Game #3385
Saturday, 24 April 1976
Attendance: 33,241
Won
Division One
15th= (+1)
Middlesbrough
DDDWW
Villa Park
Villa win on the final day to end their first season back in the top flight since 1967 in joint 15th place but are classified 16th on goal difference behind Newcastle. Villa’s season saw Ron Saunders’ side draw seventeen of their forty two games - the most of any side outside of the top ten, and despite eleven home wins - the same as sixth placed Ipswich - their lack of an away win across the entire campaign meant an encouraging top flight return resulted in a lower finish that performances had suggested was possible.
Aston Villa
2-1
Middlesbrough
Assist(s) | Not recorded
KEY MAN
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
1’ Goal, 1-0, John Deehan
31’ Goal, 1-1, (Middlesbrough), John Hickton
HT Aston Villa 1-1 Middlesbrough
52’ Goal, 2-1, Frank Carrodus
FT Aston Villa 2-1 Middlesbrough
ON THIS DAY
Ron Saunders' Villa win consecutive games for the first time since September to make it eleven wins, seventeen draws and fourteen defeats in forty two League games following their return to the top flight as they finish the season in 16th place.
Aston Villa
Middlesbrough
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌
FIXTURE HISTORY
Middlesbrough
Previous 5 vs. Middlesbrough: | 🟨 | 🟨 | 🟨 | 🟨 | 🟨 |
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1975-76 |
Matchday | #48 |
League Match | #42 |
Manager Game | #103 |
Saturday, 24 April 1976
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager | Ron Saunders |
Referee | Gordon Trevett, Manchester |
FT Result | Won |
FT Score | 2-1 |
Last 5 Games | DDDWW |
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Gordon Trevett | 🏴 | 1973-1976
Previous 5:
Last Match:
Cards: None
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Ian Ross replaces Leighton Phillips.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 24.42 |
Oldest Player |
CB Chris Nicholl | 29.55 |
Youngest Player |
F John Deehan | 18.73 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Ron Saunders
Aston Villa
GK Jake Findlay |
CB Ian Ross |
CB Chris Nicholl |
LB Bobby McDonald |
FB John Robson |
RB John Gidman |
M Dennis Mortimer |
W Ray Graydon |
W Frank Carrodus |
CF Andy Gray |
F John Deehan |
Middlesbrough
Platt, Maddren, Boam, Bailey, Craggs, Cooper, Souness, Coleman (Ramage), Brine, Armstrong, Hickton (g). Manager: Jack Charlton.
SUBSTITUTES
None
SUBSTITUTES
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
M Gordon Cowans
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
SQUAD STATS
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Injury | 3 |
CF Keith Leonard |
LB Charlie Aitken |
F Brian Little |
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE
PROGRAMME
MATCHDAY QUOTES
“I have been reasonably happy with the side’s performances in the First Division but I shall be looking next season for an all-round improvement.
“If we are going to reach the top we will have to show far more consistency and I may have to enter the transfer market again if the youngsters don’t come up to scratch.
“But I am pleased with their progress so far and it is a very healthy sign to see that 16 of my professional squad of 23 are 21 or under.
“|We must be the youngest outfit in the First Division.”
“I thought we might have done a lot better in the First Division this season but we had a crop of injuries and we were never able to field a settled side.
“I am sure that we have benefited from our experiences and now that we know something about life in the First Division.
“I trust we will put it to good use next term.”
Ron Saunders.
*Birmingham Daily Post*
Monday, 26 April 1976
Aston Villa manager Ron Saunders is prepared to make another big-money signing if the club’s promising crop of youngsters fail to make the grade next season.
Saunders, who has just put skipper lan Ross and Chico Hamilton on the transfer list said after Villa’s 2-1 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday:
“I have been reasonably happy with the side’s performances in the First Division but I shall be looking next season for an all-round improvement.
“If we are going to reach the top we will have to show far more consistency and I may have to enter the transfer market again if the youngsters don’t come up to scratch.
“But I am pleased with their progress so far and it is a very healthy sign to see that 16 of my professional squad of 23 are 21 or under. We must be the youngest outfit in the First Division.”
Saunders added: “I thought we might have done a lot better in the First Division this season but we had a crop of injuries and we were never able to field a settled side.
“I am sure that we have benefited from our experiences and now that we know something about life in the First Division. I trust we will put it to good use next term.”
Villa signed off with a victory which, although not of classic proportions, was justly deserved. It was fitting that the 52nd minute winner should come from Frank Carrodus, whose non-stop running and effort kept his side ticking over. Carrodus’s goal - his first of the season - came when Villa looked as if they would have to settle for another draw.
The impressive Deehan had given Villa a magnificent start with a headed goal in the first minute after goalkeeper Jim Piet, under pressure from Gray, had punched the ball straight out to the England youth International.
It should have been the signal for an avalanche but Ray Graydon’s shooting, for once, was off-target and Villa gave away their customary goal when Ross let in John Hickton for the 31st-minute equaliser.
Villa took control of the second-half after Carrodus’s goal and, when Middlesbrough did raise their game near the end. 20-year-old goalkeeper Jake Findlay competently dealt with all the shots that reached him.