1976–77 Aston Villa F.C. season

1976–77 season of Aston Villa

Main article: History of Aston Villa F.C. (1961–present) Aston Villa 1976–77 football season

Aston Villa
1976–77 season
Chairman	Sir William Dugdale, Bt
Manager	Ron Saunders
Stadium	Villa Park
First Division	4th
FA Cup	Sixth round
League Cup	Winners
Top goalscorer	League: Andy Gray (25) All: Andy Gray (29)
Average home league attendance	37,904
← 1975–76 1977–78 →

Second City Derby Football team season

Second City Derby
33--26--24
← 1975–76 1977-78 →

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

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.

There were debut appearances for Gordon Smith (79), Alex Cropley (67), Charlie Young (11), Mick Buttress (3), David T Hughes (4) and Ivor Linton (27).

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.

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

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

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

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. 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. 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.

Villa lost both games in the Second City derby.

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
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

Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:

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

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorers
21 August 1976	West Ham United	H	4–0	Gray (2), Graydon (2)
25 August 1976	Manchester City	A	0–2
28 August 1976	Everton	A	2–0	Little, Lyons (own goal)
4 September 1976	Ipswich Town	H	5–2	Gray (3), Graydon, Little
11 September 1976	Queens Park Rangers	A	1–2	Gray
18 September 1976	Birmingham City	H	1–2	Gray
25 September 1976	Leicester City	H	2–0	Gray, Graydon
2 October 1976	Stoke City	A	0–1
16 October 1976	Sunderland	A	1–0	Cropley
20 October 1976	Arsenal	H	5–1	Gray (2), Graydon, Little, Mortimer
23 October 1976	Bristol City	H	3–1	Gidman, Graydon, Nicholl
30 October 1976	Liverpool	A	0–3
6 November 1976	Manchester United	H	3–2	Gray (2), Mortimer
10 November 1976	West Bromwich Albion	A	1–1	Mortimer
20 November 1976	Coventry City	H	2–2	Gidman, Gray
27 November 1976	Norwich City	A	1–1	Little
11 December 1976	Leeds United	A	3–1	Cropley, Gray (2)
15 December 1976	Liverpool	H	5–1	Deehan (2), Gray (2), Little
18 December 1976	Newcastle United	H	2–1	Deehan (2)
27 December 1976	Middlesbrough	A	2–3	Gray, Hughes
1 January 1977	Manchester United	A	0–2
22 January 1977	West Ham United	A	1–0	Gray
5 February 1977	Everton	H	2–0	Gray, Little
12 February 1977	Ipswich Town	A	0–1
2 March 1977	Derby County	H	4–0	Cowans, Gidman, Little, Mortimer
5 March 1977	Leicester City	A	1–1	Deehan
23 March 1977	Sunderland	H	4–1	Deehan (2), Gidman, Gray
2 April 1977	Bristol City	A	0–0
5 April 1977	Middlesbrough	H	1–0	Deehan
9 April 1977	Derby County	A	1–2	Little
16 April 1977	Coventry City	A	3–2	Cowans, Deehan, Little
20 April 1977	Tottenham Hotspur	H	2–1	Deehan, Little
23 April 1977	Norwich City	H	1–0	Little
25 April 1977	Arsenal	A	0–3
30 April 1977	Tottenham Hotspur	A	1–3	Deehan
4 May 1977	Manchester City	H	1–1	Little
7 May 1977	Leeds United	H	2–1	Cropley, Deehan
10 May 1977	Birmingham City	A	1–2	Deehan
14 May 1977	Newcastle United	A	2–3	Little (2)
16 May 1977	Stoke City	H	1–0	Gray
20 May 1977	Queens Park Rangers	H	1–1	Cowans
23 May 1977	West Bromwich Albion	H	4–0	Gray (3), Nicholl

Squad

All Aston Villa players: 1977 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	ENG	John Burridge
-	DF	ENG	John Robson
-	DF	SCO	Gordon Smith
-	DF	WAL	Leighton Phillips
-	DF	NIR	Chris Nicholl
-	MF	ENG	Dennis Mortimer
-	FW	ENG	John Deehan
-	FW	ENG	Brian Little
-	FW	SCO	Andy Gray
-	MF	SCO	Alex Cropley
-	MF	ENG	Frank Carrodus


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
-	DF	ENG	John Gidman
-	FW	ENG	Ray Graydon
-	MF	ENG	Gordon Cowans
-	DF	ENG	Charlie Young
-	GK	SCO	Jake Findlay
-	MF	ENG	David Hughes
-	DF	ENG	Keith Masefield
-	DF	ENG	Mike Buttress
-	DF	ENG	Ivor Linton
-	MF	ENG	Steve Hunt

