The 1977–78 season was the 98th season of competitive
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
in England.
Diary of the season
11 July 1977:
Don Revie resigns as manager of the
England national football team
The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...
after three years in charge.
12 July 1977: Barely 24 hours after quitting as England manager, Don Revie accepts a four-year contract worth £340,000 to take charge of the
United Arab Emirates national team, making him the highest-paid football manager in the world.
14 July 1977:
Dave Sexton
David James Sexton (6 April 1930 – 25 November 2012) was an English football manager and player. He was notable for managing Chelsea to their first European trophy.
Playing career
Son of former professional boxer Archie Sexton, he st ...
steps down at
Queens Park Rangers to take over as manager of
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, where
Tommy Docherty
Thomas Henderson Docherty (24 April 1928 – 31 December 2020), commonly known as The Doc, was a Scottish football player and manager. Docherty played for several clubs, most notably Preston North End, and represented Scotland 25 times bet ...
was sacked ten days ago.
Frank Sibley succeeds Sexton at QPR, becoming the youngest manager in the history of the top-flight.
17 July 1977:
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
are banned from the transfer market due to a reported £700,000 debt.
25 July 1977:
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
pay £300,000 for
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
striker
Mick Channon, who signs a six-year contract at
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...
.
3 August 1977:
Derby County sign a
sponsorship deal with
Swedish carmaker
Saab, who supply all of the club's players with a Saab car.
5 August 1977: The
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
backs
The Football Association
The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
's ban on sponsors advertising themselves on
player's strips. However,
non-league clubs are permitted to show sponsor's names on their players' shirts.
10 August 1977:
Kenny Dalglish
Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time as well as one of Celtic's, Liv ...
becomes the most expensive player to be signed by a British club when he joins
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in a £440,000 move from
Celtic. He takes over from
Kevin Keegan, who recently joined
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
to become the most expensive player in Europe, as Liverpool's main striker.
11 August 1977:
Pat Jennings ends 13 years at
Tottenham Hotspur and signs for
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in a £45,000 deal.
19 August 1977:
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
hooligan Edward Beech, 19, receives a three-year prison sentence for kicking a policeman in the face at a game at
Fellows Park last season.
20 August 1977: Champions Liverpool open the First Division season with 1–1 draw away to
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
. Promoted
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
win 3–1 at
Everton.
27 August 1977:
Brian Clough sinks his old charges as his Nottingham Forest side beat
rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
Derby County 3–0.
31 August 1977: Nottingham Forest top the First Division table at the end of the first month of the season after winning their first three matches.
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
and West Ham United have both lost their first three games.
8 September 1977:
Sir Alf Ramsey makes a shock return to management, taking over at the First Division's basement side Birmingham City following the resignation of
Willie Bell. However, he also announces that this role will only be temporary, and that he will step down by, at the latest, the end of the season.
13–14 September 1977: In the
Anglo-Scottish Cup quarter-final first legs, Fulham versus
St Mirren and finishes 1–1, as does
Notts County's visit to
Motherwell
Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...
.
Bristol City and
Blackburn Rovers are beaten, by
Partick Thistle and
Hibernian respectively.
19 September 1977: Tommy Docherty makes a swift return to management at Derby County, who demote
Colin Murphy back to his previous role as reserve team manager.
27–29 September 1977: English clubs make up two of the four Anglo-Scottish Cup semi-final contingent, as Notts County and Bristol City progress. Blackburn and Fulham are eliminated, the latter after two late goals saw St Mirren win the match 5–3 on the night and 6–4 on aggregate.
30 September 1977: Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool are level on points at the top of the League at the end of September.
Newcastle United and winless Derby County fill the bottom two places.
15 October 1977: Bottom-of-the-table Newcastle United lose their tenth consecutive League match,
a club record.
22 October 1977: Tottenham Hotspur's challenge for an immediate return to the First Division is boosted by a 9–0 home win over
Bristol Rovers, in which debutant striker
Colin Lee scores four goals and his partner
Ian Moores scores a hat-trick.
31 October 1977: Nottingham Forest continue to set the pace at the end of October. They are now four points ahead of Liverpool. Newcastle United remain bottom, and are joined by
Leicester City and Bristol City in the relegation zone.
9 November 1977: Newcastle United sack manager
Richard Dinnis, as a result of the club's appalling form combined with Dinnis publicly criticising chairman
Lord Westwood's running of the club.
