top of page

Game #3498

Saturday, 26 August 1978

Attendance: 23,493

Lost

Division One

6th (-5)

Bristol City

WLWWL

Ashton Gate

Villa are accused of complacency as the League leaders fall to a shock defeat at Ashton Gate.

Bristol City

1-0

Aston Villa

Assist(s) | None

KEY MAN

PREVIOUS MATCH

NEXT MATCH

MATCH TIMELINE

HT Bristol City 0-0 Aston Villa
72’ Goal, 0-1, (Bristol City)
77’ Sub off, Gary Shelton, Sub on, Gary Shaw DEBUT
FT Bristol City 0-1 Aston Villa

ON THIS DAY

Ron Saunders' Villa lose for the first time this season as Gary Shaw made his Villa debut aged 16 after joining from school football in July 1977.

Aston Villa

Bristol City

League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌

FIXTURE HISTORY

Bristol City

Previous 5 vs. Bristol City: | 🟩 | 🟩 | 🟨 | 🟨 | 🟩 |

FIXTURE DETAILS

Season | 1978-79 |
Matchday | #3 |
League Match | #3 |
Manager Game | #216 |
Saturday, 26 August 1978

MATCH SUMMARY

Manager: Ron Saunders | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Birkenhead, 1974-1982
Referee: Trevor Spencer | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Salisbury, 1971-1985
Kick off: 3.00pm
FT Result | Lost |
FT Score | 0-1 |
Last 5 Games | WLWWL |

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Trevor Spencer | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Salisbury, 1971-1985
Previous 5:
Last Match:
Cards: None

CARDS

Villa

None

Bristol City

None

Trevor Spencer

TEAM NEWS

Ron Saunders names an unchanged line up.

TEAM STATS

Starting XI Average Age
| 24.54 |

Oldest Player |
GK Jimmy Rimmer | 30.56 |

Youngest Player |
M Gordon Cowans | 19.84 |

MANAGER

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 |

Bristol City

Shaw, Gillies, Rodgers (g), Hunter, Whitehead, Tainton, Sweeney, Mann, Pritchard, Royle, Ritchie. Manager: Alan Dicks.

SUBSTITUTES

F Gary Shaw for M Gary Shelton | 77' |

SUBSTITUTES

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

None

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

SQUAD STATS

MATCHDAY SQUAD

SQUAD STATS

MATCHDAY SQUAD

UNAVAILABLE

Injury | 4 |
Alex Cropley |
Leighton Phillips |
John Deehan |
Tommy Craig |

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

2021-22 Matchweek 38.jpg

PROGRAMME

Quotation Marks.png

MATCHDAY QUOTES

“We were pretty awful and in fact we were luckily that City only put one goal past us. If it hadn’t been for Jimmy Rimmer in goal then we would have been finished by half-time.”

Ron Saunders.

*Birmingham Daily Post*
Monday, 28 August 1978

Aston Villa manager Ron Saunders attributed his side’s surprisingly poor performance against Bristol City on Saturday to complacency after last Wednesday’s outstanding victory over Spurs at White Hart Lane.

“We were pretty awful” he said “and in fact we were luckily that City only put one goal past us. If it hadn’t been for Jimmy Rimmer in goal then we would have been finished by half-time.

“Hopefully we can learn something from this. If you are going to be a good side then you have to. It’s all part of the team’s education.”

It is baffling that a team of Villa’s undoubted ability can be so erratic. Complacency is a deadly disease as Villa found out to their cost last season.

Admittedly, they were handicapped by a series of injuries, but their start to the season was marred by it. If they are to be successful in the League, and there’s every reason to suggest that they will, then it’s the bread and butter games like this one that they have to win.

City were not that good but their manager, Alan Dickes, had done his homework. He watched Villa’s 4-1 annihilation of Spurs and had planned accordingly.

“Villa have a tremendous spirit and competitive attitude,” he said “After watching them last Wednesday I realised we has to march their aggression and not allow them any space.”

And this is just that City did. Veteran Norman Hunter, renowned for the effectiveness of his defensive craft, blunted Villa’s attack while the City midfield out manoeuvred their Midland counterparts.

The West Country pair of strikers, Tom Ritchie and Joe Royle, were a continual threat, but it was left to City defender, David Rodgers, to score the winning goal after a series of quick saves by Rimmer.

He headed home a free kick by Don Gillies in the 72nd minute.