1976–77 Aston Villa F.C. season

The 1976–77 season was Aston Villa's 77th in the Football League and their second consecutive season in the top division.

Aston Villa
1976–77 season
ChairmanEngland Sir William Dugdale, Bt[1][2]
ManagerEngland Ron Saunders
StadiumVilla Park
First Division4th
FA CupSixth round
League CupWinners
Top goalscorerLeague:
Andy Gray (25)
All:
Andy Gray (29)
Average home league attendance37,904
Second City Derby
33--26--24

Andy Gray and was joint winner of England's golden boot with Arsenal's Malcolm Macdonald in 1976–77. Gray's 29 goals helped Villa to a fourth-place finish and victory in the League Cup, and earned him the PFA Young Player of the Year and PFA Players' Player of the Year awards.[3]

Diary of the season

31 Aug 1976: No fewer than nine teams are level on four points at the top of the First Division after three matches. Aston Villa lead on goal difference. Norwich City are the only team yet to register a point.[4]

15 Dec 1976: Aston Villa beat Liverpool 5–1 in the League at Villa Park.[4]

12 Mar 1977: The League Cup final ends in a 0–0 draw between Aston Villa and Everton at Wembley.[5] Arsenal's 2–1 loss to Queens Park Rangers is their seventh consecutive League defeat, a club record.[4][6]

16 Mar 1977: The Football League Cup final replay at Hillsborough ends in a 1–1 draw.[5]

13 Apr 1977: The Football League Cup final is decided at the third attempt when Aston Villa beat Everton 3–2 in the second replay at Old Trafford.[5] A last minute goal from Brian Little sends the trophy to Villa Park and prevents the possibility of a first-ever major English Cup Final penalty shoot-out.

16 May 1977: Ivor Linton made his debut in the First Division as a 17-year-old apprentice, as a substitute in a 1–0 home victory against Stoke City relegating the Potteries club.[7] West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers win their last matches of the season to survive, and Bristol City keep their hopes alive by beating Liverpool 2–1. They go into their last match level on points with Coventry City and Sunderland.[4]

Villa lost both games in the Second City derby.[8]

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Liverpool (C) 42 23 11 8 62 33 +29 57 Qualification for the European Cup second round
2 Manchester City 42 21 14 7 60 34 +26 56 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
3 Ipswich Town 42 22 8 12 66 39 +27 52
4 Aston Villa 42 22 7 13 76 50 +26 51
5 Newcastle United 42 18 13 11 64 49 +15 49
6 Manchester United 42 18 11 13 71 62 +9 47 Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round[lower-alpha 1]
7 West Bromwich Albion 42 16 13 13 62 56 +6 45
8 Arsenal 42 16 11 15 64 59 +5 43
9 Everton 42 14 14 14 62 64 −2 42
10 Leeds United 42 15 12 15 48 51 −3 42
11 Leicester City 42 12 18 12 47 60 −13 42
12 Middlesbrough 42 14 13 15 40 45 −5 41
13 Birmingham City 42 13 12 17 63 61 +2 38
14 Queens Park Rangers 42 13 12 17 47 52 −5 38
15 Derby County 42 9 19 14 50 55 −5 37
16 Norwich City 42 14 9 19 47 64 −17 37
17 West Ham United 42 11 14 17 46 65 −19 36
18 Bristol City 42 11 13 18 38 48 −10 35
19 Coventry City 42 10 15 17 48 59 −11 35
20 Sunderland (R) 42 11 12 19 46 54 −8 34 Relegation to the Second Division
21 Stoke City (R) 42 10 14 18 28 51 −23 34
22 Tottenham Hotspur (R) 42 12 9 21 48 72 −24 33
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. Manchester United qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1976–77 FA Cup winners.

