Season #2 | 1880-81 | Games #3 - #6
AVFC History
Season #92
| 1980-81 |
Games #3638 - #3683 |
1980-81 Club Summary
President | Trevor Gill
Chairman | Ron Bendall
Manager | Ron Saunders
Secretary | Steve Stride
1980-81 Season Summary
Manager | Ron Saunders |
Games | #3638 - #3683 |
Captain(s) | #584 Dennis Mortimer |
Top Scorer | 21 | #619 Peter Withe | 20 League | 1 League Cup |
Most Appearances | 46 | #593 Jimmy Rimmer | #606 Kenny Swain | #594 Ken McNaught | #610 Des Bremner | #586 Gordon Cowans | #608 Tony Morley | 42 League | 1 FA Cup | 3 League Cup |
Final League Position | Champions Football League Division One | Villa's seventh League title |
FA Cup Progress | 3rd Round |
League Cup Progress | 3rd Round |
Biggest Win | 4-0 vs. Sunderland (h) |
Highest Home Attendance | 47,998 vs. West Bromwich Albion |
1980-81 Division One Table
| 1 | Aston Villa | P42 | W26 | D8 | L8 | F72 | A40 | GD32 | Pts 60 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town | P42 | W23 | D10 | L9 | F77 | A43 | GD34 | Pts 56 |
| 3 | Arsenal | P42 | W19 | D15 | L8 | F61 | A45 | GD16 | Pts 53 |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion | P42 | W20 | D12 | L10 | F60 | A42 | GD18 | Pts 52 |
| 5 | Liverpool | P42 | W17 | D17 | L8 | F62 | A42 | GD20 | Pts 51 |
1980-81 Results
| 1 | 16 Aug | a | Leeds United | W | 2-1 |
| 2 | 20 Aug | h | Norwich City | W | 1-0 |
| 3 | 23 Aug | a | Manchester City | D | 2-2 |
| 4 | 27 Aug | h | Leeds United (LC R2 L1) | W | 1-0 |
| 5 | 30 Aug | h | Coventry City | W | 1-0 |
| 6 | 3 Sep | a | Leeds United (LC R2 L2) | W | 3-1 |
| 7 | 6 Sep | a | Ipswich Town | L | 0-1 |
| 8 | 13 Sep | h | Everton | L | 0-2 |
| 9 | 20 Sep | h | Wolverhampton Wanderers | W | 2-1 |
| 10 | 23 Sep | a | Cambridge United (LC R3) | L | 1-2 |
| 11 | 27 Sep | a | Crystal Palace | W | 1-0 |
| 12 | 4 Oct | h | Sunderland | W | 4-0 |
| 13 | 8 Oct | a | Manchester United | D | 3-3 |
| 14 | 11 Oct | a | Birmingham City | W | 2-1 |
| 15 | 18 Oct | h | Tottenham Hotspur | W | 3-0 |
| 16 | 22 Oct | h | Brighton & Hove Albion | W | 4-1 |
| 17 | 25 Oct | a | Southampton | W | 2-1 |
| 18 | 1 Nov | h | Leicester City | W | 2-0 |
| 19 | 8 Nov | a | West Bromwich Albion | D | 0-0 |
| 20 | 12 Nov | a | Norwich City | W | 3-1 |
| 21 | 15 Nov | h | Leeds United | D | 1-1 |
| 22 | 22 Nov | a | Liverpool | L | 1-2 |
| 23 | 29 Nov | h | Arsenal | D | 1-1 |
| 24 | 6 Dec | a | Middlesbrough | L | 1-2 |
| 25 | 13 Dec | h | Birmingham City | W | 3-0 |
| 26 | 20 Dec | a | Brighton & Hove Albion | L | 0-1 |
| 27 | 26 Dec | h | Stoke City | W | 1-0 |
| 28 | 27 Dec | a | Nottingham Forest | D | 2-2 |
| 29 | 3 Jan | a | Ipswich Town (FAC R3) | L | 0-1 |
| 30 | 10 Jan | h | Liverpool | W | 2-0 |
| 31 | 17 Jan | a | Coventry City | W | 2-1 |
| 32 | 31 Jan | h | Manchester City | W | 1-0 |
| 33 | 7 Feb | a | Everton | W | 3-1 |
| 34 | 21 Feb | h | Crystal Palace | W | 2-1 |
| 35 | 28 Feb | a | Wolverhampton Wanderers | W | 1-0 |
| 36 | 7 Mar | a | Sunderland | W | 2-1 |
| 37 | 14 Mar | h | Manchester United | D | 3-3 |
| 38 | 21 Mar | a | Tottenham Hotspur | L | 0-2 |
| 39 | 28 Mar | h | Southampton | W | 2-1 |
| 40 | 4 Apr | a | Leicester City | W | 4-2 |
| 41 | 8 Apr | h | West Bromwich Albion | W | 1-0 |
| 42 | 14 Apr | h | Ipswich Town | L | 1-2 |
| 43 | 18 Apr | h | Nottingham Forest | W | 2-0 |
| 44 | 20 Apr | a | Stoke City | D | 1-1 |
| 45 | 25 Apr | h | Middlesbrough | W | 3-0 |
| 46 | 2 May | a | Arsenal | L | 0-2 |
1980-81 Other Matches of Note
Pre Season Friendly | 9 Aug | h | VfL Bochum |
Mid Season Friendly | 26 Jan | h | SK Rapid Wien |
1980-81 Season Review
Six wins in the first 10 league games set Villa up nicely for the season, only one was by more than a goal margin - 4-0 defeat of Sunderland - but Villa were turning the draws that had been such a feature of the last few seasons into wins at last.
