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1980–81 Aston Villa F.C. season

English football club season

Field	Value
club	Aston Villa
season	1980–81
manager	Ron Saunders
chairman	Ron Bendall
league	First Division
league result	1st (champions)
cup1	FA Cup
cup1 result	Third round
cup2	League Cup
cup2 result	Third round
league topscorer
Peter Withe (20)
season topscorer
Peter Withe (21)
highest attendance	47,998 vs West Bromwich Albion
(8 April 1981)
lowest attendance	23,622 vs Leeds United
(27 August 1980)
pattern_la1	_claretborder	pattern_b1=_thinskycollar	pattern_ra1=_claretborder	pattern_so1=_band_claret	leftarm1=3cace3	body1=c1081b	rightarm1=3cace3	shorts1=	socks1=3cace3
pattern_la2	_redlines	pattern_b2=_shoulder_stripes_red_stripes	pattern_ra2=_redlines	pattern_sh2=_red_stripes_adidas	pattern_so2=_band_claret	leftarm2=	body2=	rightarm2=	shorts2=3cace3	socks2=
prevseason	1979–80
nextseason	1981–82

Main article: History of Aston Villa F.C. (1961–present)

Peter Withe (20) Peter Withe (21) (8 April 1981) (27 August 1980) The 1980–81 English football season was Aston Villa's 82nd season in the Football League. Villa competed in the First Division, their sixth consecutive season in the top division. They finished as league champions for the seventh time in their history, using just 14 players over the course of the campaign, of whom no fewer than seven were ever-present (Jimmy Rimmer, Kenny Swain, Ken McNaught, Dennis Mortimer, Des Bremner, Gordon Cowans and Tony Morley). Gary Shaw made 40 starts, Allan Evans 39 and Peter Withe, in his debut season, 36, with Gary Williams (21 starts) and Colin Gibson (19) contesting the remaining spot in the starting XI. David Geddis and Eamonn Deacy made eight and five starts respectively.

Season summary

Villa began the season with three wins and a draw from their opening four league matches. They also beat Leeds United in both legs of the League Cup second round before their unbeaten start ended at Ipswich Town, who would prove to be Villa's main challengers for the title as the season progressed.

Defeat at home to Everton was followed by a 12 match unbeaten run, and although Villa lost three of the next five, a further unbeaten run of 10 matches ensued, including seven straight wins. A key performance during this latter period was a second v first clash at home to Liverpool, who at the time headed the table on goal difference. Goals from Withe and Mortimer confirmed Villa as genuine contenders as they beat the reigning champions 2–0.

Ron Saunders' team were neck-and-neck with Ipswich when the two clashed at Villa Park in mid-April, and a 2–1 victory for the visitors appeared to swing the destiny of the championship in their favour. However, Ipswich lost their next two matches while Villa beat Nottingham Forest and drew with Stoke City to reclaim the initiative. Victory over Middlesbrough in their final home match left Villa four points ahead with one to play, although Ipswich had a game in hand and a superior goal difference.

At half-time on the final Saturday of the league season, Villa trailed 2–0 at Arsenal, and with Ipswich 1–0 ahead at Middlesbrough, the title was still hanging in the balance. No further goals were added in the second half at Highbury, but the home side scored twice without reply at Ayresome Park, as Boško Janković's goal confirmed Villa as champions for the first time since 1910.

Peter Withe ended the season as the First Division's joint leading scorer with 20 goals. Withe had previously won championship honours with Forest in 1978 and also played for Southport, Barrow, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City and Newcastle United before joining Villa in the summer of 1980. During a five-year spell at Villa Park, he scored 74 goals in 182 League games and won 11 caps for England, scoring one goal. He later played for Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town.

League standings

Main article: 1980–81 Football League#First Division

Squad

:Substitute appearances indicated in brackets

Pos.	Nat.	Name	League	League Cup	FA Cup	Total	Apps	Apps	Goals
GK	ENG	Mark Kendall	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
GK	ENG	Jimmy Rimmer	42	0	3	0	1	46	0
GK	ENG	Nigel Spink	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DF	JAM	Noel Blake	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DF	IRE	Eamonn Deacy	5(4)	0	0(1)	0	0	5(5)	0
DF	SCO	Allan Evans	39	7	3	0	1	43	7
DF	ENG	Colin Gibson	19(2)	0	3	0	0	22(2)	0
DF	ENG	Mark Jones	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DF	SCO	Ken McNaught	42	0	3	0	1	46	0
DF	ENG	David Mail	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DF	ENG	Brendan Ormsby	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DF	ENG	Mike Pejic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DF	ENG	Kenny Swain	42	0	3	0	1	46	0
DF	ENG	Gary Williams	21(1)	0	0	0	1	22(1)	0
MF	ENG	Paul Birch	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MF	SCO	Des Bremner	42	2	3	0	1	46	2
MF	ENG	Terry Bullivant	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MF	ENG	Gordon Cowans	42	5	3	0	1	46	5
MF	SCO	Alex Cropley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MF	ENG	Pat Heard	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MF	ENG	Robert Hopkins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MF	ENG	Ivor Linton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MF	ENG	Dennis Mortimer	42	4	3	0	1	46	4
MF	ENG	Gary Shelton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MF	ENG	Gary Stirland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	IRE	Terry Donovan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	ENG	David Geddis	8(1)	4	1	0	0(1)	9(2)	4
FW	ENG	Brian Little	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	ENG	Tony Morley	42	10	3	2	1	46	12
FW	ENG	Kevin Ready	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	ENG	Gary Shaw	40	18	2(1)	2	1	43(1)	20
FW	ENG	Peter Withe	36	20	3	1	1	40	21
FW	SCO	Willie Young	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Results

First Division

Shaw Ranson Eastoe Geddis Morley Shaw Coppell Cowans Shaw Evans Withe Withe Bremner Shaw Withe Cowans Evans Shearer Shaw O'Neill Shaw Mortimer Withe Mortimer Cowans Mortimer Shaw McIlroy Archibald Geddis Bremner Morley Gates Withe Withe Evans McDermott

League Cup

Shaw
Spriggs

FA Cup

References

"Aston Villa's Seasons".
https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/reserve/gary-stirland
https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/kevin-ready

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