See main article: History of Aston Villa F.C. (1961–present).
| Club: | Aston Villa |
| Season: | 1971–72 |
| Chairman: | Doug Ellis |
| Stadium: | Villa Park |
| League: | Third Division |
| League Result: | 1st |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | First round |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Fourth round |
| Prevseason: | 1970–71 |
| Nextseason: | 1972–73 |
The 1971–72 English football season was Villa's 73rd season in the Football League, this season playing in the Football League Third Division. Under manager Vic Crowe[1] Aston Villa won promotion to the Second Division as champions with a record 70 points, and thus ended their two-year spell in the Third Division. By the end of the decade they would be firmly re-established as a First Division club.
In July 1971, Ray Graydon secured a £50,000 move from third division Bristol Rovers, with captain Brian Godfrey moving in the opposite direction.[2] [3] Graydon missed just one of Villa's 46 league games in the 1971–72 season, scoring 14 goals as the club secured the Third Division title with a five-point margin over Brighton & Hove Albion.[4] Debut Appearances included Brian Little (247), Chris Nicholl (210), Ian Ross (175), Jimmy Cumbes (157), Tommy Hughes (16), and Malcolm Beard (6).[5] Willie Anderson's contribution included scoring a career high fifteen goals in all competitions with eight coming from penalties, helping him gain a reputation as a penalty taker specialist.[6]