1978–79 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season

West Bromwich Albion
1978–79 season
Manager Ron Atkinson
Stadium The Hawthorns
Football League First Division 3rd
FA Cup Fifth round
League Cup Second round
UEFA Cup Quarter-finals
Tennent Caledonian Cup Semi-finals
Top goalscorer League:
All: Brown (18)
← 1977–78 1979–80 →

During the 1978–79 English football season, West Bromwich Albion F.C. competed in the Football League First Division. The club enjoyed their highest league finish since 1953-54 when they were runners-up.[1]

Contents

Season summary

West Bromwich Albion enjoyed one of their finest seasons to date during Ron Atkinson's first season in charge of the Midlanders, finishing in third place - nine points behind champions Liverpool - to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Integral to Albion's success were the "Three Degrees", Brendan Batson, Laurie Cunningham and Cyrille Regis, but Cunningham left at the end of the season to join Spanish side Real Madrid. The season was also memorable for club legend Tony "The Bomber" Brown as the goal he scored in a 2-1 defeat against Leeds United in February was his 209th Football League goal for the club, overtaking Ronnie Allen's club record in the process.[2]

Albion made two big money signings during the course of the season, bringing in David Mills from Middlesbrough in January 1979 for a club record £516,000.[2] Mills however struggled to get into the team and when he left the club for Sheffield Wednesday in 1983 it was for half a million pounds less than Albion had paid for him.[3] Willie Johnston, who had been sent home from the 1978 FIFA World Cup after failing a drug test, left the club for Vancouver Whitecaps on a £100,000 deal.[2]

Albion's form the previous season had meant that they had qualified for the UEFA Cup and it proved a comparatively successful campaign in Europe for the club. Albion reached the quarter finals, having defeated Galatasaray, Braga and Valencia before losing to Red Star Belgrade. Albion had reached the quarter finals of the 1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup but this season represented the first occasion on which they had successfully negotiated three rounds of a European competition in one season.[4]

Kit

West Bromwich Albion's kit was manufactured by English company Umbro.

Squad

Name Pos FL apps FL goals FAC apps FAC goals FLC apps FLC goals UEFA apps UEFA goals
Tony Godden GK 42 00 6 0 3 0  ? 0
Brendan Batson DF 41 00 6 1 3 0  ? 0
Derek Statham DF 39 01 6 0 3 0  ? 0
John Wile DF 42 02 6 1 3 0  ? 0
Ally Robertson DF 39 00 6 0 3 0  ? 0
Martyn Bennett DF 01 00 0 0 0 0  ? 0
Tony Brown MF 31 10 6 0 1 0  ? 2
Bryan Robson MF 41 07 5 0 3 0  ? 2
Willie Johnston MF 07 00 1 0 2 0  ? 0
Len Cantello MF 32 03 3 0 2 0  ? 0
John Trewick MF 21 03 3 0 1 0  ? 1
Mick Martin MF 01 00 0 0 1 0  ? 0
Laurie Cunningham FW 40 09 6 3 3 0  ? 3
Cyrille Regis FW 39 13 6 1 3 0  ? 4
Ally Brown FW 41 18 6 5 3 0  ? 1
David Mills FW 18 03 4 0 0 0 0 0
Kevin Summerfield FW 02 01 0 0 0 0  ? 0

Sources:[5][4]
Key:

