Villa came into this season still looking for the first away victory in the league since rejoining the First Division the season before. Indeed our first season back would see the Villa cling on to their league status thanks only to some dogged home performances in the second half of our first season back.
By the end of the 76/77 season however we had established ourselves are everyone's second favourite club and had a trophy in the bag which could have been two or even three had it not been for injuries and a fixture pile up.
The only real change at the start of the season had seen the end of Chico and Ian Ross, along with retirement of Charlie Aitken, whilst the only incoming player at the start being Gordon Smith who if I recall did not immediately set fireworks off on the Holte.
Our first game was a very one sided 4-0 victory against West Ham who at that time we always seemed to snatch results. The attendance was just shy of 40,000 and we would end the season with the third or forth biggest average league attendance behind Liverpool, Manchester United and on par with Manchester City.
Other snippets during the season would see Andy Gray set English football on fire, the signing of Alex Cropley, Gordon Cowans making his debut and scoring towards the end of the season, as well as the announcement of the New Stand to replace the Witton End and Villa of course winning the League Cup. This was also the first official season of the London Lions.
After West Ham it was away to Manchester City, it was still the school holidays and my neighbour was a member of their London Supporters club and so off I went along and joined a decent away support on the Kippax where we kind of fell apart. Was West Ham just a false dawn?
We then played away at Everton and I was kind of grounded after being battered outside at Maine Road - yes it was a bad place to visit during that era. True to form after what appeared to be so many away trips the season before where I even saw us lose at Bramall Lane (one of two teams that season), Villa did the dirty on me and won at Goodison. I was of course delighted but miffed I had missed the match.
The following Tuesday Villa got revenge against City in the League Cup - again I missed the match, living in London and still at school I had zero chance of making it. City were perhaps the second or third best team in the Country at that time so it was no mean feat.
Ipswich Town come up to Villa Park the next Saturday and we sent them home scatty with Andy Gray scoring a hatrick and thumbing them 5-2. We were starting to believe.
Loftus Road awaited next and it was the turn of Stan Bowles to run us ragged as we lost - not our favourite ground at the time but a difficult team to beat even though they had slipped from their heavy heights of nearly winning the league the season before.
At this stage we looked like a top half team but nothing more, we needed to find that extra bit of steel but alas immediately on we failed to aspire losing against Bloose in a massive 50,000 crowd at Villa Park 2-1. I think Gray scored for us, but at least it would me the last time City would have the best part of 10,000 at Villa Park.
Vila being Villa then won the next two games both at home, both of which I missed despite my £10 junior season ticket which all three Birmingham teams had adopted. Norwich in the league cup (how I hated John Bond ha ha) and Leicester in the league - I had to attend some Duke of Edinburgh camp, the joys of being at school.
Stoke away was next on the agenda, Andy Gray was injured and it was left to Brian Little to lead the line not particularly well - yes he did have some average games sorry to dispel his halo for you anyone who had never seen him play. Shilton saved a penalty from Graydon at the Stoke End which was where close to 10,000 villa were stood (an end which resembled our Witton End). Nothing at changed at this stage to think we were anything special especially without Gray but that would change.
Part 2 some big wins, the Glasgow Rangers game and believe it or not a 40,000 plus crowd at the Baggies which was a bigger attendance than for the home event.
