Up to Third Division or Serie C1. Two groups of 18 teams each, the top two promoted and the last four – relegated. Group A and Group B – or properly aid Girone A and Girone B. More familair names pop up here, but names of smallish Italian clubs, which even playing in first division ocassionally, never did more than that. Empoli, Catania, Livorno, Cremonese, Triestina – such clubs. Last four from each group went down, and the top two – up.
Girone B. Paganese last and the three other unfortunates : Lucchese, Latina, and Barletta. Barletta lost the fight for survival on goal-difference. Turris escaped relegation. Up the table :
Livorno ended 9th with 32 points – four other clubs finished also with 32. Livorno was just in the middle of the final table, but relegation was actually a matter of a point or two – 16th Latina had 30 and 15th Barletta – 31. Danger was very near this season for a club which played among the best of the country once.
Salernitana finished 6th – nothing special. Years will pass before traditonally small club soars. Same with the team just above them :
Reggina, just like Salernitana, most often played in 3rd division. At 3rd place finished a club of different history – Catania.
Not a big name, of course, but Catania used to play first division football. Now they were down and tried hard to restore their former place in Italian football. They came close, but 42 points were not good enough. Promotion required 44 points this season – the two best teams ended with equal points.
Pisa took 2nd place on worse goal-difference, but promotion was secured. With this season the little known club started its ascent – all the was to top flight in few years. Nothing hinted of future succes, though – they were second th even less known club :
Matera – champions of Girone B of Serie C1. Great success for the boys and just about the best possible outcome.
Tough life for some former members of the top division in Girone A :
Mantova finished 13th – with 30 points, it was lucky esacpe : 2 points less and 4th division was all theirs. Playing against Juventus and Milan was a distant memory by now… and so was for Modena.
Dead last with 25 points. Modena sunk even deeper than Mantova – they were disappering from sight.
The other releagated were Spezia, Padova, and Trento. Up the table were clubs like Modena and Mantova – with better past than present : Lecco (12th), Alessandria (10th),
Novara (6th). First division was only a memory for them – presently, they were reduced to competing with clubs, whose best achievement was third level. And former top flight members were losing the battle…
Losing the battle to clubs like Biellese – 7th this year.
As for the winners, they were also modest : Parma was 2nd with 44 points, edging Triestina on goal-difference and moving up to second division. Nobody heard of Parma yet – promotion to second division was a big success for this club in 1979. Winning European cups ? It was beyond the wildest dreams.
Como were champions with 50 points – comfortable winner, and perhaps expected one. Not a big club, but not belonging to third division. The upper league was their habitat. More or less.