Peter Withe

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Withe began his career at Southport but left in 1971 after a handful of appearances. Late that year he made an appearance for the reserve team of Preston North End but soon moved on to Barrow for whom he made one appearance (against his former club Southport on 1 January 1972). After this he played in South Africa. He played for Wolverhampton Wanderers in two seasons from 1973, scoring three goals in 17 league games. During the summer of 1975, Withe spent one season in the United States as a member of the expansion Portland Timbers of the North American Soccer League (NASL). He scored 17 goals and added 7 assists in 22 games, leading the Timbers to first place in their division, and tied for the best record in the league at 16–6. Withe's goals that summer made him a Timbers fan favourite, who nicknamed him 'The Mad Header' and 'The Wizard of Nod'. In August the Timbers played two home play-off games in front of more than 30,000 fans each, numbers unheard of for US soccer at the time. They advanced to Soccer Bowl '75, the League Championship final, in San Jose, California on 24 August, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2–0. Withe returned to the West Midlands to join Birmingham City in 1975. He scored nine goals in 35 league games in just over a season before departing early in the 1976–77 season. Brian Clough joined Nottingham Forest as manager in January 1975. In the summer of 1976 he was joined by Peter Taylor, who had been his assistant at Derby County in winning the 1971–72 Football League. From Taylor's arrival Forest immediately went into upswing. Forest signed the 25-year-old Withe to make his debut for the club on 25 September 1976. He scored on his debut in a 5–1 Football League Second Division home win v Carlisle United with strike partner John O'Hare also scoring. Withe was given a new strike partner on 3 November 1976 in an Anglo-Scottish Cup 2–0 win at Ayr United. Tony Woodcock was recalled to the first team, bringing speed and anticipation to the front two to complement Withe's height, strength and power. Withe and Woodcock both scored at Ayr. Withe ended the season as the club top scorer with 19 goals and Woodcock second with 17 and Forest's Player of the Year despite his November seasonal debut. Forest's first trophy of the Clough and Taylor regime was in December that season beating Orient over two legs in the Anglo-Scottish Cup final

In Their Own Story

Withe arrived at Villa Park having just left Nottingham Forest for £225,000, a move facilitated by Ron Saunders who paid the club record fee of £500,000. The 1980–81 season began with Withe turning 29, yet he immediately revitalized the attack alongside Gary Shaw. Together they dismantled defenses, leading Villa to the First Division title and a shared FA Charity Shield in 1981 where both Withe and Spurs' Mark Falco scored twice. The narrative of his tenure peaked in the 1981–82 campaign with that historic European Cup final win over Bayern Munich. Beyond Rotterdam, Withe added the 1982 European Super Cup to his collection after a 3–1 aggregate victory against FC Barcelona. Over five years, he amassed 90 goals in over 200 games. Despite this success, he described leaving the club as 'the biggest wrench of my career,' marking the end of an era where Villa stood atop English and European football.

Reader's Guide

Peter Withe is a former English striker best known for scoring the winning goal in the 1982 European Cup final for Aston Villa. He also won league titles with Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, and represented England at the 1982 World Cup. After playing, he managed in Southeast Asia, winning the ASEAN Football Championship with Thailand.

Did You Know?

• Withe scored the only goal in the 1982 European Cup final for Aston Villa against Bayern Munich.
• He was joint-top scorer in the First Division in 1980–81 with 20 goals.
• Withe was nicknamed 'The Mad Header' and 'The Wizard of Nod' by Portland Timbers fans.
• He managed Thailand to victory in the ASEAN Football Championship in 2000 and 2002.

Early Career and NASL Success

Withe began at Southport before a brief spell at Barrow where he played against his former club on 1 January 1972. He then moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1973, scoring three goals in 17 league games. A significant chapter occurred in the summer of 1975 with Portland Timbers in the North American Soccer League (NASL). There, he scored 17 goals and added 7 assists in just 22 games, leading the team to a first-place division finish and a 16–6 record. Fans dubbed him 'The Mad Header' and 'The Wizard of Nod'. The Timbers advanced to Soccer Bowl '75 but lost 2–0 to Tampa Bay Rowdies. Withe returned to England in late 1975, joining Birmingham City where he scored nine goals in 35 league games before departing early in the 1976–77 season.

Nottingham Forest Glory

In summer 1976, Brian Clough and Peter Taylor signed Withe to Nottingham Forest. He debuted on 25 September 1976, scoring in a 5–1 Second Division win over Carlisle United. By November, he was paired with Tony Woodcock, creating a formidable strike force that saw both score against Ayr United in the Anglo-Scottish Cup. Withe ended the 1976–77 season as Forest's top scorer with 19 goals, earning Player of the Year honors despite his late start, while helping the club win promotion and the Anglo-Scottish Cup. In 1977–78, he and Woodcock were joint top scorers with 19 goals each as Forest won the First Division and Football League Cup. Withe also scored in the 5–0 FA Charity Shield victory over Ipswich Town. He left just before his 27th birthday for £225,000 after scoring 39 goals in 99 competitive games.

Aston Villa and European Triumph

Ron Saunders signed Withe to Aston Villa for a record £500,000 at the start of the 1980–81 season. Paired with Gary Shaw, Withe scored 20 league goals, sharing top scorer honors with Steve Archibald as Villa won the First Division title. In the 1981 FA Charity Shield, he and Mark Falco each scored twice in a 2–2 draw. The following season, Withe scored the only goal in the European Cup final against Bayern Munich, securing the trophy for Villa. He also featured in the 1982 European Super Cup win over FC Barcelona (3–1 aggregate). Over five years at Villa Park, he netted 90 goals in more than 200 appearances before his departure.

International Duty and Later Years

Withe made his England debut on 12 May 1981 in a 1–0 home loss to Brazil. He earned 11 caps total, scoring once against Hungary on 27 April 1983 (his 7th cap). Notably, he was the first Aston Villa player selected for an England World Cup Finals squad, featuring at the 1982 tournament in Spain. His final cap came on 14 November 1984 in an 8–0 victory over Turkey. Post-Villa, Withe joined Sheffield United (1985–1988), scoring 18 goals in 74 league games. During a loan back to Birmingham City, he scored twice against his parent club, Sheffield United. He ended his playing career at Huddersfield Town between 1988 and 1990 with 38 appearances and one goal.