1979–80 Nottingham Forest F.C. season

Nottingham Forest F.C.
1979–80 season
ChairmanStuart Dryden
ManagerBrian Clough
StadiumThe City Ground
First Division5th
FA Cup4th round
League CupRunners up
European CupWinners
(in 1980-81 European Cup)
European Super CupWinners
Top goalscorerLeague:
Trevor Francis (14)

All:
Robertson (19)
Highest home attendance32,266 (League)
Lowest home attendance21,242 (League)
Average home league attendance26,330 (League)

The 1979–80 season was Nottingham Forest's 115th year in existence and third consecutive season in the First Division.

Summary

During summer chairman Stuart M. Dryden reinforced the squad with several players, Left-back Frank Clark announced his retirement and the club bought Frank Gray from Leeds United for £500,000 to cover the position.[1] To replace Archie Gemmill in midfield, the club bought Asa Hartford from Manchester City only to sell him on to Everton F.C.[2] for a small loss after just three games and two months at the club. With the team plummeting to mid-table by winter the club loaned in Forward Charlie George from Southampton F.C. who only played 4 matches [3] and failed to reinforce an attack already weakened after the departure of Tony Woodcock to 1.FC Köln[4] and the injury of Trevor Francis. Also, signing in mid-season was midfielder Stan Bowles from Queen's Park Rangers[5] but the transfer did not work out owing to differences between Bowles and manager Clough. The relative lack of impact of many of these signings led to a 5th place league finish after being title contenders in the two previous seasons.

The club refused to play the Intercontinental Cup against Paraguayan side and Copa Libertadores Champion Club Olimpia.[6] In the FA Cup the team was eliminated by Liverpool F.C. in fourth round. In the League Cup the squad fell short of a third consecutive win at the last hurdle, losing in Final to Wolverhampton Wanderers by a single goal. However, the squad won its first European Super Cup with a 2–1 aggregate score after two legs against FC Barcelona.[7] In the European Cup as the holders, the club which advanced again to the Final and clinched its second successive title after defeating 1–0 West German side Hamburg SV who fielded the then-England captain and ex-Liverpool fan favourite Kevin Keegan.[8]

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK  ENG Peter Shilton
GK  ENG Jimmy Montgomery
GK  ENG Steve Sutton
DF  ENG Viv Anderson
DF  ENG Larry Lloyd
DF  SCO Kenny Burns
DF  SCO Frank Gray
DF  ENG Bryn Gunn
DF  ENG David Needham
MF  NIR Martin O'Neill
MF  SCO John McGovern (c)
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF  SCO John Robertson
MF  ENG Ian Bowyer
MF  ENG Gary Mills
MF  SCO John O'Hare
MF  SCO Asa Hartford
MF  SCO Colin Walsh
FW  ENG Trevor Francis
FW  ENG Stan Bowles
FW  ENG Garry Birtles
FW  ENG Tony Woodcock
FW  ENG Charlie George

Transfers

Winter

In
Pos. Name from Type
FW Stan Bowles Queen's Park Rangers [d]
Out
Pos. Name To Type
FW Tony Woodcock 1.FC Köln £875,000 [e]

Spring

In
Pos. Name from Type
Out
Pos. Name To Type
DF Colin Barrett Swindon Town [f]
MF Stan Bowles Leyton Orient F.C. £100,000 [g]

Competitions

A list of Nottingham Forest's matches in the 1979–80 season.[9][10][11]

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
3 Ipswich Town 42 22 9 11 68 39 +29 53 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4 Arsenal 42 18 16 8 52 36 +16 52
5 Nottingham Forest 42 20 8 14 63 43 +20 48 Qualification for the European Cup first round[h]
6 Wolverhampton Wanderers 42 19 9 14 58 47 +11 47 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[i]
7 Aston Villa 42 16 14 12 51 50 +1 46
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. ^ Transferred in on 18 August 1979
  2. ^ Transferred in on 18 August 1979
  3. ^ Transferred out on 25 August 1979
  4. ^ Transferred in on 22 December 1979
  5. ^ Transferred out on 17 November 1979
  6. ^ Transferred out on 18 April 1979
  7. ^ Transferred out on 9 May 1980
  8. ^ Nottingham Forest qualified for the European Cup first round as the 1979–80 European Cup winners.
  9. ^ Wolverhampton Wanderers qualified for the UEFA Cup as the 1979–80 Football League Cup winners.

