1978–79 Aston Villa F.C. season

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]

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

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[lower-alpha 1]
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. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

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