Results

First Division

Date Opponent[6] Result[7] Albion Scorers
19-08-1978 Ipswich Town 2-1 A. Brown, T. Brown
22-08-1978 Queens Park Rangers 1-0 Howe (own goal)
26-08-1978 Bolton Wanderers 4-0 A. Brown 2, Cunningham, Regis
02-09-1978 Nottingham Forest 0-0
09-09-1978 Norwich City 2-2 Cunningham, Robson
16-09-1978 Derby County 2-3 Regis, Cunningham
23-09-1978 Liverpool 1-1 Cunningham
30-09-1978 Chelsea 3-1 Regis, Wile, T. Brown
07-10-1978 Tottenham Hotspur 0-1
14-10-1978 Leeds United 3-1 T. Brown, Regis 2
21-10-1978 Coventry City 7-1 Cantello, Cunningham 2, Regis 2, T. Brown, Statham
28-10-1978 Manchester City 2-2 Regis, Robson
04-11-1978 Birmingham City 1-0 Trewick
11-11-1978 Ipswich Town 1-0 A. Brown
18-11-1978 Bolton Wanderers 1-0 A. Brown
25-11-1978 Aston Villa 1-1 T. Brown
09-12-1978 Middlesbrough 2-0 Regis, Cantello
16-12-1978 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 A. Brown 2, T. Brown
26-12-1978 Arsenal 2-1 Robson, A. Brown
30-12-1978 Manchester United 5-3 T. Brown 2, Cantello, Cunningham, Regis
01-01-1979 Bristol City 3-1 A. Brown 2, Wile
13-01-1979 Norwich City 1-1 Regis
03-02-1979 Liverpool 1-2 A. Brown
24-02-1979 Leeds United 1-2 T. Brown
03-04-1979 Coventry City 3-1 Robson, A. Brown, Mills
14-03-1979 Chelsea 1-0 A. Brown
24-03-1979 Queens Park Rangers 2-1 A. Brown, Cunningham
26-03-1979 Derby County 2-1 Cunningham, A. Brown
04-04-1979 Manchester City 4-0 Trewick, Power (own goal), Mills, Summerfield
07-04-1979 Everton 1-0 A. Brown
13-04-1979 Southampton 1-1 Regis
14-04-1979 Arsenal 1-1 T. Brown
17-04-1979 Bristol City 0-1
21-04-1979 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Robson
24-04-1979 Birmingham City 1-1 Robson
28-04-1979 Middlesbrough 1-1 A. Brown
01-05-1979 Everton 2-0 Mills, Robson
05-05-1979 Manchester United 1-0 Regis
08-05-1979 Southampton 1-0 A. Brown
11-05-1979 Aston Villa 1-0 Trewick
14-05-1979 Tottenham Hotspur 0-1
18-05-1979 Nottingham Forest 0-1

source:[2]

FA Cup

Date Round Opponent[6] Result[7] Albion Scorers
09-01-1979 Third Coventry City 2-2 Cunningham, A. Brown
15-01-1979 Third (replay) Coventry City 4-0 Batson, T. Brown 2, A. Brown
26-02-1979 Fourth Leeds United 3-3 Cunningham, A. Brown, Regis
01-03-1979 Fourth (replay) Leeds United 2-0 (AET) Wile, A. Brown
10-03-1979 Fifth Southampton 1-1 A. Brown
12-03-1979 Fifth (replay) Southampton 1-2 (AET) Cunningham

Source:[2]

League Cup

Date Round Opponent[6] Result[7] Albion Scorers
29-08-1978 Second Leeds United 0-0
06-09-1978 Second (replay) Leeds United 0-0 (AET)
02-10-1978 Second (2nd replay) Leeds United 0-1

NB: The second replay was held at the neutral venue of Maine Road.[2]

UEFA Cup

Date Round Opponent[6] Result[7] Albion Scorers
13-09-1978 First (1st leg) Galatasaray 3-1 Robson, Regis, Cunningham
27-09-1978 First (2nd leg) Galatasaray 3-1 Robson, Cunningham, Trewick
18-10-1978 Second (1st leg) Braga 2-0 Regis 2
01-11-1978 Second (2nd leg) Braga 1-0 A. Brown
22-11-1978 Third (1st leg) Valencia 1-1 A. Brown
06-12-1978 Third (2nd leg) Valencia 2-0 T Brown 2
07-03-1979 Quarter final (1st leg) Red Star Belgrade 0-1
21-03-1979 Quarter final (2nd leg) Red Star Belgrade 1-1 Regis

Source:[4]

Friendlies

References

  1. ^ Tony Matthews, West Bromwich Albion: The Complete Record, Breedon Books, 2007, pp. 168-169
  2. ^ a b c d e f Matthews, West Bromwich Albion, p. 334
  3. ^ Glen Willmore, The Hawthorns Encyclopedia, Mainstream Publishing, 1996, p. 121
  4. ^ a b c Jack Rollin, The Guinness Football Fact Book, Guinness Publishing, 1993, p. 197
  5. ^ Matthews, West Bromwcih Albion, p. 335
  6. ^ a b c d Matches in bold indicate Albion home games
  7. ^ a b c d Albion goals first
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