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1978–79 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season

{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}

{{Infobox football club season

|club=West Bromwich Albion

|season=1978–79

|manager=Ron Atkinson

|chairman=

|stadium=The Hawthorns

|league=Football League First Division

|league result=3rd

|cup1=FA Cup

|cup1 result=Fifth round

|cup2=League Cup

|cup2 result=Second round

|cup3=UEFA Cup

|cup3 result=Quarter-finals

|cup4=Tennent Caledonian Cup

|cup4 result=Semi-finals

|league topscorer=

|season topscorer=Brown (18)

|highest attendance= 36,175 v Coventry City

|lowest attendance= 17,499 v Southampton

|average attendance= 28,929 (27,456 league)

|pattern_la1=_navyshoulders|pattern_b1=_3navystripes|pattern_ra1=_navyshoulders|pattern_sh1=_blue_stripes_adidas|pattern_so1=_navyline

|prevseason=1977–78

|nextseason=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.Tony Matthews, West Bromwich Albion: The Complete Record, Breedon Books, 2007, pp. 168–169

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.Matthews, West Bromwich Albion, p. 334

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. 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.Glen Willmore, The Hawthorns Encyclopedia, Mainstream Publishing, 1996, p. 121 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.

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.

Cunningham, Regis and Derek Statham were named in the First Division PFA Team of the Year.{{Cite book

| first = Tony

| last = Lynch

| title = The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes

| year = 1995

| publisher = Random House

| isbn = 0-09-179135-9

| page = 142 }}

Kit

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

Squad

class="wikitable"
NamePosFL appsFL goalsFAC appsFAC goalsFLC appsFLC goalsUEFA appsUEFA goals
Tony GoddenGK42{{0}}06030?0
Brendan BatsonDF41{{0}}06130?0
Derek StathamDF39{{0}}16030?0
John WileDF42{{0}}26130?0
Ally RobertsonDF39{{0}}06030?0
Martyn BennettDF{{0}}1{{0}}00000?0
Tony BrownMF31106010?2
Bryan RobsonMF41{{0}}75030?2
Willie JohnstonMF{{0}}7{{0}}01020?0
Len CantelloMF32{{0}}33020?0
John TrewickMF21{{0}}33010?1
Mick MartinMF{{0}}1{{0}}00010?0
Laurie CunninghamFW40{{0}}96330?3
Cyrille RegisFW39136130?4
Ally BrownFW41186530?1
David MillsFW18{{0}}3400000
Kevin SummerfieldFW{{0}}2{{0}}10000?0

Sources:Matthews, West Bromwich Albion, p. 335

Key:

