It was in the year of 1976 that Peter Withe signed for Nottingham Forest. He went on to make his debut in September, scoring in Nottingham's 5-1 thrashing of Second Division side Carlisle United. John O'Hare was his strike partner in that match, however, that would change soon.
Nottingham star Tony Woodcock was recalled to the first, and his pace and anticipation skills proved to be a devastating combo with Withe's physical prowess and strength. The pair managed to score 36 goals together that season, with Withe contributing 19 of those to finish the campaign as club top scorer. Despite only joining in November, Withe also managed to win the club's Player of the Year award.
As for Nottingham, the club managed to win their first silverware under Brian Clough that season, as they won the two-legged Anglo-Scottish Cup final to lift the title.
Withe's golden era with Nottingham
Together with striking partner Woodcock and his teammates, Withe won the 1977–78 Football League First Division and 1977–78 Football League Cup. Both Woodcock and Withe ended that historic season as club top scorers with 19 goals. Withe was also on the score sheet in their 5-0 FA Charity Shield (1978) victory over Ipswich Town on 12th August 1978.
In the following week, Withe was also a part of Nottingham's 1-1 draw against Spurs. Surprisingly, that was his final appearance for the club. Forest agreed to sell him for £225,000 just before his 27th birthday at the end of that month. Write left Forest with 39 goals in 99 first-team games, with 28 of those coming in 75 league appearances.
That was the end of his 2 year chapter at Nottingham, as the English striker was sold to Newcastle United.
The Newcastle move
Withe joined Newcastle in 1978, at a time when the club were in the Second Division of English football. His debut came in a 1-1 draw against Luton Town. While his time with the Magpies didn't result in any silverware, Withe managed to achieve a decent record of 25 goals in 76 league games for the club.
A legend of Aston Villa
On the eve of the 1980–81 season, Aston Villa manager Ron Saunders paid a then club-record £500,000 to snatch Withe from Newcastle. The English striker was paired with Gary Shaw at Villa, who had similar traits to Withe's former Forest striking partner Woodcock.
Withe's time at Villa was a major success, as he won a title in each of his first three seasons at Villa Park. In his first season with the club, Withe scored 20 goals to finish the campaign as joint league top scorer with Tottenham's Steve Archibald. Those goalscoring feats were absolutely crucial for Villa, as Withe led them to a historic Football League Title victory.
Soon after, both Withe and Spurs' Mark Falco scored a brace in the 1981 FA Charity Shield that ended 2-2. Thus, both sides shared the title for six months each.
The English striker's greatest career moment came in the 1982 European Cup final, as Aston Villa won their first ( and till now only) European Cup by beating German giants Bayern Munich. The match ended 1-0, and it was Withe who scored the only goal to help Villa become European Champions.
Withe and Aston Villa continued their silverware success in the 1982 European Super Cup, beating FC Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate.
During his 5 years with Villa, Withe managed to score 90 goals in over 200 appearances. He left the club in 1985.
Withe played for more than a dozen clubs during his 2-decade long career, but it was with Forest and Villa that he managed to establish himself as a legend of the game.
