Aston Villa manager Ron Saunders completed a highly successful season with the personal satisfaction of seeing his side beat his former club, which he left only 17 months ago after a board room disagreement.

Even though Villa were without their top scoring strikers Ray Graydon and Brian Little, Norwich had no answer to the visitors free flowing attack who took the club’s goal tally for the season to an incredible 110.

The Villa victory was all the sweeter for Saunders as it was achieved in front of Norwich’s biggest gate of the season, one short of 36,000.

Norwich, like Villa, already assured of First Division football next season even before this game, presented bouquets to some of the crowd before the start.

They showed they hadn’t forgotten Villa either by handing them two gift goals in the first 20 minutes to wipe out any hope of achieving revenge for Villa’s 1-0 win over Norwich in the League Cup final at Wembley in March.

It was Keith Leonard who put Villa on the winning path after only 11 minutes when he rose unchallenged direct home a fine header from perfectly taken free kick by Chico Hamilton.

Nine minutes later the Norwich defence was shattered again, this time when Tony Powell failed to control a long goal clearance from Villa’s goalkeeper Jim Cumbes, allowing John Gidman to race clear.

Despite Powell’s desperate attempts to haul the Villa man back by his shirt Gidman surged on before sliding the ball calmly past Kevin Keelan.

However. the goal sparked Norwich into some of their best attacking action and they pulled a goal back just minutes later through Phil Boyer, who powered a neat header past Jim Cumbes, after skipper Duncan Forbes had knocked back a cross from the far post.

The nearest Norwich came to getting back on terms was a couple of minutes later when Martin Peters saw a well-judged header hit the inside of a post and bounce away.

Understandably the game went off the boil at the start of the second half but then VIIIa, always looking the more composed and controlled, produced a sting in the tail with two further goals in the last 14 minutes.

A fabulous through ball by young Frank Pimblett sent Bobby McDonald racing clear on the left and the youngster rocketed home a fine goal from an acute angle.

Four minutes from the end Frank Carrodus rounded off the scoring by stabbing home a centre from Hamilton.

Four players were booked. Villa’s I.eonard and John Robson along with Powell and Peters from Norwich for foul tackles, although none particularly serious in a clean and entertaining game.