Results by round

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundAHHAHAAHHAAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA
ResultWWWWDLDWWDLWLWLLLDLLWWLWWDDLWLWWLWLWDWWDWL
Position43211213212122345571013108109866676969679108765
Source: Competitive matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss;   = Leader, 1980-81 European Cup;   = 1980-81 UEFA Cup;   = 1980–81 Second Division

Matches

18 August 1979 1 Ipswich Town 0–1 Nottingham Forest Ipswich
46' Woodcock Stadium: Portman Road
Attendance: 27,371
22 August 1979 2 Nottingham Forest 1–0 Stoke City West Bridgford
O'Neill 81' Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 26,147
25 August 1979 3 Nottingham Forest 4–1 Coventry City West Bridgford
Woodcock 18'
McGovern 38'
McGovern 63'
Robertson 68' (pen.)
47' English Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 23,025
1 September 1979 4 West Bromwich Albion 1–5 Nottingham Forest West Bromwich
Owen 2' 15' Lloyd
28' Birtles
43' Birtles
77' Gray
81' Birtles
Stadium: The Hawthorns
Attendance: 26,026
8 September 1979 5 Nottingham Forest 0–0 Leeds United West Bridgford
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 26,914
15 September 1979 6 Norwich City 3–1 Nottingham Forest Norwich
Reeves 37'
Fashanu 41'
Robson 57'
82' Woodcock Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 18,621
22 September 1979 7 Bristol City 1–1 Nottingham Forest Bristol
Mann 34' 72' Mills Stadium: Ashton Gate
Attendance: 22,759
29 September 1979 8 Nottingham Forest 1–0 Liverpool F.C. West Bridgford
Birtles 36' Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 28,262
6 October 1979 9 Nottingham Forest 3–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers West Bridgford
Francis 1'
Robertson 24' (pen.)
Birtles 37'
44' Richards
86' (pen.) P. W. Daniel
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 27,569
10 October 1979 10 Stoke City 1–1 Nottingham Forest Stoke
Callaghan 62' Birtles 81' Stadium: Victoria Ground
Attendance: 28,514
13 October 1979 11 Manchester City 1–0 Nottingham Forest Moss Side
Deyna 47' Stadium: Maine Road
Attendance: 41,683
20 October 1979 12 Nottingham Forest 5–2 Bolton Wanderers West Bridgford
Lloyd 6'
Woodcock 18'
Francis 44'
Robertson 52' (pen.)
Anderson 67'
Thompson 66'
Morgan 80' (pen.)
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 24,564
27 October 1979 13 Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 Nottingham Forest Tottenham
Hoddle 3' Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 49,038
3 November 1979 14 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Ipswich Town West Bridgford
Francis 50'
Francis 87'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 24,593
10 November 1979 15 Southampton F.C. 4–1 Nottingham Forest Southampton
Watson 27'
Channon 30'
Boyer 57'
Boyer 64'
56' Birtles Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 22,072
17 November 1979 16 Nottingham Forest 0–1 West Bromwich Albion West Bridgford
11' Ryan Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 25,837
24 November 1979 17 Derby County 4–1 Nottingham Forest Derby
Daly 13'
Duncan 15'
Emery 16'
Duncan 77'
47' (pen.) Robertson Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 27,729
1 December 1979 18 Nottingham Forest 1–1 Arsenal F.C. West Bridgford
Birtles 89' 4' Stapleton Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 27,925
8 December 1979 19 Crystal Palace 1–0 Nottingham Forest Selhurst
Walsh 42' Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 34,782
22 December 1979 21 Manchester United 3–0 Nottingham Forest Manchester
Jordan 2'
Jordan 16'
McQueen 23'
Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 54,522
26 December 1979 22 Nottingham Forest 2–1 Aston Villa West Bridgford
Robertson 50' (pen.)
Bowles 57'
64' Shaw Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 30,979
29 December 1979 23 Coventry City 0–3 Nottingham Forest Coventry
50' (pen.) Robertson
66' Robertson
68' Bowles
Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 24,737
1 January 1980 24 Everton F.C. 1–0 Nottingham Forest Walton
Kidd 24' Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 34,616
12 January 1980 25 Nottingham Forest 3–1 West Bromwich Albion West Bridgford
Needham 52'
Francis 56'
Anderson 77'
10' Regis Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 27,724
19 January 1980 26 Leeds United 1–2 Nottingham Forest Leeds
Connor 15' 45' Birtles
82' Francis
Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 29, 816
9 February 1980 27 Nottingham Forest 0–0 Bristol City West Bridgford
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 23,421
16 February 1980 20 [a] Nottingham Forest 2–2 Middlesbrough F.C. West Bridgford
Robertson 62' (pen.)
O'Neill 72'
61' Burns
63' Burns
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 28,889
19 February 1980 28 Liverpool F.C. 2–0 Nottingham Forest Liverpool
McDermott 78'
Kennedy 83'
Stadium: Anfield Road
Attendance: 45,093
23 February 1980 29 Nottingham Forest 4–0 Manchester City West Bridgford
Francis 27'
Burns 48'
Francis 56'
Francis 70'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 27,255
1 March 1980 30 Bolton Wanderers 1–0 Nottingham Forest Bolton
Whatmore 41' Stadium: Burnden Park
Attendance: 16,164
11 March 1980 31 Nottingham Forest 4–0 Tottenham Hotspur West Bridgford
Burns 70'
Burns 74'
Francis 77'
Francis 83'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 25,633
22 March 1980 33 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Southampton F.C. West Bridgford
Robertson 36' (pen.)
Birtles 44'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 27,625
29 March 1980 34 Brighton & Hove Albion 1–0 Nottingham Forest Brighton
G.P. Williams 87' Stadium: Goldstone Ground
Attendance: 25,128
2 April 1980 35 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Manchester United West Bridgford
Robertson 80' (pen.)
Birtles 88'
 80' McIlroy Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 31,417
Referee: C Thomas
5 April 1980 36 Aston Villa 3–2 Nottingham Forest Birmingham
Bremner 13'
Evans 41'
Lloyd 47' (o.g.)
28' Birtles
76' Bowyer
Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 29,156
19 April 1980 39 Nottingham Forest 1–0 Derby County West Bridgford
Gray 42' Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 32,366
26 April 1980 40 Middlesbrough F.C. 0–0 Nottingham Forest Middlesbrough
Stadium: Ayresome Park
Attendance: 17,021
30 April 1980 41 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Norwich City Nottingham
Bond 3' (o.g.)
Francis 59'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 21,242
3 May 1980 38 [b] Nottingham Forest 4–0 Crystal Palace West Bridgford
Francis 10'
Francis 24'
Lloyd 33'
Robertson 74'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 24,529
5 May 1980 42 Arsenal F.C. 0–0 Nottingham Forest Islington
Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 34,632
9 May 1980 37 [c] Nottingham Forest 1–0 Everton F.C. West Bridgford
Anderson 89' Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 22,122
12 May 1980 32 [d] Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1 Nottingham Forest Wolverhampton
Hibbit 5' (pen.)
Richards 73'
Palmer 82'
69' O'Neill Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 22,725

