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Game #3563

Saturday, 24 November 1979

Attendance: 29,736

Drew

Division One

8th (+1)

Leeds United

DWDWD

Villa Park

Villa record their sixth goalless draw of the season to climb to 8th in the table after ten unbeaten first division games.

Aston Villa

0-0

Leeds United

Assist(s) | None |

KEY MAN

PREVIOUS MATCH

NEXT MATCH

MATCH TIMELINE

38’ Missed Penalty, Allan Evans
HT Aston Villa 0-0 Leeds United
FT Aston Villa 0-0 Leeds United

ON THIS DAY

Ron Saunders' Villa make it ten games unbeaten in Division One to record five wins, eight draws and three defeats in sixteen League matches this season. As a result Villa climb to eighth in the table - their highest position of the season to date. Meanwhile, full back Eamonn Deacy made his first appearance in the Villa squad aged 21 after his move from Galway Rovers in February 1979.

Aston Villa

Leeds United

League Champions: 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆
Last Trophy: 1973–74

FIXTURE HISTORY

Leeds United

Previous 5 vs. Leeds: | 🟩 | 🟨 | 🟩 | 🟨 | 🟥 |

FIXTURE DETAILS

Season | 1979-80 |
Matchday | #20 |
League Match | #16 |
Manager Game | #281 |
Saturday, 24 November 1979

MATCH SUMMARY

Manager | Ron Saunders |
Referee | Ray Toseland, Market Harborough |
FT Result | Drew |
FT Score | 0-0 |
Last 5 Games | DWDWD |

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Ray Toseland | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Kettering, 1971-1981
Previous 5:
Last Match:
Cards: None

CARDS

Villa

None

Leeds United

None

Ray Toseland

TEAM NEWS

Ron Saunders names an unchanged line up.

TEAM STATS

Starting XI Average Age
| 25.39 |

Oldest Player |
GK Jimmy Rimmer | 31.81 |

Youngest Player |
F Gary Shaw | 18.02 |

MANAGER

MANAGER

Ron Saunders

Aston Villa

GK Jimmy Rimmer |
RB Kenny Swain |
FB Mike Pejic |
CB Ken McNaught |
CB Allan Evans |
M Des Bremner |
M Gordon Cowans |
M Dennis Mortimer |
F Brian Little |
F David Geddis |
F Gary Shaw |

Leeds United

Lukic, Cherry, Hart, Stevenson, Greenhoff, Hamson, Hird, Connor, Graham, Curtis, Gray E. Manager: Jimmy Adamson.

SUBSTITUTES

None

SUBSTITUTES

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

FB Eamonn Deacy |

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

SQUAD STATS

MATCHDAY SQUAD

SQUAD STATS

MATCHDAY SQUAD

UNAVAILABLE

Injury | 3 |
Alex Cropley |
Tony Morley |
Frank Carrodus |

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

“The difference was that this was the kind of game we would probably have lost last season."

Ron Saunders.

*Birmingham Daily Post*
Monday, 26 November 1979

​Aston Villa stretched their unbeaten run into double figures against Leeds at Villa Park on Saturday but it was a touch and go operation.

In the match which often suggested that the teams could have gone on slogging away at each other until Christmas without scoring, Villa lasted slightly the better to hang on to a goalless draw.

It was their sixth game of the season which has not produced a goal, and it must be said that watching this young, keen side trying so hard to establish themselves in the First Division, can be hard work.

In the end, honour was probably satisfied on both sides, but Villa were left with a painful reminder that in the 38th minute they had squandered a penalty award which should have pointed the way to victory over opponents who are going through a shaky patch.

When Swain was pulled down in the corner of the Leeds box by Stevenson, Evans's shot from the spot was not well aimed and Lukic was able to divert it over the crossbar.

Lukic, who is only 18 and getting his chance because of an injury to Harvey, was indeed a key figure in earning his side their valuable point.

His manager Jimmy Adamson admitted: "He kept us alive in the first halt and we looked more compact in midfield after that. He is playing even better now than he did in our youth team."

Ron Saunders, Villa's manager, threw in a tribute to Lukic's performance, but pointed out : "We had three or four good chances but didn't put them in."

Frustration

"When we missed the penalty I got the feeling that it was going to be one of those days because Leeds were competing well and we were too often standing off and letting them play.

"But, in the end, despite all the frustration, we were good value for a point. The difference was that this was the kind of game we would probably have lost last season."

There were good saves by Villa's Rimmer, too, particularly in the second half as Leeds, scenting the chance of a rare away win, pounced on some wayward Villa passing.

But with only 20 seconds left on referee Toseland's watch, Villa should have sneaked both the points when Shaw foraged well down the left wing and tipped over a short, high ball.

Geddis, still looking for his first goal for the club in his 12th appearance, Was unmarked but headed wide.