Season 1977/78 Plot
Match of the Day celebrates its 500th edition, marked with a special Radio Times cover and a new set of opening titles with hundreds of school children holding up cards that depicted Jimmy Hill's face and the Match of the Day logo.
Match of the Day Season 1977/78 aired on August 13th, 1977.
Season 1977/78 Episodes
1. 13th August 1977: The FA Charity Shield
Liverpool (League Champions and European Cup winners) v Manchester United (FA Cup winners) This year is an intriguing 'replay' of the FA Cup Final in May, when Manchester United thwarted Liverpool's hopes of a 'treble' with a 2-1 win. Since then Dave Sexton has replaced Tommy Docherty as manager of United, and Kevin Keegan has left Liverpool for Hamburg. Can United confirm their Cup Final victory, or will Bob Paisley's team produce the form that made them European champions in Rome?
2. 20th August 1977
The 500th edition introduced by Jimmy Hill. BBC Television's Saturday-night soccer programme brings you the first action of the new 1977-78 Football League season. Plus a memory or two from 13 years of Match of the Day. which began with Liverpool v Arsenal in August 1964. Ipswich Town v Arsenal Manchester City v Leicester City
3. 27th August 1977
Jimmy Hill introduces action highlights from two top First Division games - plus news, interviews and analysis. West Ham United v Manchester City Leeds United v Birmingham City
4. 3rd September 1977
First Division Soccer Action and International Athletics Introduced by Jimmy Hill. Highlights of two of today's top football league matches. Queens Park Rangers v Leicester City Derby County v Manchester United
5. 10th September 1977
Jimmy Hill introduces one hour of football action, news, interviews and analysis - with coverage of two of today's intriguing League matches. Wolverhampton Wanderers v Nottingham Forest Crystal Palace v Sunderland
6. 17th September 1977
Action from two of today's top matches in the First and Second Divisions of the Football League. Blackpool v Tottenham Hotspur Ipswich Town v Liverpool
7. 24th September 1977
Action highlights from two of today's important Football League matches. West Bromwich Albion v Birmingham City Brighton & Hove Albion v Sheffield United
8. 1st October 1977
Action highlights from two of today's top First Division matches. Arsenal v West Ham United Manchester United v Liverpool
9. 8th October 1977
Action from two of today's top matches in the First and Second Divisions of the Football League. Southampton v Sunderland Newcastle United v Derby County
10. 15th October 1977
Action highlights from two top First Division games - plus news, interviews and analysis. Nottingham Forest v Manchester City Chelsea v Middlesbrough
11. 22nd October 1977
Jimmy Hill introduces one hour of football action, news, interviews, and analysis - with coverage of two of today's intriguing League matches. Tottenham Hotspur v Bristol Rovers Liverpool v Everton
12. 29th October 1977
Action highlights from two of today's Football League matches. Jimmy Hill presents his personality action analysis, plus interviews, news, the League tables, and the October Goal of the Month competition with your chance to win £100 in Premium Bonds. Derby County v Norwich City Bolton Wanderers v Luton Town
13. 5th November 1977
Action highlights from two of today's First Division matches. Analysis, interviews, news of today's soccer including the League tables and the result of the October Goal of the Month competition. Liverpool v Aston Villa Coventry City v West Ham United
14. 12th November 1977
Action: highlights from two of today's important Football League matches. Analysis: Jimmy Hill puts the replay spotlight on the men and the moves that mattered today. News: the late-night round-up of the day's soccer with the League tables and the Score-Draw check. Everton v Birmingham City Southampton v Blackpool
15. 19th November 1977
Jimmy Hill introduces one hour of football action, news, interviews and analysis - with coverage of two of today's intriguing Football League matches. Wrexham v Colchester United West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City
16. 26th November 1977
Analysis by Jimmy Hill, plus the regular round-up of the day's soccer, and the November Goal of the Month competition. Bolton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur Leicester City v Liverpool
17. 3rd December 1977
Analysis by Jimmy Hill, views and opinions from the football men in the news, the regular round-up of the day's soccer, including the League tables and the Score-Draw check, and the result of the November Goal of the Month competition. Leeds United v Queens Park Rangers Oxford United v Shrewsbury Town
18. 10th December 1977
Jimmy Hill introduces one hour of football action, news, interviews and analysis, with coverage of two of today's important League fixtures. Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur Aston Villa v West Bromwich Albion
19. 17th December 1977
First Division Soccer Action and International Show Jumping. Introduced by Jimmy Hill. Highlights from two of today's top Football League matches. Manchester United v Nottingham Forest Birmingham City v Everton
20. 31st December 1977
Two-match action from the Football League, news, analysis. Goal of the Month ... the best goals seen on BBC1 in December, with £100 in Premium Bonds for the competition winner. Manchester City v Aston Villa Luton Town v Brighton & Hove Albion
21. 7th January 1978: FA Cup Third Round
Action highlights from today's FA Cup Third Round ties. Plus interviews and news of the day's shocks and surprises as 20 would-be 'giant killers' - non-Leaguers as well as Third and Fourth Division clubs - are joined on the Wembley trail by the big names from Divisions One and Two, including the holders, Manchester United. Carlisle United v Manchester United Leeds United v Manchester City
22. 14th January 1978
