Game #3479
Aston Villa
Wednesday, 1 March 1978
Quarter Final
Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟨
GK Jimmy Rimmer | 🏴 |
D David Evans | 🏴 | 🟢 |
CB Ken McNaught | 🏴 | ⚽ |
FB Gordon Smith | 🏴 | 🔥 |
M John Gregory | 🏴 |
M Leighton Phillips | 🏴 |
M Gordon Cowans | 🏴 |
M Dennis Mortimer | 🏴 |
W Frank Carrodus | 🏴 |
F Brian Little | 🏴 |
F John Deehan | 🏴 | ⚽ |
Ron Saunders | 🏴 | 1974-1982
Substitutes
🔁 | CB Allan Evans | 🏴 | 🟢 | 🔥 | for D David Evans | 🏴 | 61' |
Unused Substitutes
GK Jake Findlay | 🏴 |
CB Charlie Young | 🏴 |
LB Mick Buttress | 🏴 |
M Ivor Linton | 🏴 |
Yellow Cards (Warnings, Cautions, Bookings)
None
Red Cards (Ordered from Field of Play, Dismissals, Sendings Off)
None
Trophy Record
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1976-77
Matchday Squad
Goalkeepers
GK Jimmy Rimmer | 🏴 |
GK Jake Findlay | 🏴 |
Defenders
CB Charlie Young | 🏴 |
D David Evans | 🏴 |
CB Ken McNaught | 🏴 |
CB Allan Evans | 🏴 |
Full Backs
FB Gordon Smith | 🏴 |
LB Mick Buttress | 🏴 |
Midfielders
M Ivor Linton | 🏴 |
M John Gregory | 🏴 |
M Leighton Phillips | 🏴 |
M Gordon Cowans | 🏴 |
M Dennis Mortimer | 🏴 |
Wingers
W Frank Carrodus | 🏴 |
Forwards
F Brian Little | 🏴 |
F John Deehan | 🏴 |
Unavailable
Injury | 4 |
FB John Robson | 🏴 |
M Alex Cropley | 🏴 |
CF Andy Gray | 🏴 |
RB John Gidman | 🏴 |
Team News
Ron Saunders hands a surprise debut to David Evans and recalls John Gregory with John Gidman and Tommy Craig dropping out.
Team Stats
Starting XI Average Age
| 24.35 |
Oldest Player |
GK Jimmy Rimmer | 🏴 | 30.07 |
Youngest Player |
M Gordon Cowans | 🏴 | 19.36 |
Debut Appearances
🟢 CB David Evans | 🏴 | #593 | Youth team promotion
🟢 CB Allan Evans | 🏴 | #594 | £594,000 signing from Dunfermline
Final Appearances
None
Scorer(s) | Ken McNaught | 85' | John Deehan | 88' |
Assist(s) | Gordon Smith | 85' | Allan Evans | 88' |
Match Timeline
🟢 | 1’ Debut, David Evans
🥅 | 20’ Goal, 1-0, (Barcelona), John Cruyff
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-1 Barcelona
🔁 | 61’ Sub off, David Evans, Sub on, Allan Evans 🟢
🥅 | 78’ Goal, 2-0, (Barcelona), Zuviria
⚽ | 85’ Goal, 2-1, Ken McNaught, Assist by Gordon Smith
⚽ | 88’ Goal, 2-2, John Deehan, Assist by Allan Evans
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 2-2 Barcelona
Season | 1977-78 |
Matchday | #38 |
Manager Game | #197 |
Wednesday, 1 March 1978
Match Record
Game Record
Manager: Ron Saunders | 🏴 | Birkenhead, 1974-1982
Referee: César Correia | 🇵🇹 | São Brás de Alportel, 1978
HT Score: 🟥 0-1
FT Result: 🟨 Drew
FT Score: 🟨 2-2
Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟨
Officials
Referee: César Correia | 🇵🇹 | São Brás de Alportel, 1978
Linesmen: Joaquin Inacio De Alemieda 🇵🇹 Mario Da Silva Luis 🇵🇹
Previous 5 vs. Barcelona: None
Head to Head
Total 🕒 1 | 🟩 W0 (0% ) | 🟨 D1 | 🇺(100% ) | 🟥 L0 (0% ) | ⚽ 2 | 🥅 2 | GD 0
Match Stats
Not recorded
Ron Saunders | 🏴 | 1974-1982
🕒 197 | 🟩 | 93 🟨 | 50 🟥 54 | 1.67
Villa Career Form:
Top 6
UEFA Cup
Barcelona