League Cup

Second round

29 August 1979 1 Blackburn Rovers 1–1 Nottingham Forest Blackburn
Stadium: Ewood Park
5 September 1979 2 Nottingham Forest 6–1 Blackburn Rovers Nottingham
Stadium: City Ground

Third round

25 September 1979 Middlesbrough 1–3 Nottingham Forest Middlesbrough

Fourth round

30 October 1979 Bristol City 1–1 Nottingham Forest Bristol
14 November 1979 replay Nottingham Forest 3–0 Bristol City Nottingham
Stadium: City Ground

Quarterfinals

4 December 1979 West Ham United 0–0 Nottingham Forest West Ham
12 December 1979 replay Nottingham Forest 3–0 West Ham United Nottingham
Stadium: City Ground

Semifinals

22 January 1980 1 Nottingham Forest 1–0 Liverpool F.C. Nottingham
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 32,234[12]
12 February 1980 2 Liverpool F.C. 1–1 Nottingham Forest Liverpool
Stadium: Anfield Road
Attendance: 50,880

Final

15 March 1980 Nottingham Forest 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers London
15:00 GMT Gray 67' Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 96,527
Referee: David Richardson (Great Harwood)

Third round

5 January 1980 Leeds United 1–4 Nottingham Forest Leeds
Stadium: Elland Road

Fourth round

26 January 1980 Nottingham Forest 0–2 Liverpool F.C. Nottingham
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 33,277

European Cup

Round of 32

19 September 1979 1 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Öster Nottingham
Bowyer 63', 73' Report Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 21,974
Referee: Sotos Afxentiou (Cyprus)
3 October 1979 2 Öster 1–1 Nottingham Forest Växjö
Nordgren 52' Report Woodcock 79' Stadium: Värendsvallen
Attendance: 14,772
Referee: Jerzy Kacprzak (Poland)

Eightfinals

24 October 1979 1 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Argeș Pitești Nottingham
Woodcock 12'
Birtles 16'
Report Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 24,828
Referee: Reidar Bjørnestad

