Game #3497
Aston Villa
2-0-0, 4 PTS
Wednesday, 23 August 1978
Won
1st= (+5)
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟩
Division One
Attendance: 47,892
Tottenham Hotspur
White Hart Lane
Tottenham Hotspur
1-4
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | Dennis Mortimer | 49' | Gary Shelton | 80' |
MATCH SUMMARY
Villa make it successive wins at the start of the season under Ron Saunders to take top spot in the early first division table.
KEY MAN
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
Wednesday, 23 August 1978
⚽ | 35’ Goal, 1-0, Allan Evans
🕒 | HT Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Aston Villa
⚽ | 49’ Goal, 2-0, John Gregory, Assist by Dennis Mortimer
🥅 | 60’ Goal, 2-1, (Tottenham Hotspur, pen), Glenn Hoddle
⚽ | 80’ Goal, 3-1, Brian Little, Assist by Gary Shelton
⚽ | 86’ Goal, 4-1, Gary Shelton
🕒 | FT Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
Ron Saunders' Villa make it two wins from two as they batter newly promoted Tottenham on their own patch and a 16 year old forward named Gary Shaw made his first appearance in the Villa squad after joining from Warwickshire & District Schools.
Aston Villa
UEFA Cup / Europa League: ❌
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: ❌
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1976-77
Tottenham Hotspur
UEFA Cup / Europa League: 🏆
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1972-73
FIXTURE HISTORY
Tottenham Hotspur
Previous 5 vs. Spurs: 🟥 🟨 🟥 🟩 🟥
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1978-79 |
Matchday | #2 |
League Match | #2 |
Manager Game | #215 |
Wednesday, 23 August 1978
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Ron Saunders | 🏴 | Birkenhead, 1974-1982
Referee: Unknown
HT Score: 🟩 1-0
FT Result: 🟩 Won
FT Score: 🟩 4-1
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟩
MANAGERIAL RECORD
Ron Saunders | 🏴 |
GAMES | WINS | DRAWS | LOSSES | POINTS PER GAME
🕒 215 | 🟩 | 102 🟨 | 54 🟥 59 | 1.67
Villa Career Form:
Top 6
Ron Saunders | 🏴 |
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Unknown
Cards: 🟨
Unknown
CARDS
Villa
None
Tottenham Hotspur
🟨
TEAM NEWS
John Gregory replaces Andy Gray.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 24.53 |
Oldest Player |
GK Jimmy Rimmer | 🏴 | 30.55 |
Youngest Player |
M Gordon Cowans | 🏴 | 19.84 |
MANAGER
Ron Saunders | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Jimmy Rimmer | 🏴 |
RB John Gidman | 🏴 |
CB Allan Evans | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CB Ken McNaught | 🏴 |
FB Gordon Smith | 🏴 |
M Gordon Cowans | 🏴 |
M Dennis Mortimer | 🏴 | 🔥 |
M Gary Shelton | 🏴 | 🔥 | ⚽ |
M John Gregory | 🏴 | ⚽ |
W Frank Carrodus | 🏴 |
F Brian Little | 🏴 | ⚽ |
MANAGER
Keith Burkinshaw | 🏴 |
Tottenham Hotspur
GK Barry Daines | 🏴 |
CB John Lacy | 🏴 |
CB Don McAllister | 🏴 |
LB John Gorman | 🏴 |
M Osvaldo Ardiles | 🇦🇷 |
M Ricky Villa | 🇦🇷 |
M Steve Perryman | 🏴 |
M Glenn Hoddle | 🏴 | ⚽ |
W Peter Taylor | 🏴 | 🟨 |
CF Ian Moores | 🏴 |
CF Gerry Armstrong | 🇬🇧 |
Not necessarily indicative of the actual matchday formation
SUBSTITUTES
No Substitutions Made
SUBSTITUTES
No Substitutions Made
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
F Gary Shaw | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
M Colin Lee | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 11/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 12/12
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 9/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 10/12
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Injury | 5 |
M Alex Cropley | 🏴 |
M Leighton Phillips | 🏴 |
F John Deehan | 🏴 |
M Tommy Craig | 🏴 |
CF Andy Gray | 🏴 |
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Positions:
GK : Goalkeeper
CB, D, B : Centre Back, Defender, Back
FB, LB, RB, WH : Full Back, Left Back, Right Back, Wing Back, Wing Half
M, CH, LH, RH : Midfielder, Centre Half, Left Half, Right Half
W, OL, OR : Winger, Outside Left, Outside Right
F, IF, IL, IR : Forward, Inside Forward, Inside Left, Inside Right, Second Striker, False 9
CF : Centre Forward
Match Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
LEAGUE TABLE
MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
MATCHDAY QUOTES
*Birmingham Daily Post*
Thursday, 24 August 1978
Aston Villa produced their own carnival performance to dampen the rapturous ticker-tape White Hart Lane welcome for Tottenham’s World Cup starts Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa last night.
The two Argentinians were received like conquering heroes but Aston Villa soon put them in the shade with their sharp and spectacular soccer.
Their first half performance was absolutely magnificent and it was deservedly crowned with a determined 35th minute goal from the impressive Allan Evans.
Dennis Mortimer took a corner on the left, Frank Carrodus had his shot charged down and from the rebound Evans drove powerfully into the net.
Ron Saunders’ men had a further reward for their fast and incisive play when John Gregory, deputising at centre forward for the injured And Gray added a second goal after 49 minutes connecting with a low eight wing cross from Mortimer at the far post.
Tottenham’s fans in the packed stadium were reduced to almost funereal silence at this stage but they erupted when Glenn Hoddle scored from the penalty spot after 60 minutes.
The penalty came when John Gidman brought down Ardiles as he for once escaped the close clutches of 19 year old Gordon Cowans, and there could be no argument about the decision.
Villa lived dangerously after his with Spurs sensing that they could come back into the game. Villa rather played into their hands, pulling the lively Gregory back into defence.
Gerry Armstrong and Ian Moores might well have scored as Villa’s midfield was temporarily surrendered. But they again came back with remarkable resilience with the darting Little making an incredible mess after 66 minutes with only goalkeeper Barry Daines to beat.
The elusive striker made amends 14 minutes later, scoring a typically cheeky goal after beating John Gorman and Hoddle after a well struck pass from defence by Gary Shelton.
Tottenham players suffered another humiliating embarrassment four minutes from time with Shelton scoring his first goal for the club from close range after a clever passing movement between Carrodus and Gidman.
And to complete the Londoner’s agony Peter Taylor was booked for fouling Cowans after losing yet another tussle with the ever improving youngster.
Dream Display
Cowans had a dream display first keeping Ardiles under tight control and then finding space to keep his forwards moving. Watching England team, Ron Greenwood, could not have failed but to have been impressed with his cultured play.
But it was Villa’s all round team work which was really the compelling factor of a thoroughly exciting and entertaining contest. Mortimer, Carrodus and Shelton in only his second First Division game, always took the eye.
The defence was solid and sound apart from a brief period after Tottenham’s penalty goal while Gregory and Little always exposed Spurs’ extremely frail defence.
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. With thanks to Trinity Mirror. Digitised by Findmypast Newspaper Archive Limited. All rights reserved. Source: British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)