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. 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.
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. ==Kit==