1891/92 - The Football Alliance
After two unsuccessful applications to the newly-formed Football League, the Reds joined the Football Alliance in 1889. The Football Alliance was a league of twelve teams including Small Heath and Newton Heath, who were later to become Birmingham City and Manchester United, respectively.
Forest won the competition in its final year. In 1892, the FA allowed the Football Alliance to join the Football League and form a second division. However, as Forest were champions of the Alliance, they went straight into the first division of the new two-tier system.
1898 - FA Cup (Forest 3 Derby County 1)
It was the 19th FA Cup final and Forest, having beaten Southampton in the semi, were matched up with local rivals Derby County at the Crystal Palace stadium - the then home of English football.
Forest won the match 3-1 in front of a crowd of 62,017. Authur Capes scored twice for Forest, and captain John McPherson got the third towards the end of the match. On their return to Nottingham, Forest's FA Cup heroes were treated to a parade through town on horse and carriage. It was Harry Haslam's first full season in charge of the club.
Forest: Allsopp, Ritchie, Scott, Forman, McPherson, Wragg, McInnes, Richards, Benbow, Capes, Spouncer
1906/07 - Football League Division Two
Forest were relegated for the first time in 1906, finishing 19th out of 20 teams. But they bounced back in style the following year, winning 28 out of the 38 games played, to secure the championship.
1919 - Football League Victory Championship
During the war years, the Football League was suspended as many of the players were required for war duty. In their place, clubs recruited 'guest' players who did not need to be paid. This was good news for Forest as they had been suffering financial difficulties ever since another relegation in 1911, and then narrowly avoiding permanent ejection from the League, despite finishing 20th in the 1913/14 season.
In 1918, with a team of impressive 'guest' players, the Reds were able to stage a revival and win the Midlands division of the temporary regional league set up in place of the Football League.
To celebrate the end of the war, Forest played Everton (who had won the Northern division) over two legs in the Victory Championship. The first leg at the City Ground was drawn 0-0, but Forest won the tie at Goodison Park with a single goal by Noel Burton to take the title.
1921/22 - Football League Division Two
After their Victory Championship win, the Reds failed to continue good fortunes in the resumed Football League - which now featured a third division - finishing just above the relegation zone for two years running.
But in the 1921/22 season, manager/chairman Bob Masters and captain Jack Armstrong were able to lead the club back into the first division as champions. Sadly, Forest were relegated again three years later, starting a long period out of the top flight.
1950/51 - Football League Division Three (South)
It was nearly 30 years since Forest had been in the top flight, and now the Reds were well out of the spotlight, stuck in the South section of Division Three. Billy Walker was now manager, halfway through his 21-year spell at the club.
The Reds got out of the third division at the second attempt in 1951 in impressive style. Forest won the league by six points with a record-breaking total of 70 points (with only two points being awarded for a win in those days).
As well as a points record, the 1950/51 team broke scoring records, getting a total of 110 that season, Wally Ardon finishing top-scorer with 36.
1959 - FA Cup (Forest 2 Luton Town 1)
By 1959, Walker had led Forest back into the top flight, winning promotion in the 56/57 season.
Forest had just finished 13th in Division One, but put together an impressive FA Cup run, beating Tooting, Grimsby, Birmingham, Bolton and Aston Villa to take them to their second final.
They would face unfashionable Luton Town at Wembley in front of a 100,000 crowd. Roy Dwight (uncle of Reg, better known as Elton John) and Tommy Wilson scored in the first half to give Forest the lead at the break.
Dwight had suffered a broken leg after half an hour, so Forest were forced to play the rest of the match with just 10 men as no substitutes were allowed back then.
Never-the-less, Forest held onto their lead until 62 minutes when Luton pulled one back. But the Forest defence held strong to secure the cup for Forest for a second time.
Forest: Thomson, Whare, McDonald, Whitefoot, McKinlay, Burkitt, Dwight, Quigley, Wilson, Gray, Imlach
1976 - Anglo-Scottish Cup (Forest 5 Orient 1, over two legs)
Brian Clough's first honour as Forest manager came two years into his reign and halfway through Forest's promotion season from Division Two. In December 1976, the Reds won the much-mocked Anglo-Scottish Cup against Leyton Orient, drawing 1-1 in the away leg, and winning 4-0 at the City Ground. It was by no means a major honour, but after 17 years without a trophy (despite a few near misses) it was a welcome win for Clough's emerging team.