18 November 1977:
Bill McGarry is appointed as Newcastle United's new manager, and shakes the club up by immediately announcing that several of the players who threatened strike action to secure the appointment of previous manager Richard Dinnis earlier in the year, in particular
Alan Gowling,
Tommy Craig and team captain
Geoff Nulty, are transfer-listed with immediate effect and will not play for the club again.
19 November 1977:
Leeds United beat Nottingham Forest 1–0.
30 November 1977: After picking up just four points from four matches this month, Nottingham Forest have had their lead at the top of the table cut to just one point by Everton, with
West Bromwich Albion and
Coventry City a further two points behind. At the bottom, Newcastle United are already seven points from safety; Leicester City and West Ham United complete the bottom three.
17 December 1977: Nottingham Forest shock everyone by beating Manchester United 4–0 at
Old Trafford, shaking off the 'caretaker leaders' tag applied to them by members of the media, who firmly believed Liverpool would lead the way at this stage.
22 December 1977: West Bromwich Albion manager
Ronnie Allen resigns, despite the club being fourth in the First Division.
26 December 1977: Manchester United thrash high-flying Everton 6–2.
27 December 1977: The highest scoring game of the day is at
Highfield Road, as Coventry City beat
Norwich City 5–4. Everton lose for the second time in two days, this time against Leeds United at a sold-out
Elland Road
Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...
. Arsenal go level on point with the Toffeemen by registering their fifth consecutive away win, with victory at West Bromwich Albion.
31 December 1977: Nottingham Forest end a remarkable year with a clear five-point lead over Everton at the top of the First Division. Newcastle United have overtaken Leicester City at the bottom, and Queens Park Rangers have slipped into the relegation zone just two seasons after finishing second in the League.
7 January 1978:
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
third round day sees Leeds United fans invade the Elland Road pitch, reportedly to get their match with Manchester City called off after the
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
club go 2–0 down; City's goalkeeper
Joe Corrigan is hauled to the ground.
Elsewhere, reigning Cup winners Manchester United draw with Third Division club
Carlisle United,
Blyth Spartans win the battle of the non-leaguers by beating
Enfield,
Bristol City and
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
share eight in the Anglo-Welsh derby,
Tilbury
Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a Tilbury Fort, 16th century fort ...
's FA Cup run is ended by
Stoke City,
and
Chelsea beat Liverpool 4–2.
10 January 1978: Liverpool pay a British record £352,000 for Middlesbrough midfielder
Graeme Souness.
12 January 1978:
Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
manager
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Frederick Atkinson (born 18 March 1939) is an English former football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Ron", he was regarded as one of Britain's best-known football pundits in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Nicknamed "The Tank" during his ...
is appointed as manager of West Bromwich Albion. Cambridge, who are second in the Third Division, announce that Atkinson's assistant,
John Docherty will succeed him as manager.
28 January 1978: First Division strugglers Leicester City are knocked out of the FA Cup by Third Division Walsall in one of the shocks of this season's competition. Holders Manchester United are held to a 1–1 draw at home by West Bromwich Albion.
31 January 1978: Nottingham Forest's title bid shows no signs of faltering, and they are six points ahead of Manchester City, Everton and Liverpool at the end of January.
1 February 1978: West Bromwich Albion beat Manchester United 3–2 in an FA Cup fourth round
replay.
John Toshack, 29 next month, becomes the youngest manager in the Football League when he ends eight years on Liverpool's playing staff to become player-manager of
Swansea City.
9 February 1978: Manchester United pay a national record fee of £495,000 for Leeds United defender
Gordon McQueen.
6 March 1978: Birmingham City appoint Blackburn Rovers manager
Jim Smith as their new manager, as Sir Alf Ramsay announces his retirement from football management.
8 March 1978: Liverpool suffer their fourth defeat in five League games, 4–2 at Derby County, and now trail Nottingham Forest by nine points having played a game more.
11 March 1978: West Bromwich Albion beat Nottingham Forest 2–0 at
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an All-seater stadium, all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F.C. ...
in the FA Cup sixth round. Arsenal beat Wrexham 3–2, and
Ipswich Town win 6–1 at
Millwall in a game interrupted by rioting spectators.
18 March 1978: The
League Cup final ends in a goalless draw between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
22 March 1978: Nottingham Forest end their 19-year wait for a major trophy by defeating Liverpool 1–0 in the Football League Cup final replay at Old Trafford,
thanks to a penalty by
John Robertson.
23 March 1978:
Hartlepool United defender
Dave Wiggett, 20, is killed in a car crash.
