Villa 3 Norwich 2 - 40 Years Ago, March'83

[eamonn]

I just noticed this pop-up in a football group I follow on Facebook. 40 years ago to the day - March 5th 1983. My namesake, Eamonn Deacy, scored his one and only Villa goal. Withe and Shaw also on-target in a 3-2 win. No footage of it on youtube, that I could find...

And they didn't always keep record of the minute goals were scored back then in contemporary press reports. Can anyone jog their memory and tell the story of the game?
We went 4th in the table. Come the season's end, although we finished 6th, actually only 3 points separated us and runners-up Watford. Liverpool ran away with it.

It shows that although our league position the previous season when we won the European Cup was pretty poor (I think we still hold the record for winning the European Cup with the lowest final league-position), there was still a good old side knocking around, two years on from the league triumph.

[dcdavecollett]

Dougonomics had yet to take its dead-hand grip on the team.

Ellis had only been back a few months and needed more time to exert his malign influence. It was still a fine team, though the away record was clearly a cause for concern.

The season you mention was probably Sid's finest as a player and he ended it as an established England player. Tragically, he broke his leg in a pre-season 'friendly' that summer.

[sid1964]

Sid was set for a move that summer to an Italian side until he got badly injured, remember seeing the photo's of his leg - horrendous.

[Flamingo Lane]

www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3744

[Flamingo Lane]

There's more information to be found on the Galway United Archive, on Twitter, including photos of our three goals.

[VILLA MOLE]

wow 18000 attendance for a win and we were 5th and European champions 😳

[eamonn]

There's more information to be found on the Galway United Archive, on Twitter, including photos of our three goals.

Nice one!

Some great action pics here: https://twitter.com/AndrewUllah/status/1632405544907464704

[Charlie8182]

I went to the game (just a few days after the Juventus one), a cracking goal from Deacy at the Holte End to equalise making it 2-2.

[Des Little]

Only game my Dad ever took me to.  Thanks for posting!

[eamonn]

You're welcome!

I want to see footage of these goals! I think BBC had MOTD in this particular season so surely there were cameras there.

[eamonn]

wow 18000 attendance for a win and we were 5th and European champions 😳

45,500 were in the same ground three days prior for the Juventus home-leg.

I was too young to appreciate Sid, and don't remember seeing these highlights. Just watching now, I was admiring the way he gets the ball out of his feet in the build-up to his equalising goal not knowing that he was to get on the end of the move in such spectacular fashion. The bullet of a header was obviously worthy of any game too and one that Peter Withe, who he bustled out of the way in the process, would have been proud of.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

wow 18000 attendance for a win and we were 5th and European champions 😳

That would be the official attendance. In those pictures there's plenty of empty seats in the Witton but it's towards the one end,  the Trinity looks pretty full up and down. Admittedly the North stand could sometimes be a bit sparse and of course we can't see the largest terrace in English football with its mostly cash paying clientele.
Each home game during the 2nd half a piece of paper would be handed to Doug Ellis in the directors box ( he was back by then), a quick calculation and a message back and 10 minutes later the tannoy would announce the attendance. 

[LeeB]

wow 18000 attendance for a win and we were 5th and European champions 😳

That would be the official attendance. In those pictures there's plenty of empty seats in the Witton but it's towards the one end,  the Trinity looks pretty full up and down. Admittedly the North stand could sometimes be a bit sparse and of course we can't see the largest terrace in English football with its mostly cash paying clientele.
Each home game during the 2nd half a piece of paper would be handed to Doug Ellis in the directors box ( he was back by then), a quick calculation and a message back and 10 minutes later the tannoy would announce the attendance. 

There were definately some dodgy attendances given back then. I certainly wouldn't put it beyond Doug to look at the general trend of falling attendances and see an opportunity.

The Everton 6-2 game was given as 17k, for example

[eamonn]

I've watched that Sid goal against Juve a few times now. I mean, it has everything...technical ability, great feet, vision and bravery. An unbelievable run into the box and the best flying header you could wish to see. Fuckin' hell, what a guy!

[dcdavecollett]

If there was a better passer of a football over long distances with either foot, I'd like to know his name.