1978 - League Cup (Forest 1 Liverpool 0, replay)
Having scraped to
promotion in 1977, Clough's unfancied Forest side were taking the
league by storm. The first of the flood of honours that came in
this era was a League Cup victory over championship rivals
Liverpool.
Forest's star keeper, Peter Shilton, was cup-tied, so 18-year-old
Chris Woods stepped into the green jersey and wrote his name into
Forest folklore, keeping a clean sheet at Wembley in front of
100,000 fans.
He repeated this feat in the replay at Old Trafford four days
later in front of a crowd of 54,375.
Forest held the dominant Scousers for the whole of both games,
with Woods on top form in goal. And Forest got the shock winner
when John O'Hare - who was only playing because of injury to
captain John McGovern - was brought down for a controversial
penalty by Phil Thompson. John Robertson scored from the spot, to
secure the title for Forest.
Forest: Woods, Anderson, Clark, O'Hare, Lloyd, Burns, O'Neill, Bowyer, Withe, Woodcock, Robertson
1977/78 - Football League Championship
On April 22, a 0-0 draw at Coventry
secured Forest's first and only League Championship title
with four games still to play. Brian Clough's team had
taken the league by storm, losing only three games all
year. Forest finished the season seven points ahead of
previous winners Liverpool.
Tony Woodcock and Peter Withe finished the season as
joint top-scorers with 19 each, and John Robertson came just behind with 18.
At the back, Forest defence had conceded only 24 goals all year and the hard work of Kenny Burns earned him the
prestigious Footballer of the Year award - the only Forest
player to have ever been given the honour.
Peter Shilton picked up the PFA Player of the Year title and
Tony Woodcock was praised as Young Player of the Year.
Unsurprisingly, Brian Clough was made Manager of the Year
having secured his second Football League title and
transformed Nottingham Forest Football Club forever.
As League Champions, Forest were paired up with FA Cup winners Ipswich Town in the traditional season-opener, the Charity Shield at Wembley. Martin O'Neill (2), Larry Lloyd, Peter Withe and John Robertson scored as Forest hammered Town five-nil.
Forest: Shilton, Anderson, Barrett, McGovern, Lloyd, Burns, O'Neill (Needham), Gemmill, Withe, Woodcock, Robertson
1979 - League Cup (Forest 3 Southampton 2)
Forest were out to
prove that their championship win wasn't just a fluke in the 1978/79 season. The Reds were battling it out on four fronts: the
league title (once again exchanging blows with Liverpool), the
European Cup, the FA Cup and defending their League Cup title.
Forest reached the final by beating Oldham, Oxford, Everton,
Brighton and Watford in the semi-final and would defend their
title against Southampton.
Southampton were in the same position as Forest the year before:
recently promoted and facing the champions at Wembley. The final
will always be remembered by the way assistant manager Peter
Taylor took Brian Clough's place in leading the Forest team out
onto the pitch, a tribute to his own valuable contribution to
Forest's success.
Forest had sold Peter Withe earlier in the season to Newcastle,
but in his place they had found a local hero Garry Birtles, and
it was Birtles who starred as Forest retained the cup.
Southampton scored first, but Birtles hit a pair in the second
half before Woodcock made the win certain, despite the Saints
pulling one back late on. Forest became the first team to successfully defend the League Cup title.
Forest: Shilton, Barrett, Clark, McGovern, Lloyd, Needham, O'Neill, Gemmill, Birtles, Woodcock, Robertson
1979 - European Cup (Forest 1 Malmo 0)
It was just
Forest's luck that, having beaten them to championship
the previous year, the Reds' first opponents in the
European Cup would be Liverpool. The critics wouldn't
give Forest a hope against the current Champions of
Europe, but Forest never took any notice of the odds.
They beat Liverpool 2-0 at the City Ground, and held them
to a nil-nil in the second leg at Anfield, to start off a
glorious cup run.
They saw off AEK Athens with ease, before knocking out Grasshoppers of Zurich to reach the semi-final.
In a thrilling two-legged encounter, Forest beat Colonge
by an aggregate score of 4-3, Ian Bowyer scoring the
crucial goal in the away leg.
Forest
would face Swedish side Malmo in the final to be played Munich's
glorious Olympic Stadium on May 30, 1979. The Reds had been
beaten to the championship by Liverpool, but were boosted by the
European debut of the million-pound man, Trevor France who had
completed his record-breaking transfer a few months previously.
And it was money well spent as moments before the half-time
break, John Roberton's searching cross found Francis at the far post. Francis' diving header beat the keeper and put Forest in
the lead.