References

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.)
"Former Villa chairman Bill Dugdale reveals battles with Doug Ellis". 18 May 2011.
Bishop, Rob (30 November 2018). "St Andy's Day". Aston Villa F.C. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
"Aston Villa's Seasons". AVFC History.
^ Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 138. ISBN 1859832148.
^ Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 256. ISBN 1859832148.
Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2011-2012. London: Headline. 2011. ISBN 9780755362318.
"Ivor Linton – Aston Villa FC". Football-Heroes.net. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
"All Aston Villa's Matches". AVFC History. Retrieved 6 August 2023.

v t e Aston Villa F.C. seasons
1879–80 1880–81 1881–82 1882–83 1883–84 1884–85 1885–86 1886–87 1887–88 1888–89 1889–90 1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

Aston Villa F.C. seasons

1879–80
1880–81
1881–82
1882–83
1883–84
1884–85
1885–86
1886–87
1887–88
1888–89
1889–90
1890–91
1891–92
1892–93
1893–94
1894–95
1895–96
1896–97
1897–98
1898–99
1899–1900
1900–01
1901–02
1902–03
1903–04
1904–05
1905–06
1906–07
1907–08
1908–09
1909–10
1910–11
1911–12
1912–13
1913–14
1914–15
1915–16
1916–17
1917–18
1918–19
1919–20
1920–21
1921–22
1922–23
1923–24
1924–25
1925–26
1926–27
1927–28
1928–29
1929–30
1930–31
1931–32
1932–33
1933–34
1934–35
1935–36
1936–37
1937–38
1938–39
1939–40
1940–41
1941–42
1942–43
1943–44
1944–45
1945–46
1946–47
1947–48
1948–49
1949–50
1950–51
1951–52
1952–53
1953–54
1954–55
1955–56
1956–57
1957–58
1958–59
1959–60
1960–61
1961–62
1962–63
1963–64
1964–65
1965–66
1966–67
1967–68
1968–69
1969–70
1970–71
1971–72
1972–73
1973–74
1974–75
1975–76
1976–77
1977–78
1978–79
1979–80
1980–81
1981–82
1982–83
1983–84
1984–85
1985–86
1986–87
1987–88
1988–89
1989–90
1990–91
1991–92
1992–93
1993–94
1994–95
1995–96
1996–97
1997–98
1998–99
1999–2000
2000–01
2001–02
2002–03
2003–04
2004–05
2005–06
2006–07
2007–08
2008–09
2009–10
2010–11
2011–12
2012–13
2013–14
2014–15
2015–16
2016–17
2017–18
2018–19
2019–20
2020–21
2021–22
2022–23
2023–24
2024–25

1976–77 in English football

« 1975–76 1977–78 »

National teams

League competitions

Levels 1–4	Football League (First Division, Second Division, Third Division, Fourth Division)
Levels 5–6	Isthmian League (One, Two) Northern Premier League (level 5 only) Southern League (Premier, One North, One South)
Levels 7–9	Athenian League (One, Two) Cheshire County League (level 7 only) Eastern Counties League (level 7 only) Essex Senior League (level 7 only) Hellenic League (Premier, One) Kent League (level 7 only) Lancashire Combination (level 7 only) London Spartan League (One, Two) Midland Football Combination (level 7 only) Midland League (Premier, One) Northern League (level 7 only) South Midlands League (Premier, One) Sussex County League (One, Two) United Counties League (Premier, One, Two) West Midlands (Regional) League (level 7 only) Western League (Premier, One) Yorkshire League (One, Two, Three)

Cup competitions

FA cups	FA Cup (Qualifying rounds, Final) Charity Shield FA Trophy (Final) FA Vase
Football League cups	League Cup (Final)

European competitions

Club seasons
First Division	Arsenal Aston Villa Birmingham City Bristol City Coventry City Derby County Everton Ipswich Town Leeds United Leicester City Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Middlesbrough Newcastle United Norwich City Queens Park Rangers Stoke City Sunderland Tottenham Hotspur West Bromwich Albion West Ham United
Second Division	Blackburn Rovers Blackpool Bolton Wanderers Bristol Rovers Burnley Cardiff City Carlisle United Charlton Athletic Chelsea Fulham Hereford United Hull City Luton Town Millwall Nottingham Forest Notts County Oldham Athletic Orient Plymouth Argyle Sheffield United Southampton Wolverhampton Wanderers
Third Division	Brighton & Hove Albion Bury Chester Chesterfield Crystal Palace Gillingham Grimsby Town Lincoln City Mansfield Town Northampton Town Oxford United Peterborough United Port Vale Portsmouth Preston North End Reading Rotherham United Sheffield Wednesday Shrewsbury Town Swindon Town Tranmere Rovers Walsall Wrexham York City
Fourth Division	Aldershot Barnsley Bournemouth Bradford City Brentford Cambridge United Colchester United Crewe Alexandra Darlington Doncaster Rovers Exeter City Halifax Town Hartlepool United Huddersfield Town Newport County Rochdale Scunthorpe United Southend United Southport Stockport County Swansea City Torquay United Watford Workington

This article about an English association football club season is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: