | 1–0 | — | Gordon Cowans 80' |
| 7 Mar 1979 | Bolton Wanderers | h | 3–0 | — | Andy Gray 17', Kenny Swain 30', Own Goal 45' |
| 10 Mar 1979 | Middlesbrough | a | 0–2 | — | — |
| 20 Mar 1979 | Queens Park Rangers | h | 3–1 | — | Allan Evans 34', John Gidman 72' (pen), Dennis Mortimer 89' |
| 24 Mar 1979 | Tottenham Hotspur | h | 2–3 | — | John Gidman 39' (pen), Andy Gray 44' |
| 28 Mar 1979 | Coventry City | h | 1–1 | — | Allan Evans 49' |
| 4 Apr 1979 | Nottingham Forest | a | 0–4 | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1979 | Coventry City | a | 1–1 | — | John Deehan 77' |
| 11 Apr 1979 | Derby County | h | 3–3 | — | Gordon Cowans 26', 55', John Gidman 51' (pen) |
| 14 Apr 1979 | Leeds United | a | 0–1 | — | — |
| 16 Apr 1979 | Liverpool | h | 3–1 | — | Allan Evans 33', Own Goal 41', John Deehan 84' |
| 21 Apr 1979 | Norwich City | a | 2–1 | — | Gary Shelton 13', Alex Cropley 72' |
| 25 Apr 1979 | Arsenal | h | 5–1 | — | Gary Shelton 49', 51', 85' (pen), John Deehan 69', 73' |
| 28 Apr 1979 | Chelsea | h | 2–1 | — | Own Goal 68', Kenny Swain 82' |
| 2 May 1979 | Ipswich Town | h | 2–2 | — | Kenny Swain 8', John Deehan 13' |
| 5 May 1979 | Bolton Wanderers | a | 0–0 | — | — |
| 8 May 1979 | Liverpool | a | 0–3 | — | — |
| 11 May 1979 | West Bromwich Albion | h | 0–1 | — | — |
| 15 May 1979 | Manchester City | a | 3–2 | — | Alex Cropley 50', Dennis Mortimer 72', John Deehan 75' [7] |
Source: avfchistory.co.uk
FA Cup
League Cup
Squad
All Aston Villa players: 1979 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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