Villa Park
Attendance: 49,619
GK Pello Artola | 🇪🇸 |
RB Pepito Ramos | 🇪🇸 |
CB Migueli | 🇪🇸 |
CB Antonio Olmo | 🇪🇸 |
RB Toño de la Cruz | 🇪🇸 |
M Johan Cruyff | 🇳🇱 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
M Quique Costas | 🇪🇸 | 🔁 |
M Juan Manuel Asensi | 🇪🇸 |
W Carles Rexach | 🇪🇸 |
W Rafael Zuviría | 🇦🇷 | ⚽ |
W Paco Fortes | 🇪🇸 |
Rinus Michels | 🇳🇱 |
Substitutes
🔁 | M Johan Cruyff | 🇳🇱 | (M José Macizo | 🇪🇸 |)
🔁 | M Quique Costas | 🇪🇸 | (CB Juanjo Enríquez | 🇪🇸 |)
Unused Substitutes
GK Pere Valentí Mora | 🇪🇸 |
M Alfredo Amarillo | 🇺🇾 |
M Jorge Carreño | 🇪🇸 |
Yellow Cards (Warnings, Cautions, Bookings)
None
Red Cards (Ordered from Field of Play, Dismissals, Sendings Off)
None
Opposition Trophy Record
La Liga Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆
Copa del Rey Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1978-79
Opposition Matchday Squad
Goalkeepers
GK Pello Artola | 🇪🇸 |
Defenders
CB Migueli | 🇪🇸 |
CB Antonio Olmo | 🇪🇸 |
CB Juanjo Enríquez | 🇪🇸 |
Full Backs
RB Pepito Ramos | 🇪🇸 |
RB Toño de la Cruz | 🇪🇸 |
Midfielders
M Johan Cruyff | 🇳🇱 |
M Quique Costas | 🇪🇸 |
M José Macizo | 🇪🇸
M Juan Manuel Asensi | 🇪🇸 |
Wingers
W Carles Rexach | 🇪🇸 |
W Rafael Zuviría | 🇦🇷 |
W Paco Fortes | 🇪🇸 |
Opposition Unavailable
Not Recorded
On This Day
Barcelona, for all their talent, body check and foul their way to a two goal lead but their rugged tactics backfire as Villa hit two goals in the last five minutes to draw the tie and Barcelona’s bleating and deeply hypocritical appeals for a foul on the ‘keeper for John Deehan’s equaliser are rightly met with short shrift from the referee.
Villa face Barcelona for the first time in competitive football, Barcelona become the 115th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s fifth continental European opponents and their second from Spain having played Athletic Bilbao earlier in the season.
Ron Saunders' Villa score two late goals to draw the UEFA Cup quarter final first leg against Barcelona ahead of a tough return match at the Camp Nou.
Meanwhile, Saunders hands debuts to defender David Evans, 19, who joined from West Bromwich Schools in July 1974 and centre back Allan Evans, 21, after his move from Dunfermline Athletic for a fee of £30,000 in May 1977.
Starting XI
Substitutes
🕒
🔁
⚽
🔥
Sub 2
🟩
🟨
🟥
🕒
🔁
⚽
🔥
Sub 3
🟩
🟨
🟥
🕒
🔁
⚽
🔥
Sub 4
🟩
🟨
🟥
🕒
🔁
⚽
🔥
Sub 5
🟩
🟨
🟥
Match Media
What they Said
"It is important to me that I give the English public something to remember me by.
"I cannot imagine the Aston Villa game being more difficult than the game against Ipswich. But if the score against us is more than 3-0 it will he impossible.
"The Spanish players like playing against foreign opposition.
“It gives them a better chance to express themselves and show their skills.
“Aston Villa have built up a reputation in Spain.
“They are now very well known by the Spanish people after their victory over Athletic Bilbao.
“They have got a lot of respect now."
Johan Cruyff.