Quarterfinals

5 March 1980 1 Nottingham Forest 0–1 BFC Dynamo Nottingham
Report Riediger 63' Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 27,946
Referee: Alexis Ponnet
19 March 1980 2 BFC Dynamo 1–3
(2–3 agg.)
Nottingham Forest East Berlin
Terletzki 49' (pen.) Report Francis 15', 35'
Robertson 39' (pen.)
Stadium: Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Stadion
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Alain Delmer

Semifinals

9 April 1980 1 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Ajax Nottingham
Francis 33'
Robertson 61' (pen.)
Report Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 31,244
Referee: André Daina
23 April 1980 2 Ajax 1–0
(1–2 agg.)
Nottingham Forest Amsterdam
Lerby 65' Report Stadium: Olympisch Stadion
Attendance: 54,955
Referee: Nicolae Rainea

Final

UEFA Super Cup

30 January 1980 1 Nottingham Forest 1–0 Barcelona Nottingham
George 9' Report Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 23,807
Referee: Adolf Prokop
5 February 1980 2 Barcelona 1–1 Nottingham Forest Barcelona
Roberto 25' (pen.) Report Burns 42' Stadium: Camp Nou
Attendance: 80,000
Referee: Walter Eschweiler

Statistics

Players statistics

[e]

No. Pos Nat Player Total Football League
Division One
Football League
Cup
FA
Cup
European Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK  ENG Shilton 63 -43 42 -43 10 0 2 0 9 0
DF  ENG Anderson 61 4 41 3 10 1 2 0 8 0
DF  ENG Lloyd 62 4 42 3 9 1 2 0 9 0
DF  SCO Burns 51 3 33+1 3 8 0 1 0 8 0
DF  SCO Gray 62 4 41 2 10 1 2 1 9 0
MF  NIR O'Neill 44 5 27+1 3 8 2 1 0 7 0
MF  SCO McGovern 60 2 41 2 8 0 2 0 9 0
MF  ENG Bowles 22 2 19 2 0 0 1 0 2 0
MF  SCO Robertson 63 19 41+1 11 10 4 2 1 9 3
FW  ENG Francis 42 17 30 14 6 0 2 0 4 3
FW  ENG Birtles 62 16 42 12 9 1 2 1 9 2
GK  ENG Montgomery 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FW  ENG Woodcock 25 11 16 4 5 5 0 0 4 2
MF  ENG Mills 16 1 6+4 1 3 0 0 0 3 0
MF  SCO O'Hare 12 3 6+1 1 4 2 0 0 1 0
DF  ENG Needham 13 1 6+2 1 3 0 1 0 1 0
MF  ENG Bowyer 27 7 5+7 1 7 2 2 1 6 3
MF  SCO Hartford 3 0 3 0
FW  ENG George 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF  ENG Gunn 3 0 1+1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
GK  ENG Sutton
MF  SCO Walsh

Notes

  1. ^ Rescheduled from 15 December 1979
  2. ^ Match rescheduled from 12 April 1980
  3. ^ Match rescheduled from 7 April 1980
  4. ^ Match rescheduled from 15 March 1980
  5. ^ The statistics for the following players are for their time during 1979–80 season playing for Nottingham Forest. Any stats from a different club during 1979–80 are not included. Includes all competitive matches.

References

  1. ^ "Leeds United: Season 1973 – 1974: Division One". leeds-fans.org.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  2. ^ "City heroes: Asa Hartford". Manchester Evening News. 12 August 2004. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  3. ^ Brown, Jim (20 October 2006). "Charlie George's brief Highfield Road career". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Career Stats – Tony Woodcock". Neil Brown.Newcastle Fans.com.
  5. ^ "Stan Bowles: 'Clough, Brooking, Eriksson... I don't rate any of them'". The Independent. 13 October 2005. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  6. ^ BBC Sports 13 December 2010 – World Club Cup deserves respect, access date: 1 December 2013
  7. ^ "Burns' night for Forest". UEFA. March 1980. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  8. ^ ""Nottingham Forest 1979/80" uefa.com".
  9. ^ "1977–1978". Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  10. ^ Smales, Ken (1991). Forest – The First 125 Years. Nottingham: Temple Printing. ISBN 978-1870010092.
  11. ^ Attaway, Pete (2010). Nottingham Forest: Brian Clough and His Legacy - A Complete Record 1975 - 2010. Southend-on-Sea: Desert Island Book. ISBN 978-1905328833.
  12. ^ "Matchdetails from Nottingham Forest – Liverpool played on Tuesday 22 January 1980 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!".