The levels of success achieved by the Reds in the month of April is staggering for a Championship club.
Forest’s Ian Bowyer and Peter Shilton celebrate with the European Cup trophy
With Nottingham Forest just a point above the Championship relegation zone, you can forgive their fans for wanting to look at past glories – of which, the Reds have plenty of.
In the month of April alone, Forest have qualified for European Cup finals, FA Cup finals, secured promotions and became champions of England on one occasion. Here are six of their greatest ever victories.
1/4/95 – Sheffield Wednesday 1-7 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
To date, Forest are the best performing newly promoted side in Premier League history, finishing 3rd in the 1994/95 campaign, and nothing epitomised that excellent season more than this win at Hillsborough. Stuart Pearce put Forest ahead, before Ian Woan doubled Forest’s advantage as they set about running riot. Bryan Roy made it three, before Mark Bright scored a penalty for Wednesday. This seemed to anger Forest, who then went 4-1 up through Roy again, before scoring three goals in seven minutes. Stan Collymore got two of those, before Lars Bohinen made it 7-1.
9/4/80 – Nottingham Forest 2-0 AFC Ajax (European Cup)
It’s hard to think that a side one point above the relegation zone once toppled an Ajax team full of world class talent in a European Cup semi-final, but it did happen. Looking to retain their crown as European champions, Forest gave themselves a tremendous chance of doing so by defeating Ajax 2-0 at The City Ground, with goals coming from Trevor Francis and John Robertson. Forest would lose the away leg 1-0, but went through 2-1 on aggregate. The Reds then defeated a much fancied Hamburg side 1-0 in Madrid to claim back-to-back European Cup triumphs.
Stan Collymore – Nottingham Forest celebrates after scoring against Sheffield Wednesday
14/1/91 – Nottingham Forest 4-0 West Ham United (FA Cup)
The final itself may have ended in disappointment for Forest, but they got to Wembley in some style indeed. After Tony Gayle was sent off for wiping out Gary Crosby as the last man, Forest turned on the style at Villa Park in this FA Cup semi-final. Crosby opened the scoring in the second half, before a 19-year-old Roy Keane doubled Forest’s lead. Pearce then added a third, and Gary Charles put a gloss on a brilliant performance with a fourth to send Forest to Wembley in emphatic fashion.
18/4/78 – Nottingham Forest 1-0 Queens Park Rangers (First Division)
While this result didn’t secure the title for Forest, it all but did and left Brian Clough’s side needing just a point from their next fixture against Coventry City to be crowned champions of England, which Forest duly achieved – meaning that the final four games of the season were played with Forest as league winners. A Robertson penalty was all that was needed to defeat QPR at The City Ground, and left Forest on the cusp of greatness.
Nottingham Forest Manager Brian Clough poses with the European Cup trophy
25/4/79 – FC Koln 0-1 Nottingham Forest (European Cup)
“Forest are a bubble that will burst soon” were the words used by Bob Wilson, a BBC pundit, in 1977, as reports Vice Sports. After being made to look ridiculous with Forest winning the league title on top of two League Cups, it looked like Wilson would finally be proved right after Forest’s first leg 3-3 draw with German champions FC Koln. Forest had fought back from going 2-0 down to lead 3-2, but Koln scored in the 85th minute to clinch a 3-3 draw, scoring a vital away goal in the process. It left Forest completely up against it in Germany, but they prevailed and an Ian Bowyer header was enough to send them to Munich for the final. Forest then added ‘European Cup’ to the list of things won since Wilson made that comment.
30/4/94 – Peterborough United 2-3 Nottingham Forest
After Brian Clough’s sad departure from The City Ground, which resulted in relegation, Forest bounced back in the best possible way with promotion at the first attempt – though this was secured in dramatic fashion at Peterborough United’s London Road. Posh took a 2-0 lead before Collymore got one back, shifting the tide in Forest’s favour. Pearce then bravely equalised with a superb diving header, before a textbook outrageously brilliant solo goal from Collymore sealed both the win and promotion to the Premier League.
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