# 1978–79 Bristol City F.C. season

During the 1978–79 English football season, Bristol City competed in the Football League First Division.

## Season summary

Bristol City comfortably avoided relegation, finishing 13th in the First Division.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Liverpool (C) | 42 | 30 | 8 | 4 | 85 | 16 | +69 | 68 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 21 | 18 | 3 | 61 | 26 | +35 | 60 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 3 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 72 | 35 | +37 | 59 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Everton | 42 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 52 | 40 | +12 | 51 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Leeds United | 42 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 70 | 52 | +18 | 50 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| 11 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 41 | |
| 12 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 57 | 50 | +7 | 40 | |
| 13 | Bristol City | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 47 | 51 | −4 | 40 | |
| 14 | Southampton | 42 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 47 | 53 | −6 | 40 | |
| 15 | Manchester City | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 58 | 56 | +2 | 39 | |
| 16 | Norwich City | 42 | 7 | 23 | 12 | 51 | 57 | −6 | 37 | |
| 17 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 54 | 75 | −21 | 35 | |
| 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 44 | 68 | −24 | 34 | |
| 19 | Derby County | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 44 | 71 | −27 | 31 | |
| 20 | Queens Park Rangers (R) | 42 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 45 | 73 | −28 | 25 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 21 | Birmingham City (R) | 42 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 37 | 64 | −27 | 22 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 22 | Chelsea (R) | 42 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 44 | 92 | −48 | 20 | Relegation to the Second Division |
* ↑ Nottingham Forest qualified for the European Cup first round as the 1978–79 European Cup winners.
* ↑ Arsenal qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1978–79 FA Cup winners.

## Kit

Bristol City's kit was produced by Umbro.

## First-team squad

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 | SCO | John Shaw |
| — | DF | SCO | Gerry Sweeney |
| — | DF | SCO | Donnie Gillies |
| — | MF | SCO | Gerry Gow |
| — | DF | ENG | David Rodgers |
| — | DF | ENG | Norman Hunter |
| — | MF | ENG | Trevor Tainton |
| — | FW | SCO | Tom Ritchie |
| — | FW | ENG | Joe Royle |
| — | FW | ENG | Kevin Mabbutt |
| — | MF | ENG | Clive Whitehead |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Jimmy Mann |
| — | MF | SCO | Peter Cormack |
| — | DF | ENG | Terry Cooper |
| — | DF | ENG | Gary Collier |
| — | MF | NED | Geert Meijer |
| — | FW | ENG | Chris Garland |
| — | MF | ENG | John Bain |
| — | GK | ENG | Ray Cashley |
| — | MF | WAL | Howard Pritchard |
| — | MF | FIN | Pertti Jantunen |

## Awards

At the end of season, Gerry Gow was given the club's Player of the Season award.