Albion opened the 1976–77 season with a League Cup campaign that saw them nearly topple Premier Division Aberdeen in the quarter-finals, losing the first leg 1-0 at Pittodrie but then winning the return by the same score at Annfield with a Robert Gray header. The Dons won the replay at the neutral ground of Dens Park, Dundee, 2-0, before beating both Rangers and Celtic on the way to lifting the trophy. Albion went on to win the Second Division crown that season, conceding only 29 goals in 39 matches and taking the title with several games to spare.