Aston Villa’s 1987/88 season marked a turning point as the club began to recover from recent struggles. Under manager Graham Taylor, appointed after relegation the previous year, Villa immediately mounted a strong promotion challenge in the Second Division.
Led by key players such as Allan Evans, Paul Elliott, Tony Daley, and David Platt, the team combined defensive solidity with growing attacking confidence. Their consistency paid off — Villa finished second, securing automatic promotion back to the First Division at the first attempt.
Taylor’s disciplined management and Platt’s emergence as a driving force laid the foundation for Villa’s return to top-flight stability and eventual resurgence in the early 1990s.
