1978–79 Aston Villa F.C. season

Main article: History of Aston Villa F.C. (1961–present)
Aston Villa
1978–79 season
ChairmanEngland Harry Kartz
ManagerEngland Ron Saunders
StadiumVilla Park
First Division8th
FA CupThird round
League CupFourth round
Second City Derby
35--28--24

The 1978–79 English football season was Aston Villa's 79th 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]

There were debut appearances for Gary Williams (324), Colin J Gibson (185), Gary Shaw (165), Kenny Swain (148), Brendan Ormsby (117), Gary Shelton (24), Lee Jenkins (3), Joe Ward (3) and Willie Young.[2]

Diary of the season

19 Aug 1978: The First Division season begins with a 1–0 home victory over Wolves.[3]

8 May 1979: Liverpool beat Aston Villa 3–0 at Anfield to clinch the First Division title.[4]

Villa won both games in the Second City derby.[5]

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
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. ^ Arsenal qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1978–79 FA Cup winners.

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.

No. Pos. Nation Player
- GK England ENG Jimmy Rimmer
- DF England ENG John Gidman
- DF England ENG John Gregory
- DF Scotland SCO Allan Evans
- DF Scotland SCO Ken McNaught
- MF England ENG Dennis Mortimer
- FW Scotland SCO Tommy Craig
- FW England ENG Brian Little
- FW England ENG John Deehan
- MF England ENG Gordon Cowans
- MF England ENG Kenny Swain
- DF England ENG Gary Williams
- MF England ENG Gary Shelton
No. Pos. Nation Player
- MF Scotland SCO Alex Cropley
- FW Scotland SCO Andy Gray
- DF England ENG Colin Gibson
- MF England ENG Frank Carrodus
- DF England ENG Ivor Linton
- DF Scotland SCO Gordon Smith
- DF Wales WAL Leighton Phillips
- FW England ENG Gary Shaw
- MF Scotland SCO Willie Young
- DF England ENG Dave Evans
- DF England ENG Brendan Ormsby
- FW Scotland SCO Joe Ward
- MF England ENG Lee Jenkins

See also

References

  1. ^ Football, The Times, 11 August 1978
  2. ^ "Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.
  3. ^ Football, The Times, 21 August 1978 Issue 60385
  4. ^ Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 142. ISBN 1859832148.
  5. ^ "All Aston Villa's Matches". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.


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