Having acquired such strong players in Graydon, Cumbes, Ross and Nicholl, there was high optimism around Villa Park that return to the First Division was just around the corner. Those signings were then supplemented by striker Alun Evans from Liverpool, a player who had originally made a big name for himself with Wolves and possessed untapped talent.

The first two months went well—despite a hefty blip at Burnley in the third match—so that by the end of September, Villa were top of the division with games in hand.

But Villa were not scoring many, and then results started going the wrong way. Inevitably, these results heralded team changes, and Willie Anderson, a stalwart who had worked his socks off since Villa’s last top-flight days, played his last game, as did Michael Wright.

The likes of John Gidman and Brian Little came to the fore, and Jimmy Brown (still Villa’s youngest-ever first-team player) returned to the scene. Another player with plenty of top-class experience, full-back John Robson, joined Villa’s ranks from Derby.

In late January, there were signs of Villa’s form recovering, and a visit I made to Swindon seemed to confirm that; Villa were easily the masters that day in a 3-1 win that confirmed them in third place. But our hopes soon subsided as that form did not continue; Villa finished the season in third place, but quite some distance off the two promoted sides, Burnley and QPR, who had mastered Villa both home and away during that season, especially Burnley.

Sadly, the possibility of promotion from third place was not brought in until the next season and promotion to the top-flight was forced to hang over—to Villa’s centenary season.
Villa now acquired Trevor Hockey to give the Villa extra ‘bite’ in midfield, and then Sammy Morgan to replace Andy Lochhead. The 1973-74 season started reasonably well with two wins and a draw, but these results were then followed by four draws and then two defeats. After a better October, the season did not proceed well.

Indeed, the season became a disappointment. Between November and early March, Villa went through a 13 matches spell without a League win and hovered five points above a relegation position. Villa improved, but laboured to remain in the lower mid-table area. Certain other matters came to a head in the January-February period.

In the FA Cup, Villa were drawn at Arsenal in the fourth round, and there Villa raised their game—and used Sammy Morgan’s belligerence—in gaining a replay. The replay was splendidly won by 2-0, but then Villa’s hopes were dashed at Burnley in the next round.

That exit from the FA Cup brought a simmering issue to the fore—the case of Bruce Rioch. He was now 26, and it had been clear for a long time that his qualities were not to be wasted at the lower levels of the League. With no possible hope of promotion that season and with Villa now out of the FA Cup, Villa could not hold him any longer and received a £200,000 cheque for his services from First Division Derby.
Rioch was a player that would be missed. His qualities in tackling, passing and shooting were high-class, as he would prove at Derby and Everton, and for Scotland.

I can recall a period in the ’73-74 season when Rioch had been injured for awhile and had been sorely missed, but the day came when he was named as substitute for the home Notts County fixture, though still not quite fit. The Villa had been frustrating and frustrated by County, and were losing 0-1. Late in the game, when Jimmy Brown was injured, on came Rioch (to the crowd’s glee). A free-kick had just been given outside the opponent’s penalty area at the Holte End. The crowd’s expectancy was raised … the roars grew … Rioch stepped up and—bang—the ball was in the back of the net! Single-handedly and on the pitch for just a few minutes, he saved Villa from a boring home defeat.

The centenary season was a huge disappointment, and, not surprisingly to some, Vic Crowe and Ron Wylie were sacked. With the Villa support showing signs of flagging (a mid-week game attracted less than 13,000 spectators) Doug Ellis and the board felt that to give Crowe and Wylie a third bite in the Second Division would be too generous, and that was it.

Soon after that sad situation, Villa did come up with an alternative form of Centenary Celebration. Villa pursued former England boss Alf Ramsay to be the club’s next manager, but Ramsay instead pointed Villa to Ron Saunders. Thus, Saunders—after some negotiation—came to Villa having recently been sacked by Manchester City.

© 2010 John Lerwill
Next week: Onwards and Upwards with Ron!