31 March 1978: Nottingham Forest remain in a commanding position at the top of the First Division, four points ahead of Everton with two games in hand. At the bottom, Leicester City and Newcastle United have been cut adrift, and Queens Park Rangers are one point behind West Ham United in the battle to avoid the remaining relegation spot.
5 April 1978: Leicester City sack manager
Frank McLintock, following a defeat to Liverpool which has all but confirmed their relegation barring a highly improbable set of results.
15 April 1978: Leicester City's relegation is confirmed with a 4–1 defeat at home to Birmingham City. The Foxes go down with just four wins and 22 goals from their 39 matches so far this season.
17 April 1978: Newcastle United lose at
Aston Villa and are relegated to the Second Division.
22 April 1978: Nottingham Forest seal the
Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
title, and become only the third club in history to do so a year after winning promotion. They get the point they need to guarantee the championship with four matches left from a goalless draw with Coventry City.
25 April 1978:
Harry Griffiths, who recently stepped down as manager of Swansea City but was retained as assistant manager by his successor John Toshack, dies of heart attack aged 47 just before Swansea's 3-1 win over
Scunthorpe United which moves them closer to promotion to the Third Division.
29 April 1978: West Ham United lose 2–0 at home to Liverpool, and can now only stay up on goal difference if
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
lose their remaining two matches.
Alex Stepney, the 35-year-old Manchester United goalkeeper, retires from playing. He spent the final 12 years of his playing career at Old Trafford, and at the time of his retirement he was the club's longest serving player and the last player remaining from their
European Cup triumph of 1968. He also contributed to the League title triumph of 1967, relegation in 1974, promotion in 1975 and FA Cup glory in 1977.
2 May 1978: Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Aston Villa 3–1 to stay in the First Division at West Ham United's expense.
4 May 1978: Champions Nottingham Forest draw 0–0 with second-place Liverpool at
Anfield to finish seven points clear at the top of the table. They are unbeaten in their last 26 League matches, a run stretching back to November, and have lost just three League games all season.
2 June 1978:
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
, runners-up of the Northern Premier League, are elected to the
Football League Fourth Division at the expense of
Southport
Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
.
Boston United, champions of the Northern Premier League, had been unable to apply for election to the Football League.
15 June 1978:
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
midfielder
Alan Groves died of a heart attack aged 29.
National teams
Ron Greenwood, general manager of
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
and team manager until 1974, accepted an offer to become temporary manager of the England national team in August 1977, initially for three matches only. In November, England beat
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
2–0 at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
in their final
World Cup qualifying game, but failed to qualify for
next summer's final tournament after Italy won against
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
in December.
Despite their failure to qualify for the World Cup, Ron Greenwood was appointed England manager on a four-and-a-half-year contract. His first match as permanent England manager ended in a 2–1 defeat to
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
in February 1978.
In April, a goal from Kevin Keegan gave England a 1–1 draw against
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
at Wembley.
Steve Coppell scored the only goal in England's 1–0 win over
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
at
Hampden Park
Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
in May. England won the
Home Championship with a 100% record.
UEFA Competitions
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
won the
1977 European Super Cup by completing a 7–1 aggregate win over
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
; they won the second leg 6–0 after drawing 1–1 in the first leg. Former Liverpool striker
Kevin Keegan was in the Hamburg side. They went on to beat
Club Brugge 1–0 in the
1978 European Cup Final at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
thanks to a
Kenny Dalglish
Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time as well as one of Celtic's, Liv ...
goal, thus retaining the
European Cup.
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
were thrown out of the
European Cup Winners' Cup on owing to the behaviour of their fans in the away leg of their tie against
St. Étienne. They were reinstated a week later, but had to play the second leg at least 300 km from
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, at
Plymouth Argyle's
Home Park ground.
FA Cup
Bobby Robson led
Ipswich Town to victory in the FA Cup, winning the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
1–0 against
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
at Wembley Stadium.
Roger Osborne scored the only goal of the game as Ipswich won the FA Cup for the first time. Arsenal and Ipswich reached the final after semi-final victories over
Orient
The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world.
In English, it is largely a meto ...
and
West Bromwich Albion respectively.
Second Division Orient reached the semi-final with a 2–1 replay victory over Middlesbrough.
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...
side
Blyth Spartans beat Second Division
Stoke City 3–2 away to become the
first non-league club to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup in 29 years. They were seconds away from reaching the quarter-finals, but
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
equalised from a retaken corner kick before winning 2–1 in the replay. Wrexham had beaten Newcastle United 4–1 in a replay earlier in the competition.
League Cup
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
won the
League Cup after victory over
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in the replay.
