1977 Football League Cup Final
Encyclopedia
The 1977 Football League Cup Final was played between Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...

 and Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 and required three games to decide the winner, the only time this has happened in the League Cup. The first match took place at Wembley Stadium on 12 March and the game ended in a dull goalless draw. The first replay on 16 March was only marginally better as the teams again played out a draw, this time at Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...

 the home of Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...

. Both teams at least managed a goal apiece on this occasion although both were scored by Everton players with Bob Latchford
Bob Latchford
Robert Dennis "Bob" Latchford is an English former association footballer who played as a centre forward. He made more than 500 appearances in the Football League, playing for Birmingham City, Everton, Swansea and Coventry City in the First Division, and won 12 full caps for England.Latchford was...

's last-minute equaliser nullifying Roger Kenyon
Roger Kenyon
Roger Kenyon played football for Everton between 1967 and 1979. He also played for NASL team Vancouver Whitecaps during his career...

's earlier own-goal.

The second replay took place at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...

 on 13 April. The game is probably best remembered for a 40-yard goal from Villa centre-half Chris Nicholl
Chris Nicholl
Christopher John "Chris" Nicholl is an English-born former Northern Ireland international footballer.-Playing career:Nicholl was born in Macclesfield...

, and in a 2010 poll this was voted in the Top 25 of all-time League Cup moments. Brian Little
Brian Little (footballer)
Brian Little is an English former football player and manager who is currently without a job after being relieved of his duties as manager of Gainsborough Trinity on 22 August 2011. Little has previously managed Darlington, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City,...

 scored his second of the match in dramatic fashion during the dying seconds of the game to give Villa a 3–2 victory. Mick Lyons and Bob Latchford scored for Everton.

Aston Villa

Villa defeated top-level teams Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

 and Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...

 in their first two games, before a 4th round victory over Wrexham moved them into the last eight. Here they defeated second level Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

 2–0. In the first leg of the semi-final they drew 0–0 at Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...

, with the second leg also drawn (2–2), thus setting up a replay. Villa won this game 3–0 on 22 February (at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...

) courtesy of a Brian Little hat-trick.

Everton

Conversely Everton's first two victories came against fourth level teams Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...

 and Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...

 before a 3–0 fourth round victory over First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

  Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...

. In the quarter-finals they enjoyed a 3–0 win at Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

, resulting in a semi-final clash with second level Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

. After drawing the home leg, Everton won 1–0 at Burnden Park
Burnden Park
Burnden Park was the home of English FA Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers who played home games here between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting an FA Cup Final replay it was the scene of one of the greatest disasters in English football and the subject of an L. S...

 on 15 February to book their place at Wembley.

Match Line-ups

|
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> ASTON VILLA:
GK 1   John Burridge
John Burridge
John Burridge is an English former football goalkeeper who played for 29 different clubs in a career that lasted nearly 30 years. Overall, Burridge played 771 league games in the English and Scottish leagues, and several more at non-league level...

DF 2   John Gidman
John Gidman
John Gidman was an English football player. His favoured position was right back.Gidman played for the Liverpool youth team without ever playing for their first team, before he joined Aston Villa in 1971. He was a member of the 1977 League Cup winning side, before being signed by Everton in 1979...

DF 3   John Robson
John Robson (footballer)
John Robson was born on 15 July 1950 in Consett, and died on 12 May 2004 in Sutton Coldfield. He was an England International U23 football player. He played 176 matches for Aston Villa F.C. between 1972–1978 before he had to retire because of Multiple Sclerosis. He was bought from Derby...

DF 4   Leighton Phillips
Leighton Phillips
Leighton Phillips is a Welsh former professional football player. During his career, he made over 450 appearances in The Football League during spells with Cardiff City, Aston Villa, Swansea City, Charlton Athletic and Exeter City and won 58 caps for Wales.-Club career:A Welsh schoolboy...

DF 5   Chris Nicholl
Chris Nicholl
Christopher John "Chris" Nicholl is an English-born former Northern Ireland international footballer.-Playing career:Nicholl was born in Macclesfield...

MF 6   Dennis Mortimer
Dennis Mortimer
Dennis Mortimer is an English former footballer and distinguished captain of Aston Villa.Mortimer began his career with Coventry City, where he came through the ranks and made over 200 appearances as a promising midfielder...

MF 7   John Deehan
John Deehan
John Matthew Deehan is an English former footballer who in recent years has had several spells in coaching and management. He is currently unemployed having previously held the position of Director of football at Grimsby Town....

MF 8   Brian Little
Brian Little (footballer)
Brian Little is an English former football player and manager who is currently without a job after being relieved of his duties as manager of Gainsborough Trinity on 22 August 2011. Little has previously managed Darlington, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City,...

