The 1975-76 season was a fair one for Middlesbrough. They finished the season off in a very respectable 13th position in the top flight; however Jack Charlton’s men could only reach the third round of the FA Cup, suffering defeat against Bury. Boro enjoyed a fantastic run in the league cup that saw the side reach the semi finals of the competition. They met Manchester City in a crucial encounter, however they could not match the technical efficiency of the City side and lost the encounter 4-1 on aggregate. The 1976-77 campaign proved to be Jack Charlton’s last seasons in charge and it was not a bad one by no means. They once again endured a mid table finish, this time of 12th position. They enjoyed a fine run in the FA Cup that was ended in the quarter finals o the tournament, suffering defeat against Liverpool, losing the clash 2-0.
John Neal was appointed as the new manager of Middlesbrough towards the start of the 77-78 season and his first campaign saw Boro fair reasonably well. They once again enjoyed a nice FA Cup run that lasted until the quarter finals as they lost to Leyton orient 2-1. They recorded a 14th position finish in the top flight, Graeme Souness had left the club at the start of the season, however their was the rise of their new teenage superstar, Craig Johnstone.
The 1978-79 and 1979-80 season saw Boro finish the campaign off in 14th and 12th place in the top flight respectively. They reached the forth round of the FA cup in 1980, however they narrowly lost a tie against Birmingham City 2-1.