Football League
First Division
Nottingham Forest won the First Division title with just three league defeats all season, one season after promotion. In doing so, their manager
Brian Clough became only the second manager in English football to win the First Division title with different clubs. Clough's men also won the
Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
. It was the first time that Forest had won either trophy.
Liverpool finished runners-up in the league and retained the
European Cup. Everton, Manchester City and Arsenal completed the top five. West Bromwich Albion finished sixth and sealed a
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
place, having continued to impress in the First Division following the mid-season resignation of
Ronnie Allen as manager and the appointment of
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Frederick Atkinson (born 18 March 1939) is an English former football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Ron", he was regarded as one of Britain's best-known football pundits in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Nicknamed "The Tank" during his ...
as his successor.
Manchester United broke the British transfer fee record on 9 February by paying
Leeds United £495,000 for Scottish defender
Gordon McQueen but finished a disappointing 10th, having sacked
Tommy Docherty
Thomas Henderson Docherty (24 April 1928 – 31 December 2020), commonly known as The Doc, was a Scottish football player and manager. Docherty played for several clubs, most notably Preston North End, and represented Scotland 25 times bet ...
in the close season following the revelation of his affair with the wife of the club's physiotherapist. His replacement was former QPR boss
Dave Sexton
David James Sexton (6 April 1930 – 25 November 2012) was an English football manager and player. He was notable for managing Chelsea to their first European trophy.
Playing career
Son of former professional boxer Archie Sexton, he st ...
.
Leicester City and Newcastle United were bracketed together on 22 points after a terrible First Division campaign, Newcastle's relegation coming just one season after they had finished fifth in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup. They were joined in the drop zone by West Ham United, the 1975 FA Cup winners, who kept faith in manager
John Lyall and managed to hold on to key players
Billy Bonds and
Trevor Brooking.
Second Division
After narrowly missing out on promotion for the last two seasons, Bolton Wanderers finally ended their lengthy absence from the First Division by clinching the Second Division title. Southampton finished a point behind them in second place, ending their four-year absence from the First Division, during which they had won the FA Cup in 1976. Tottenham Hotspur clinched the final promotion place on goal difference, their advantage over fourth-placed Brighton being assisted by a 9-0 scoreline over Bristol Rovers in October, during which striker
Colin Lee had scored four goals on his club debut.
For much of the season it had been a four-horse race at the top of the Second Division, with fifth placed Blackburn Rovers finishing eleven points behind the leading pack.
Hull City were relegated to the third tier for the first time since 1966, after a campaign in which four different managers took charge of the team. Mansfield Town were relegated straight back to the Third Division after a year, never looking like they would survive in their first-ever season at this level, though a late fightback after the appointment of veteran manager
Billy Bingham at least saw them avoid last place. Blackpool were the final relegated side; they had been safely in mid-table for much of the campaign, but a disastrous end to the season combined with a host of other results going against them sent them down to the third tier for the first time ever. They would not return to this level until 2007.
Third Division
Wrexham won the Third Division title to clinch a place in the Second Division. They were joined by Cambridge United and Preston North End. Peterborough United, who had yet to progress beyond this level of the league, missed out on promotion on goal difference. Chester, another club with a similar track record in the league, finished two points short of the promotion places.
Portsmouth, the 1939 FA Cup winners and with two league titles to their name from the early postwar years, finished bottom of the Third Division to fall into the Fourth Division for the first time, and their very existence was also threatened by large debts. Hereford United, Bradford City and Port Vale also went down.
Fourth Division
Graham Taylor guided Watford to the Fourth Division title by an 11-point margin to repeat the promotion success he had achieved at Lincoln City two seasons earlier. Southend United finished second, while
John Toshack kicked off his managerial career by taking Swansea City to promotion just weeks after being appointed. Brentford clinched the final promotion place, with Aldershot missing out on promotion by two points.
Wimbledon played their first season in the Football League, replacing Workington.
Southport, having finished second-from-bottom for the third season in succession, were voted out of the Football League and replaced by
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. This would ultimately prove the final occasion where a club failed to earn re-election to the League, and the same 92 clubs would continue to make up its membership until 1987, by which point automatic promotion and relegation between the League and the
Football Conference had been introduced.
Top goalscorers
First Division
*
Bob Latchford (
Everton) – 30 goals
Second Division
*
Bob Hatton (
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
) – 22 goals
Third Division
*
Alex Bruce (
Preston North End) – 27 goals
Fourth Division
*
Alan Curtis (
Swansea City),
Steve Phillips (
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has dive ...