Results

=First Division=

class="wikitable"
DateOpponentMatches in bold indicate Albion home gamesResultAlbion goals firstAlbion Scorers
19 August 1978Ipswich Town2–1A. Brown, T. Brown (23,674)
22 August 1978Queens Park Rangers1–0Howe (own goal) (15,481)
26 August 1978Bolton Wanderers4–0A. Brown 2, Cunningham, Regis (24,095)
2 September 1978Nottingham Forest0–0(28,239)
9 September 1978Norwich City2–2Cunningham, Robson (23,893)
16 September 1978Derby County2–3Regis, Cunningham (23,772)
23 September 1978Liverpool1–1Cunningham (35,864)
30 September 1978Chelsea3–1Regis, Wile, T. Brown (21,022)
7 October 1978Tottenham Hotspur0–1(33,068)
14 October 1978Leeds United3–1T. Brown, Regis 2 (25,931)
21 October 1978Coventry City7–1Cantello, Cunningham 2, Regis 2, T. Brown, Statham (29,409)
28 October 1978Manchester City2–2Regis, Robson (40,521)
4 November 1978Birmingham City1–0Trewick (32,131)
11 November 1978Ipswich Town1–0A. Brown (21,980)
18 November 1978Bolton Wanderers1–0A. Brown (22,278)
25 November 1978Aston Villa1–1T. Brown (36,166)
9 December 1978Middlesbrough2–0Regis, Cantello (19,865)
16 December 1978Wolverhampton Wanderers3–0A. Brown 2, T. Brown (29,117)
26 December 1978Arsenal2–1Robson, A. Brown (40,055)
30 December 1978Manchester United5–3T. Brown 2, Cantello, Cunningham, Regis (45,091)
1 January 1979Bristol City3–1A. Brown 2, Wile (35,768)
13 January 1979Norwich City1–1Regis (20,081)
3 February 1979Liverpool1–2A. Brown (52,311)
24 February 1979Leeds United1–2T. Brown (29,846)
3 April 1979Coventry City3–1Robson, A. Brown, Mills (25,676)
14 March 1979Chelsea1–0A. Brown (20,472)
24 March 1979Queens Park Rangers2–1A. Brown, Cunningham (21,063)
26 March 1979Derby County2–1Cunningham, A. Brown (19,801)
4 April 1979Manchester City4–0Trewick, Power (own goal), Mills, Summerfield (22,960)
7 April 1979Everton1–0A. Brown (29,593)
13 April 1979Southampton1–1Regis (22,063)
14 April 1979Arsenal1–1T. Brown (28,539)
17 April 1979Bristol City0–1(30,191)
21 April 1979Wolverhampton Wanderers1–1Robson (32,395)
24 April 1979Birmingham City1–1Robson (19,897)
28 April 1979Middlesbrough1–1A. Brown (18,083)
1 May 1979Everton2–0Mills, Robson (30,083)
5 May 1979Manchester United1–0Regis (29,960)
8 May 1979Southampton1–0A. Brown (17,499)
11 May 1979Aston Villa1–0Trewick (36,991)
14 May 1979Tottenham Hotspur0–1(24,789)
18 May 1979Nottingham Forest0–1(30,510)

source:

=FA Cup=

class="wikitable"
DateRoundOpponentResultAlbion Scorers
9 January 1979ThirdCoventry City2–2Cunningham, A. Brown (38,046)
15 January 1979Third (replay)Coventry City4–0Batson, T. Brown 2, A. Brown (36,175)
26 February 1979FourthLeeds United3–3Cunningham, A. Brown, Regis (35,434)
1 March 1979Fourth (replay)Leeds United2–0 (AET)Wile, A. Brown (32,143)
10 March 1979FifthSouthampton1–1A. Brown (33,789)
12 March 1979Fifth (replay)Southampton1–2 (AET)Cunningham
(25,755)

Source:

=League Cup=

class="wikitable"
DateRoundOpponentResultAlbion Scorers
29 August 1978SecondLeeds United0–0(25,188)
6 September 1978Second (replay)Leeds United0–0 (AET)(29,316)
2 October 1978Second (2nd replay)Leeds United0–1(8,164) (Played at Maine Road)

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

=UEFA Cup=

class="wikitable"
DateRoundOpponentResultAlbion Scorers
13 September 1978First (1st leg)Galatasaray3–1Robson, Regis, Cunningham (38,443)
27 September 1978First (2nd leg)Galatasaray3–1Robson, Cunningham, Trewick (26,380)
18 October 1978Second (1st leg)Braga2–0Regis 2 (31,283)
1 November 1978Second (2nd leg)Braga1–0A. Brown (30,086)
22 November 1978Third (1st leg)Valencia1–1A. Brown (47,746)
6 December 1978Third (2nd leg)Valencia2–0T Brown 2 (36,118)
7 March 1979Quarter final (1st leg)Red Star Belgrade0–1(95,300)
21 March 1979Quarter final (2nd leg)Red Star Belgrade1–1Regis (C. 35,987)

Source:Jack Rollin, The Guinness Football Fact Book, Guinness Publishing, 1993, p. 197

=Friendlies=

  • 21 February: West Bromwich Albion 0–0 Nottingham Forest {{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{West Bromwich Albion F.C. seasons}}

{{1978–79 in English football}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1978-79 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season}}

Category:West Bromwich Albion F.C. seasons

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