# 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.
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 | Teamvte | 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 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 76 | 50 | +26 | 51 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 64 | 49 | +15 | 49 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 6 | Manchester United | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 71 | 62 | +9 | 47 | Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round |
* ↑ 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. 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 |