An early exit from the League Cup left Villa able to concentrate on the league through the autumn allowing them to go on an 11 game unbeaten run, winning 8 including 5 in a row.
Four defeats over the Christmas and New Year period including a 3rd Round FA Cup exit proved to be a stutter as Villa regained their poise in January and won 7 in a row, and losing just twice in 17 games, winning 12 as they secured the title by 4 points to win if for a 7th time.
Villa, under Ron Saunders always an economical squad, achieved the league title using just 14 players - an English league record that will never be broken. Saunders' legend was well and truly cemented.
1980-81 Season Statistics
Games | 46 |
Won | 28 | 61% |
Drew | 8 | 17% |
Lost | 10 | 22% |
Unbeaten | 36 | 78% |
Goals Scored | 76 | 1.65 Goals per game |
Goals Conceded | 45 | 0.98 Goals per game |
Clean Sheets | 15 | 33% |
Average Home Attendance | 32,913 |
Longest winning run | 7 Games |
League winning run | 7 Games |
Longest unbeaten run | 11 Games |
Longest losing run | 2 Games |
Games without a win | 4 Games |
1980-81 Transfers
1 July 1980 - 30 June 1981
Incoming | 1 |
#626 Paul Birch | West Bromwich Albion | Free | Jul 80 | 17 |
#636 Kevin Poole | North Bromsgrove High School | Free | Jun 81 | 17 |
1980-81 Squad Changes
Debut Appearances | 1 |
#619 Peter Withe | Saturday, 16 August 1980 | Leeds United (a) | 28 |
1980-81 Squad Statistics
Squad Size | 14 | -15
Squad Size | 14 | -15 |
Average Age | 24.8 | +2.0 |
Average 1st XI Age | 25.95 | +1.45 |
Youngest 1st XI | 25.36 | Middlesbrough (a) | +2.13 |
Oldest 1st XI | 26.69 | West Bromwich Albion (h) | +0.74 |
Youngest Player(s) | 18 |
Gary Shaw | 21-Nov-1961
Oldest Player(s) | 32 |
Jimmy Rimmer | 10-Feb-1948
1980-81 Scorers
Goals Scored | 76 | League Goals | 71 | FA Cup Goals | 0 | League Cup Goals | 5 |
| 21 |
Peter Withe | Goals | 21 | League | 20 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 1 |
| 20 |
Gary Shaw | Goals | 20 | League | 18 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 2 |
| 12 |
Tony Morley | Goals | 12 | League | 10 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 2 |
| 6 |
Allan Evans | Goals | 6 | League | 6 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
| 5 |
Gordon Cowans | Goals | 5 | League | 5 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
| 4 |
David Geddis | Goals | 4 | League | 4 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
Dennis Mortimer | Goals | 4 | League | 4 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
| 2 |
Des Bremner | Goals | 2 | League | 2 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
Own Goal | Goals | 2 | League | 2 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 |
1980-81 First Team Squad
#584 Dennis Mortimer | 28 |
#586 Gordon Cowans | 21 |
#588 Alex Cropley | 29 |
#592 Ivor Linton | 20 |
#593 Jimmy Rimmer | 32 |
#594 Ken McNaught | 25 |
#598 Allan Evans | 23 |
#599 Gary Shelton | 22 |
#600 Gary Shaw | 18 |
#601 Lee Jenkins | 19 | LEFT NOVEMBER 1980
#602 Gary Williams | 19 |
#603 Brendan Ormsby | 19 |
#604 Willie Young | 24 |
#605 Colin Gibson | 20 |
#606 Kenny Swain | 28 |
#607 Joe Ward | 25 |
#608 Tony Morley | 25 |
#610 Des Bremner | 27 |
#611 David Geddis | 22 |
#612 Terry Bullivant | 23 |
#613 Eamonn Deacy | 21 |
#614 Terry Donovan | 22 |
#615 Nigel Spink | 22 |
#616 Robert Hopkins | 18 |
#617 Pat Heard | 20 |
#618 Noel Blake | 18 |
#619 Peter Withe | 28 |
1980-81 Appearances
| 46 |
#593 Jimmy Rimmer | Appearances | 46 | League | 42 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
#606 Kenny Swain | Appearances | 46 | League | 42 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
#594 Ken McNaught | Appearances | 46 | League | 42 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
#610 Des Bremner | Appearances | 46 | League | 42 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