The 1978 World Cup Draw. David Coleman reports by satellite from Buenos Aires, where the groupings of the final 16 nations in the World Cup '78 are decided tonight - with on-the-spot reaction about Scotland's opponents in Argentina from team manager Ally MacLeod. Football League Action Highlights from two of today's First Division matches. Everton v Aston Villa Bristol City v Leicester City
23. 21st January 1978
Football action from two top First Division matches involving clubs challenging for the League Championship. Nottingham Forest v Arsenal Norwich City v Manchester City
24. 28th January 1978: FA Cup Fourth Round
Action highlights from three of today's outstanding FA Cup Fourth Round ties. Analysis, interviews and news of today's Cup triumphs and surprises as the competition is reduced to the final 16 clubs. Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion Newcastle United v Wrexham Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers
25. 4th February 1978
Football League action, news, interviews, analysis. Plus the result of January's Goal of the Month competition. Burnley v Southampton Coventry City v Liverpool
26. 11th February 1978
Jimmy Hill introduces one hour of football action, news, interviews and analysis, with coverage of two of today's important League fixtures. Leicester City v Arsenal Blackburn Rovers v Luton Town
27. 18th February 1978: FA Cup Fifth Round
Introduced by Jimmy Hill. Cup analysis, interviews and news as 16 clubs battle for places in the Quarter-finals. Wrexham v Blyth Spartans Queens Park Rangers v Nottingham Forest Arsenal v Walsall
28. 25th February 1978
Highlights of two of today's top First Division matches, featuring four of the most famous clubs in the Football League. Action analysis by Jimmy Hill, news, interviews and opinions, and the February Goal of the Month competition. Liverpool v Manchester United Leeds United v Chelsea
29. 4th March 1978
Action highlights from two of today's crucial Football League fixtures involving Championship and promotion issues. Jimmy Hill analyses the key action of the day, plus the League tables, the late-night Score-Draw check, and the result of the February Goal of the Month competition. Arsenal v Manchester City Bolton Wanderers v Brighton & Hove Albion
30. 11th March 1978: FA Cup Quarter-Finals
Action highlights from two of today's outstanding FA Cup Quarter-final ties. Cup analysis, interviews and news as eight clubs battle for places in the Semi-finals. West Bromwich Albion v Nottingham Forest Millwall v Ipswich Town
31. 18th March 1978
Jimmy Hill presents his personality action analysis, plus the regular round-up of the day's soccer with the League tables and the late-night Score-Draw check. Bristol Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur Derby County v Birmingham City
32. 25th March 1978
Jimmy Hill presents his analysis of the key men and the key moves, plus the round-up of the day's news with the League tables and the Score-Draw Check, and the March Goal of the Month competition with £100 in Premium Bonds to be won. West Ham United v Chelsea Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United
33. 1st April 1978
Highlights from two of today's key Football League matches, plus the news round-up of the day's soccer, and the result of the March Goal of the Month competition. Preston North End v Peterborough United Arsenal v Manchester United
34. 8th April 1978: FA Cup Semi-Finals
BBC outside broadcast cameras bring you the action from one of today's games - the last hurdle before Wembley, and the Cup Final itself on 6 May. Ipswich Town v West Bromwich Albion
35. 15th April 1978
Action highlights from two of today's crucial Football League matches. Jimmy Hill presents his personality action analysis, plus the round-up of the day's soccer: the players in the news and the League tables. Watford v Southend United Everton v Ipswich Town
36. 22nd April 1978
Action highlights from two of today's important Football League fixtures. Jimmy Hill analyses the key action of the day, plus the round-up of the day's soccer: the players in the news and the League tables. Coventry City v Nottingham Forest Middlesbrough v Everton
37. 29th April 1978
Two-match action from the Football League on the crucial last Saturday of the 1977-78 season. Plus interviews and analysis, the round-up of the day's soccer news with the vital end-of-season League tables, and Goal of the Season: another chance to choose between the best BBC1 goals in the annual competition with £300 in Premium Bonds to the winner. Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur
38. 6th May 1978: FA Cup Final
Direct from the 1978 FA Cup-Winners' Victory Banquet in London's West End. Jimmy Hill introduces highlights from this afternoon's match between Arsenal and Ipswich Town, and talks to the winners as they celebrate their Wembley triumph with their wives and friends. Jimmy Hill analyses the action with the BBC match experts - England's Trevor Brooking, and Southampton manager Lawrie McMenemy.
39. 13th May 1978: Home International Championship
Northern Ireland v Scotland from Hampden Park, Glasgow Wales v England from Ninian Park, Cardiff Last year Scotland beat Northern Ireland 3-0 at Hampden, and went on to win the Championship outright for the second season running. Wales beat England for the first time ever at Wembley, and were unbeaten to finish as runners-up. England were third and Northern Ireland fourth.
40. 19th May 1978: Home International Championship
Wales v Northern Ireland from the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham Action highlights from tonight's match in the Home International Championships.
41. 20th May 1978: Home International Championship
Scotland v England from Hampden Park, Glasgow Highlights of today's final match in the 1978 Home International Championship - Scotland's last game before they fly to Argentina for the World Cup Finals. Scotland, Champions in 1976 and 1977, were aiming for more than a hat-trick of titles: Ally MacLeod's men were also after a third successive win over England whom they've beaten 2-1 for the last two years, and three wins running over the English at Hampden Park.