Results

Aston Villa's score comes first

Legend
Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division
DateOpponentVenueResultScorers
21 August 1976West Ham UnitedH4–0Gray (2), Graydon (2)
25 August 1976Manchester CityA0–2
28 August 1976EvertonA2–0Little, Lyons (own goal)
4 September 1976Ipswich TownH5–2Gray (3), Graydon, Little
11 September 1976Queens Park RangersA1–2Gray
18 September 1976Birmingham CityH1–2Gray
25 September 1976Leicester CityH2–0Gray, Graydon
2 October 1976Stoke CityA0–1
16 October 1976SunderlandA1–0Cropley
20 October 1976ArsenalH5–1Gray (2), Graydon, Little, Mortimer
23 October 1976Bristol CityH3–1Gidman, Graydon, Nicholl
30 October 1976LiverpoolA0–3
6 November 1976Manchester UnitedH3–2Gray (2), Mortimer
10 November 1976West Bromwich AlbionA1–1Mortimer
20 November 1976Coventry CityH2–2Gidman, Gray
27 November 1976Norwich CityA1–1Little
11 December 1976Leeds UnitedA3–1Cropley, Gray (2)
15 December 1976LiverpoolH5–1Deehan (2), Gray (2), Little
18 December 1976Newcastle UnitedH2–1Deehan (2)
27 December 1976MiddlesbroughA2–3Gray, Hughes
1 January 1977Manchester UnitedA0–2
22 January 1977West Ham UnitedA1–0Gray
5 February 1977EvertonH2–0Gray, Little
12 February 1977Ipswich TownA0–1
2 March 1977Derby CountyH4–0Cowans, Gidman, Little, Mortimer
5 March 1977Leicester CityA1–1Deehan
23 March 1977SunderlandH4–1Deehan (2), Gidman, Gray
2 April 1977Bristol CityA0–0
5 April 1977MiddlesbroughH1–0Deehan
9 April 1977Derby CountyA1–2Little
16 April 1977Coventry CityA3–2Cowans, Deehan, Little
20 April 1977Tottenham HotspurH2–1Deehan, Little
23 April 1977Norwich CityH1–0Little
25 April 1977ArsenalA0–3
30 April 1977Tottenham HotspurA1–3Deehan
4 May 1977Manchester CityH1–1Little
7 May 1977Leeds UnitedH2–1Cropley, Deehan
10 May 1977Birmingham CityA1–2Deehan
14 May 1977Newcastle UnitedA2–3Little (2)
16 May 1977Stoke CityH1–0Gray
20 May 1977Queens Park RangersH1–1Cowans
23 May 1977West Bromwich AlbionH4–0Gray (3), Nicholl

Squad

All Aston Villa players: 1977 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 England ENG John Burridge
- DF England ENG John Robson
- DF Scotland SCO Gordon Smith
- DF Wales WAL Leighton Phillips
- DF Northern Ireland NIR Chris Nicholl
- MF England ENG Dennis Mortimer
- FW England ENG John Deehan
- FW England ENG Brian Little
- FW Scotland SCO Andy Gray
- MF Scotland SCO Alex Cropley
- MF England ENG Frank Carrodus
No. Pos. Nation Player
- DF England ENG John Gidman
- FW England ENG Ray Graydon
- MF England ENG Gordon Cowans
- DF England ENG Charlie Young
- GK Scotland SCO Jake Findlay
- MF England ENG David Hughes
- DF England ENG Keith Masefield
- DF England ENG Mike Buttress
- DF England ENG Ivor Linton
- MF England ENG Steve Hunt

References
  1. Dyer, Christopher (10 March 2022). "Dugdale, Sir William Stratford, second baronet". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.108089. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. "Former Villa chairman Bill Dugdale reveals battles with Doug Ellis". 18 May 2011.
  3. Bishop, Rob (30 November 2018). "St Andy's Day". Aston Villa F.C. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  4. Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 138. ISBN 1859832148.
  5. Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 256. ISBN 1859832148.
  6. Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2011-2012. London: Headline. 2011. ISBN 9780755362318.
  7. "Ivor Linton – Aston Villa FC". Football-Heroes.net. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  8. "All Aston Villa's Matches". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.


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