) – 32 goals
Non-league football
Awards
Football Writers' Association
*
FWA Footballer of the Year –
Kenny Burns,
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
Professional Footballers' Association
*
PFA Players' Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Men's Players' Player of the Year (often called the PFA Men's Players' Player of the Year, the Players' Player of the Year, or simply the Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is ...
–
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton (born 18 September 1949) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper.
His 31-year career included spells at 11 clubs and he has the uni ...
,
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
*
PFA Young Player of the Year –
Tony Woodcock,
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
*
PFA Merit Award –
Bill Shankly
Famous debutants
3 September 1977:
Cyrille Regis, 19-year-old
French Guiana
French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...
born striker, makes his debut for
West Bromwich Albion against
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
at
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an All-seater stadium, all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F.C. ...
in the First Division, scoring in a 2–1 win.
3 September 1977:
Russell Osman, 18-year-old defender, makes his debut for
Ipswich Town in the 1–0 First Division win over
Chelsea at
Portman Road.
14 January 1978:
Alan Brazil, 18-year-old Scottish striker, makes his debut for
Ipswich Town as a substitute in the 2-1 First Division defeat by
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
at
Portman Road.
28 January 1978:
Craig Johnston, 17-year-old Australian midfielder, makes his debut for
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
in the 3-2 F.A Cup 4th Round win over
Everton at
Ayresome Park.
18 March 1978:
Alvin Martin, 19-year-old defender, makes his debut as a substitute for
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
in the 4-1 First Division defeat by
Aston Villa at
Villa Park
Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
.
11 April 1978:
Paul Goddard, 18-year-old striker, makes his debut as a substitute for
Queen's Park Rangers in the 2-1 First Division win over
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
at
Loftus Road
Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
.
15 April 1978:
Terry Butcher, 19-year-old defender, makes his debut for
Ipswich Town in the 1–0 First Division defeat by
Everton at
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
.
Deaths
* 30 August 1977 -
Alf Young, 71, played 283 league games in defence for
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
between 1929 and 1939 and was capped nine times for England before his career was cut short by the war. After the war, he managed three
Danish club sides and took charge of the
Danish national side in 1956.
* 23 October 1977 -
Dick Crawshaw, 79, played 66 league at inside-forward for
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
,
Halifax Town and
Nelson between 1919 and 1924.
* 29 November 1977 -
Wilfred Milne, 78, spent his whole career as a full-back with
Swansea
Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
between 1920 and 1937, making a club record 586 league appearances for the Swans.
* 27 December 1977 -
James Marshall, 69, began his career with
Rangers in his native
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
in 1925 and scored 138 league goals before his transfer south of the border to
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in 1934. However, he played just four league games for the Gunners before he moved to
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
the following year, scoring 14 goals in 59 league games before retiring in 1937. He was capped three times by
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
* 22 February 1978 -
Jack Taylor, 64, played 201 league games as a full-back for
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
,
Norwich City and
Hull City between 1931 and 1950, his career being disrupted by the war. He then managed non-league
Weymouth before being appointed to
QPR in 1952, serving at
Loftus Road
Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
for seven years despite failing to win them promotion from the third tier of the English league. He was then recruited to
Leeds United but they were relegated and he was dismissed in March 1961 to be succeeded by
Don Revie.
* 23 March 1978 –
Dave Wiggett, 20,
Hartlepool United defender who was killed in a car crash.
* 4 April 1978 –
Tony Leighton, 38, former
Doncaster Rovers,
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
,
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
and
Bradford City striker, who died from
motor neurone disease.
* 25 April 1978 -
Harry Griffiths, 47, who served
Swansea
Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
for most of the last three decades of his life, was the club's assistant manager when he died of a heart attack during the game at
Vetch Field
The Vetch Field was a football stadium in Swansea, Wales, and was the home ground of Swansea City A.F.C. from the club’s founding until 2005. Following its closure, the club relocated to a newly constructed stadium, originally named the Libert ...
in which they clinched promotion to the Third Division. He made 422 appearances in the league as a full-back between 1949 and 1964, scoring an impressive (for a defender) 72 goals. He returned to the club as coach in 1967 and was promoted to the manager's seat in 1975, becoming assistant manager weeks before his death on the appointment of
John Toshack as player-manager.
* 15 June 1978 –
Alan Groves, 29,
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
midfielder who died as a result of a heart attack. He had previously played for five other clubs, most notably
Oldham Athletic.
References
* ''Rothmans Football Yearbook 1978–79''
{{DEFAULTSORT:1977-78 in English football