The first season back in the top-flight was not an easy one for Villa and consolidation was the keyword. In fact, the demands of the top-flight proved to be too great for keeper Jim Cumbes and also Charlie Aitken, who, nevertheless, completed 660 appearances in all first-team matches before his farewell in January, 1976.
Not long into the 1975-76 season, another Scot—Andy Gray—had captured the fans’ imagination, and although he scored just 10 in his 30 League matches, his dare-devil and committed play was loved by everyone. In his first season he proved he would be a handful in seasons to come.

The sad aspect of Gray’s arrival had been that it came about due to the enforced retirement (through injury) of the still-young Keith Leonard, who had shown such promise. And another change, due to a lengthy period out through injury for Brian Little, was the emergence of local youngster John Deehan who promised much with 7 goals in 15 League matches.

There was, however, a second major signing that season. Dennis Mortimer arrived from Coventry, and showed his class soon into his debut match against West Ham. His smooth forays down the left were just a hint of things to come.

However, the now well-established names of Gidman, Robson, Graydon (top scorer), Ross, Phillips, Hamilton, Carrodus and Nicholl were there at the core of the team and doing well. Chris Nicholl, though, gained a dubious distinction when he managed to score all four goals in a 2-2 draw at Leicester in March at about the time of the sixth anniversary of the last occasion of Villa playing there when the goal that was disallowed virtually caused Villa’s relegation to the Third Division.

Villa’s sixteenth place in the League and early exits in the cup competitions (including Villa’s first entry into the UEFA Cup) reflected on a season of little hope of any trophies coming Villa’s way, but (to use a pun) there was a Little hint of a Gray future!

The 1976-77 season was to prove to be a fascinating one, all starting with Doug Ellis standing down as chairman and being replaced by Sir William Dugdale.

Then, having acquired a new full-back in Gordon Smith, a dynamic performance in the opening game (v West Ham, 4-0) and soon after against Ipswich (5-2, with Gray capturing a hat-trick), seemed to indicate that the Villa were moving up a gear as they went to the top of the table. However, I had moved back to the south-east in the summer, and went down to see Villa at Loftus Road in their next game. Yes, there was promise, and yes, Gray popped up to score his sixth goal in five games, but Villa did not win this one. And who was the thin fellow that came on as sub? An unlikely player, I thought, this Gordon Cowans! Yes, Cowans was making only his second appearance for Villa, and little did I think then that he would have such a dramatic influence over the next 15 years (and since, in the Youth Academy).

Defeat at home against the Blues seemed to put Villa’s progress into reverse, but the next week Villa signed a new midfielder from Arsenal by the name of Alex Cropley, and this started a run that by Christmas had sent Villa into third place behind Liverpool and Ipswich, the team that Villa had already beaten, 5-2.

Arsenal were another team that were doing fairly well, yet when they came to Villa in late October, they also had five put passed them (5-1). Then, after a five games unbeaten run for Villa, the great Liverpool came down to Villa Park. What happened that evening has been played over and over again. Amazingly, Villa were 5-1 up at half-time, yet that was also the final score. It was a win from a Villa team that dazzled; every cog played its part in a total team performance that made the nation stare at the headlines. But it was a defeat that acted as a spur to Liverpool as they went on to win the European Cup that season.

Gray accumulated 7 goals in those three 5-goal matches and would finish the season with 25 goals in 36 League matches, and 29 goals overall; he may well have achieved more but for injuries in the second period of the season. Nevertheless, Gray had the unusual distinction of receiving both the Footballer Of The Year and the Young Player Of The Year awards.

Little, whose scoring ability had taken a back seat in the League in favour of his goal-making abilities, scored 14 goals in 42 League games, yet he scored 26 overall. Deehan, who did not come back into the team until November, finished the season with 13 goals in 27 League games and 18 goals overall.

The main reason for so many goals being scored in cup competitions was simple—Villa again won the League Cup, but only after three matches (against QPR) to decide the semi-final and a further three matches (against Everton) to decide the Final. Only the last of those three Final matches ‘caught light’ and only in the later stages of the match. Magnificently, Villa came from behind to win in the last minute of extra time, 3-2. This had been Saunders’ fourth League Cup Final in five years; he been there with Norwich, Manchester City and Villa (twice).

Having also got to the fifth round in the FA Cup, Villa’s League fixtures piled up to the extent that Villa’s season did not finish until 27 May. Seven League games were played in 19 days during that month with hardly any team changes during that period. Villa ultimately finished fourth in the League, mainly thanks to a thumping 4-0 final game over neighbours West Brom, who were challenging with Villa for a high spot.

It was Villa’s highest League finish since 1933, 44 years before, but for some strange reason Villa failed against some very low-order teams that season. A moment’s reflection and analysis shows that if they had done better against that opposition, Villa would most probably have won the championship. Ron Saunders, however, thought that Villa were still two or three years away from being a top side.
Villa’s fans saw their team score 55 goals in 21 League games at Villa Park that season, with, sadly, Birmingham the only team to win at Villa. The Villa also finished as the top-flight’s leading scorers. Another 20 goals (in 7 matches) were scored by Villa in cup competitions at Villa Park.

In the last games of the season, the usual team was: Burridge; Smith, Robson; Phillips, Nicholl, Mortimer; Deehan, Little, Gray, Cropley, Cowans. Ray Graydon played in the early games of the season but sustained injury, and came back for the last League Cup Final match and other matches in April after Carrodus, in turn, was injured. But Graydon left Villa Park after that season, as did Chris Nicholl.
Nicholl, Villa’s captain and remembered for his explosive equaliser in the recent League Cup Final, was simply allowed to go when Southampton came in for him, to the astonishment of pretty well everyone.

© 2010 John Lerwill
Next week: Steadying the Ship.