FW 9   Andy Gray
MF 10   Alex Cropley
Alex Cropley
Alex Cropley is a retired footballer who won two caps for Scotland.Cropley began his career with Hibernian, where he featured in the Hibs side of the early 1970s known as "Turnbull's Tornadoes". While with Hibs he played in a Scottish Cup Final and won the Scottish League Cup...

FW 11   Frank Carrodus
Frank Carrodus
Frank Carrodus is an English former professional footballer player who played as a Winger. In his career Carrodus played for Manchester City, Aston Villa, Wrexham, Birmingham City and Bury.-References:...

Manager:
  Ron Saunders
Ron Saunders
Ron Saunders is a retired English football player and former successful manager. He remains the only manager to have taken charge of Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, normally bitter rivals....

style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> EVERTON: | GK 1   David Lawson
David Lawson (footballer)
David Lawson was a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper during the 1960s, 1970s & 1980s.-References:...

DF 2   Dave Jones DF 3   Terry Darracott
Terry Darracott
Terry Darracott is an English former professional footballer who played as a left back for Everton and Wrexham in the Football League and for the Tulsa Roughnecks in the North American Soccer League....

DF 4   Mick Lyons DF 5   Ken McNaught
Ken McNaught
Ken McNaught is a former Scottish footballer who played for Aston Villa from 1977–1983 and was part of their Championship winning side of 1981, European Cup victory in 1982 and won the European Super Cup in 1983 against Barcelona, scoring one of Villa's goals in the latter final.McNaught's father...

MF 6   Andy King MF 7   Bryan Hamilton
Bryan Hamilton
Bryan Hamilton is a Northern Irish former professional football player and manager. He gained 50 caps for Northern Ireland between 1969 and 1980, and later managed the national team for four years. He is currently Technical Director at Antigua Barracuda F.C.-Playing career:Born in Belfast,...

MF 8   Martin Dobson
Martin Dobson
Martin Dobson, popularly known as "Sir Dobbo", was born on 14 February 1948 in Rishton, England. He is a former professional footballer and England international who played as a midfielder....

FW 9   Bob Latchford
Bob Latchford
Robert Dennis "Bob" Latchford is an English former association footballer who played as a centre forward. He made more than 500 appearances in the Football League, playing for Birmingham City, Everton, Swansea and Coventry City in the First Division, and won 12 full caps for England.Latchford was...

FW 10   Duncan McKenzie
Duncan McKenzie
Duncan McKenzie is an English former footballer who played as a striker in the Football League for Nottingham Forest, Mansfield Town, Leeds United, Everton, Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers in the 1970s, in Belgium for Anderlecht, in the North American Soccer League for the Tulsa Roughnecks and the...

MF 11   Ronnie Goodlass
Ronnie Goodlass
Ronny Goodlass is an English footballer who played for English Premier League club Everton.Ronny played for Everton during the old First Division...

Manager:   Gordon Lee
Gordon Lee (footballer)
Gordon Francis Lee is a former English footballer and football manager.A right-back during his playing days, he moved from Hednesford Town to Aston Villa in 1955...



The above line-ups are for the original game. For the first replay Villa replaced Cropley with Gordon Cowans
Gordon Cowans
Gordon Sidney Cowans is an English retired football player and coach.Cowans started his career at Aston Villa as an apprentice in 1974, and signed as a professional in 1976...

, whilst Everton replaced Jones with Mike Bernard
Mike Bernard (footballer)
Mike Bernard is an English-born former footballer who played as a midfielder in The Football League in the 1960s and 1970s.-Playing career:...

 and Dobson with Roger Kenyon
Roger Kenyon
Roger Kenyon played football for Everton between 1967 and 1979. He also played for NASL team Vancouver Whitecaps during his career...

. Additionally Jim Pearson
Jim Pearson
Jim Pearson is a Scottish former professional footballer who played for St. Johnstone, Everton and Newcastle United until injury cut short his football career....

 came on as a substitute for Hamilton.

For the second replay the line-ups were as the original game except for Villa Ray Graydon
Ray Graydon
Ray Graydon is an English football manager and retired football player. He was recently employed as First Team Coach of Championship team, Leicester City while Rob Kelly was manager during the 2005-06 season.-Playing career:...

 and Gordon Cowans played instead of Gray and Carrodus, and Gordon Smith came on as a substitute for Gidman. Everton were as the original match except Neil Robinson
Neil Robinson (footballer born 1957)
Neil Robinson is a former footballer. He played for Everton F.C, Swansea City, Grimsby Town and Darlington F.C..He was the Grimsby Town Player of the Year for 1985–86....

 replaced Jones and Jim Pearson replaced McKenzie, whilst Steve Seargeant
Steve Seargeant
Steve Seargeant is an English retired professional footballer who played in England and the United States as a left back.-Career:Born in Liverpool, Seargeant began his career with the youth teams of Everton...

came on as a sub for Pearson.
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