There were no more goals and in front of 30,000 traveling fans
from Nottingham, John McGovern lifted the European Cup for Forest, making them
the smallest club ever to take the title of Champions of Europe.
Forest: Shilton, Anderson, Clark, McGovern, Lloyd, Burns, Francis, Bowyer, Birtles, Woodcock, Robertson
1979 - European Super Cup (Forest 2 Barcelona 1, over two legs)
Forest added another European honour the following year, with a two-legged win over Cup Winners' Cup champions Barcelona. The Reds won 1-0 at the City Ground thanks to a goal from Charlie George, and Kenny Burns scored at the Nou Camp in front of 90,000 fans to give Forest a 2-1 victory.
1980 - League Cup finalists (Forest 0 Wolves 1)
For the third year running, Forest had reached the League Cup final. This time it was the turn of first team coach Jimmy Gordon to lead the team out of the tunnel. Andy Gray scored the only goal of the game after a terrible mix-up in the Forest defence gave him an easy finish and denied Forest a third successive win.
Forest: Shilton, Anderson, Gray, McGovern, Needham, Burns, O'Neill, Bowyer, Birtles, Francis, Robertson
1980 - European Cup (Forest 1 Humburg 0)
Despite losing out
in the League Cup and a below-par season in the league, Forest
were out to retain their European Cup title and prove that they
were worthy champions. They beat Osters Vaxjo, Arges Pitesti,
Dynamo Berlin and finally Ajax of Amsterdam to reach the final in
Madrid.
Their opponents were the much-fancied German side SV Humburg,
who, among other star names, featured Kevin Keegan in their
line-up. About 50,000 fans watched the game in the Bernabeu.
Forest were without the hero of the previous final, Trevor Francis, who had suffered an injury a few weeks before the final.
In his place, 17-year-old Gary Mills partnered Garry Birtles
up-front.
Forest were forced to deal with a lot of pressure from the
Germans, but as usual they held strong with Lloyd and Burns
marshalling the back-line and Shilton producing some fine saves.
But with 20 minutes gone, Forest hit Humburg on the break. John
Robertson jinked his way past a defender before playing a neat
one-two with Martin O'Neill. Robertson then took the ball in his
stride before blasting it into the net to give Forest the lead.
For the rest of the game, Forest weathered the Humburg pressure,
to maintain their one-nil lead and win their second European Cup, one of the
greatest achievements in football and one few of the great English teams have
ever managed.
Forest: Shilton, Anderson, Gray (Gunn), McGovern, Lloyd, Burns, O'Neill, Bowyer, Birtles, Mills (O'Hare), Robertson
1989 - League Cup (Forest 3 Luton Town 1)
Ten years after they last lifted the trophy and
after nearly a decade where success had narrowly escaped them, Brian Clough's
Forest were back at Wembley having beaten Chester, Coventry, Leicester, QPR, and Bristol City en route.
Their opponents in the final were defending League Cup champions Luton. The
Hatters gave Forest a tougher match than was expected and put Forest under much
pressure in the first half, going in 1-0 up at the interval thanks to a headed
goal by Mick Harford (later to become assistant manager at Forest).
But Forest came out much stronger in the second half and were soon back on terms
with Nigel Clough scoring from the penalty spot after Steve Hodge was floored by
the keeper. Neil Webb gave Forest the lead, and Clough scored a second to secure
what was then known as the Littlewoods Cup.
Forest: Steve Sutton, Brian Laws, Stuart Pearce, Des Walker, Terry Wilson, Steve Hodge, Tommy Gaynor, Neil Webb, Nigel Clough, Lee Chapman, Garry Parker
1989 - Simod Cup (Forest 4 Everton 3 AET)
Forest's second trip to Wembley
in the 1988/89 season came in the Simod Cup - formerly known as the Full Members
Cup - a competition for First and Second Division clubs not involved in European competition.
Although it was considered nothing more than a minor trophy, many Forest fans
made the journey down to cheer their team on to another honour.
The Toffees scored first, Tony Cottee beating two defenders before scoring, but
Garry Parker leveled from a corner. Five minutes in the second half, Everton
restored their lead thanks to Graeme Sharp. But the Reds equalised again with a
superb individual from Parker to take the game into extra-time.
Lee Chapman gave Forest the lead for the first time in the game, but Cottee
scored to put Everton back on terms. Just as the game seemed to be heading for
penalties, substitute Franz Carr crossed for Chapman who toe-poked the winner
home.