#586 Gordon Cowans | Appearances | 46 | League | 42 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
#608 Tony Morley | Appearances | 46 | League | 42 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
| 45 |
#584 Dennis Mortimer | Appearances | 45 | League | 41 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
| 44 |
#598 Allan Evans | Appearances | 44 | League | 40 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
| 43 |
#600 Gary Shaw | Appearances | 43 | League | 40 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 2 (0) | . Player Profile
| 40 |
#619 Peter Withe | Appearances | 40 | League | 36 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
| 24 |
#605 Colin Gibson | Appearances | 24 | League | 19 (2) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
| 23 |
#602 Gary Williams | Appearances | 23 | League | 21 (1) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 11 |
#611 David Geddis | Appearances | 11 | League | 8 (1) | FA Cup | 0 (1) | League Cup | 1 (0) | . Player Profile
| 9 |
#613 Eamonn Deacy | Appearances | 9 | League | 5 (3) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (1) | . Player Profile
| 0 |
#588 Alex Cropley | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#592 Ivor Linton | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#599 Gary Shelton | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#601 Lee Jenkins | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#603 Brendan Ormsby | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#604 Willie Young | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#607 Joe Ward | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#612 Terry Bullivant | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#614 Terry Donovan | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#615 Nigel Spink | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#616 Robert Hopkins | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#617 Pat Heard | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#618 Noel Blake | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
1980-81 'Keepers
Jimmy Rimmer | Appearances | 46 | Conceded | 45 | Ratio | 0.98 |
Ron Saunders' seventh season as Villa boss ended with Villa being crowned as League Champions for the 7th time.
Saunders’ Villa had now achieved a win rate of 46%, losing 27% of their 359 League and FA Cup matches under his leadership.
As a result Saunders had returned 1.65 points per game* across his 359 games in charge of Villa. Saunders was behind only George Ramsay’s performance of 1.69 across his 1,332 games. Saunders was ahead of the rest of his predecessors including Tommy Cummings (1.06 in 67), Tommy Doherty (1.20 in 55) Dick Taylor (1.23 in 146), Villa’s first professional manager Jimmy McMullan (1.24 in 99) as well as Eric Houghton (1.31 in 250), George Martin (1.42 in 119), Joe Mercer (1.51 in 282), Alex Massie (1.56 in 227) and Jimmy Hogan (1.59 in 124), Billy Smith’s 1.62 across 364 games and Vic Crowe's (1.63 in 222).
*Rankings based on 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw in all competitions
1980-81 Kits
1980-81 Season Results
Game #3638
Matchday | #1 |
League Match-week | #1 |
Manager Game | #314 |
Saturday, 16 August 1980
Football League | Division One | Away | Leeds United | Elland Road | 23,401 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Won |
FT Score | 2-1 |
Last 5 Games | LWWLW |
Scorers | Gary Shaw | Tony Morley |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Gary Williams |
CB Ken McNaught |
FB Eamonn Deacy |
M Des Bremner |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley | GOAL |
M Dennis Mortimer |
F Gary Shaw | GOAL |
CF Peter Withe | DEBUT |
On this day 16 August 1980
Centre forward Peter Withe made his Villa debut aged 28 after moving from Newcastle United in May 1980 for a fee of £500,000.
