Villa’s fourth game in a week sees them end their first season back in the second tier unbeaten in seven and in third place. Villa miss out on promotion but had the rules for 1973-74 been implemented this season their third placed finish would have earnt them a second successive promotion. It wasn’t to be however and Vic Crowe had it all to do again as Villa continued their comeback from the doldrums.

Vic Crowe's Villa make it seven unbeaten to end the season with eighteen wins, fifteen draws and nine defeats in forty two League games. As a result Villa finish third in their comeback season to the second tier missing out on a second successive promotion by a single place. Two periods of inconsistency across the season in October / November and February / March cost Vic Crowe and Villa what at times had looked like a nailed on repeat promotion. A chronic lack of goals from the forward line exposed Villa time and again and although Alun Evans proved an astute purchase there was little contribution from the more established players such as Geoff Vowden and Andy Lochhead. 

The latter made his final appearance for Villa aged 32 before moving on to Oldham Athletic in August 1973 for a fee of £15,000. Villa had bought Lochhead in February 1970 from Leicester City for £35,000 and he went on to make 154 appearances between 1969-70 and 1972-73 scoring 44 goals but hitting just 6 in his final season.