Forest: Steve Sutton, Brian Laws, Stuart Pearce, Des Walker, Terry Wilson, Steve Hodge, Tommy Gaynor, Neil Webb, Nigel Clough, Lee Chapman, Garry Parker
1990 - League Cup (Forest 1 Oldham Athletic 0)
Forest
won successive League Cups for the second time, equaling Liverpool's record of
four wins in the competition, having beaten Huddersfield Town, Crystal Palace, Everton, Tottenham, and
Coventry to reach the final.
Their opponents their were Second Division side Oldham and as such Forest were
clear favourites. However, their form going into the match had been poor and the
underdogs got off to the better start.
But Nigel Jemson, who had joined the club earlier that season, scored the only
goal of the game just minutes into the second half. Good saves from the keepers
at both ends kept the score-line at 1-0, enough for Forest to clinch the trophy.
Forest: Steve Sutton, Brian Laws, Stuart Pearce, Des Walker, Steve Chettle, Steve Hodge, Gary Crosby, Garry Parker, Nigel Clough, Nigel Jemson, Franz Carr
1991 - FA Cup finalists (Forest 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2 AET)
The FA Cup was the only major
club trophy to evade Brian Clough in his illustrious career and it seemed
destined that this year it was his. They beat Crystal Palace, Newcastle,
Southampton and Norwich, before a famous 4-0 win over West Ham took them to
Wembley where they would face Spurs in what would become a classic.
Clough's young side had the makings of a great side and many felt they were
favourites. A quarter of an hour in, Stuart Pearce hit a thunderous free-kick to
give Forest the lead. Moments before, Spurs' star player Paul Gascoigne has been
stretchered off with a broken leg he sustained in a horrendous tackle of Gary
Charles, which Cloughie later said he should have been sent off for.
Mark Crossley brought down Gary Linker in the box, but then saved the resulting
penalty to become only the second keeper to save a spot kick in an FA Cup final
(the other was Dave Beasant, later Crossley's team-mate at Forest). But Spurs
equalised in the second half thanks to Paul Stewart, taking the game into
extra-time.
Spurs piled the pressure on Forest in search of the winner, and with just
minutes to go the unfortunate Des Walker - trying to clear the ball - inadvertently
headed into his own net. Forest were beaten and Clough never would win the FA
Cup.
Forest: Mark Crossley, Gary Charles, Stuart Pearce, Des Walker, Steve Chettle, Roy Keane, Gary Crosby, Garry Parker, Nigel Clough, Lee Glover, Ian Woan
1992 - Zenith Data Systems Cup (Forest 3 Southampton 2)
1992 saw Forest make two more
trips to Wembley, making it seven visits in four years. This time they regained
the Full Members Cup (now the Zenith Data Systems Cup) with a 3-2 win over
Southampton.
Scott Gemmill and Kingsley Black gave Forest the lead, but Southampton came back
into it to, taking the game into extra-time. Gemmill got his second of the match
to win it for Forest, and though it was still a minor trophy, it was to be the
last Clough would ever win for Forest.
Forest: Andy Marriott, Gary Charles, Stuart Pearce, Des Walker, Darren Wassall, Roy Keane, Gary Crosby, Scot Gemmill, Nigel Clough, Teddy Sheringham, Kingsley Black
1992 - League Cup finalists (Forest 0 Manchester United 1)
Forest beat Bolton, Bristol Rovers, Southampton, Crystal
Palace and Tottenham to reach their sixth League Cup final (now known as the
Rumbelows Cup). As with Forest's previous run of success in this competition in
the 70s, this was to end in defeat by a single goal.
Brian McClair gave United the lead during a period of pressure. Forest improved
as the game went on, but were unable to get themselves back into the game. To
date, it is Forest's last visit to Wembley.
1997/98 - Nationwide League Champions
Forest
were in Division One - effectively the Second Division after the introduction of
the Premiership in 1992 - having been relegated under Frank Clark. New manager
Dave 'Harry' Basset was given the financial backing of a new board and allowed
to spend money on new signings. Among the most notable of these was the Dutch
striker Pierre Van Hooijdonk who, along with Kevin Campbell, formed a
partnership that scored over 50 goals in the season.
These goals and a sound defence featuring Colin Cooper and Steve Chettle saw
Forest topping the table for most of the season, battling with Middlesborough
and Sunderland for promotion. After a long campaign with many classic
encounters, the Reds secured promotion with one game to go as they beat Reading
1-0 at home - Chris Bart-Williams pounced to score a late goal to make a return
to Premiership football certain for the delirious City Ground crowd.
It was to be a bittersweet success for the fans as over the summer a number of
the stars of this season were sold off and the team was relegated immediately.