---
Game #3639
Matchday | #2 |
League Match-week | #2 |
Manager Game | #315 |
Wednesday, 20 August 1980
Football League | Division One | Home | Norwich City | Villa Park | 25,970 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Won |
FT Score | 1-0 |
Last 5 Games | WWLWW |
Scorers | Gary Shaw |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Allan Evans |
CB Ken McNaught |
M Des Bremner |
M Colin Gibson |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley |
M Dennis Mortimer |
F Gary Shaw | GOAL |
CF Peter Withe |
---
Game #3640
Matchday | #3 |
League Match-week | #3 |
Manager Game | #316 |
Saturday, 23 August 1980
League Cup | 2nd Round 1st Leg | Home | Leeds United | Villa Park | 23,622 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Drew |
FT Score | 2-2 |
Last 5 Games | WLWWD |
Scorers | Peter Withe | 2 |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Allan Evans |
CB Ken McNaught |
M Des Bremner |
M Colin Gibson |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley |
M Dennis Mortimer |
F Gary Shaw |
CF Peter Withe | GOAL | GOAL |
---
Game #3641
Matchday | #4 |
Manager Game | #317 |
Wednesday, 27 August 1980
League Cup | 2nd Round 1st Leg | Home | Leeds United | Villa Park | 23,622 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Won |
FT Score | 1-0 |
Last 5 Games | LWWDW |
Scorers | Tony Morley |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Allan Evans |
CB Ken McNaught |
M Des Bremner |
M Colin Gibson |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley | GOAL |
M Dennis Mortimer |
F Gary Shaw |
CF Peter Withe |
---
Game #3642
Matchday | #5 |
League Match-week | #4 |
Manager Game | #318 |
Saturday, 30 August 1980
Football League | Division One | Home | Coventry City | Villa Park | 20,050 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Won |
FT Score | 1-0 |
Last 5 Games | WWDWW |
Scorers | Gary Shaw |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Allan Evans |
CB Ken McNaught |
M Des Bremner |
M Colin Gibson |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley |
M Dennis Mortimer |
F Gary Shaw | GOAL |
CF Peter Withe |
On this day 30 August 1980
Villa were now 5 games unbeaten from the start of the 1980-81 campaign, winning 4.
---
Game #3643
Matchday | #6 |
Manager Game | #319 |
Wednesday, 3 September 1980
League Cup | 2nd Round 2nd Leg | Away | Leeds United | Elland Road | 12,236 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Won |
FT Score | 3-1 |
Agg Result | Won |
Agg Score | 4-1 |
Last 5 Games | WDWWW |
Scorers | Peter Withe | Gary Shaw | 2 |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Allan Evans |
CB Ken McNaught |
M Des Bremner |
M Colin Gibson |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley |
M Dennis Mortimer |
F Gary Shaw | GOAL | GOAL | SUB OFF |
CF Peter Withe | GOAL |
Substitute |
FB Eamonn Deacy for F Gary Shaw |
---
Game #3644
Matchday | #7 |
League Match-week | #5 |
Manager Game | #320 |
Saturday, 6 September 1980
Football League | Division One | Away | Ipswich Town | Portman Road | 23,192 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Lost |
FT Score | 0-1 |
Last 5 Games | DWWWL |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Allan Evans |
CB Ken McNaught |
M Des Bremner |
M Colin Gibson |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley |
M Dennis Mortimer |
F Gary Shaw |
CF Peter Withe |
---
Game #3645
Matchday | #8 |
League Match-week | #6 |
Manager Game | #321 |
Saturday, 13 September 1980
Football League | Division One | Home | Everton | Villa Park | 25,673 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Lost |
FT Score | 0-2 |
Last 5 Games | WWWLL |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Allan Evans |
CB Ken McNaught |
M Des Bremner |
M Colin Gibson |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley |
M Dennis Mortimer |
F Gary Shaw |
CF Peter Withe |
---
Game #3646
Matchday | #9 |
League Match-week | #7 |
Manager Game | #322 |
Saturday, 20 September 1980
Football League | Division One | Home | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Villa Park | 26,881 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Won |
FT Score | 2-1 |
Last 5 Games | WWLLW |
Scorers | David Geddis | Own Goal |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Allan Evans |
CB Ken McNaught |
M Des Bremner |
M Colin Gibson |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley |
M Dennis Mortimer |
CF Peter Withe |
F David Geddis | GOAL |
---
Game #3647
Matchday | #10 |
Manager Game | #323 |
Tuesday, 23 September 1980
League Cup | 3rd Round | Away | Cambridge United | Abbey Stadium | 7,608 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Lost |
FT Score | 1-2 |
Last 5 Games | WLLWL |
Scorers | Tony Morley |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Allan Evans |
CB Ken McNaught |
M Des Bremner |
M Colin Gibson |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley | GOAL |
M Dennis Mortimer |
CF Peter Withe |
F David Geddis |
---
Game #3648
Matchday | #11 |
League Match-week | #8 |
Manager Game | #324 |
Saturday, 27 September 1980
Football League | Division One | Away | Crystal Palace | Selhurst Park | 18,398 |
Manager | Ron Saunders |
FT Result | Won |
FT Score | 1-0 |
Last 5 Games | LLWLW |
Scorers | Gary Shaw |
Line Up |
GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
D Allan Evans |
CB Ken McNaught |
M Des Bremner |
M Colin Gibson |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Tony Morley | <