1977–78 Nottingham Forest F.C. season
The 1977–78 season was Nottingham Forest's first year back in the First Division since their relegation in 1972. They had finished third in the Second Division the previous season to earn promotion.
1977–78 season | |
---|---|
Chairman | S.M. Dryden, J.P. |
Manager | Brian Clough |
Football League Division One | 1st |
FA Cup | Sixth Round |
League Cup | Winners |
Top goalscorer | League: John Robertson, Peter Withe (12) All: Peter Withe, Tony Woodcock (19) |
Highest home attendance | 47,218 vs. Liverpool (Division One, 26 December 1977) |
Lowest home attendance | 18,224 vs West Ham United (League Cup, 30 August 1977) |
Average home league attendance | 32,501 |
Summary
Forest's credentials at the start of the season did not appear to be especially impressive. Promotion from Division Two in 1976–77 had been achieved only by the skin of their teeth and the squad of players was a mixture of underachievers, journeymen and inexperienced youngsters. Many pundits tipped them to struggle. However, Brian Clough and Peter Taylor had already proved at Derby County that they were capable of blending a winning formula from apparently limited resources and they would now do so again. No player epitomised Forest's success more than Kenny Burns, who arrived for £150,000 in pre-season from Birmingham City where he had acquired something of a 'wild man' reputation. Having spent several years playing as a forward, Burns was converted back to the defensive role where he had begun his career and although it took a few matches for him to settle he ended the season by being voted Footballer of the Year.
Forest confounded the critics from the outset, registering three straight league wins to top the first table of the season and thrashing West Ham United 5–0 in the second round of the League Cup. Although their 100% record ended with a 3–0 defeat at Arsenal, Forest won the next three and ended September second in the table behind Manchester City on goal difference. A 4–0 win over Ipswich Town at the beginning of October (Peter Withe scoring all four) restored them to the top of the table and there they stayed for the rest of the season. After a slight hiccup in November saw them lose consecutive away matches at Chelsea and Leeds United they went unbeaten in their remaining 26 league fixtures and were confirmed as champions following a goalless draw at Coventry City in April.
Two further additions had been made to the playing squad in the early weeks of the season. Peter Shilton was signed from Stoke City for £325,000, then a record transfer fee for a goalkeeper, and Archie Gemmill joined from Derby in a deal that also saw Shilton's predecessor John Middleton move in the opposite direction. Middleton had conceded six goals in Forest's opening five league matches - Shilton would concede only 18 in the remaining 37. In December, Forest bought David Needham from Queens Park Rangers for £140,000 to add depth to the defence. Nevertheless, they used just 17 players during the season, one of whom (teenage reserve goalkeeper Chris Woods) only appeared in the League Cup as cover for the cup-tied Shilton.
Forest's League Cup run saw them score 23 goals in just six matches en route to facing Liverpool in the final at Wembley where Woods performed heroics to keep the reigning league and European champions at bay and earn Forest a goalless draw. Liverpool also had the better of the replay at Old Trafford but a controversial penalty converted by John Robertson was enough to give Forest their first piece of major silverware since the FA Cup in 1959. A clean sweep of domestic trophies looked a distinct possibility until defeat at West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Players
Squad Stats
The statistics for the following players are for their time during 1977-78 season playing for Nottingham Forest. Any stats from a different club during 1977-78 are not included. Includes all competitive matches.
Position | Nation | Name | Total | Division One | League Cup | FA Cup | ||||
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | John Middleton | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
GK | Peter Shilton | 43 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
GK | Chris Woods | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
DF | Viv Anderson | 50 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 0 | |
DF | Colin Barrett | 41(2) | 1 | 33(2) | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
DF | Kenny Burns | 55 | 4 | 41 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
DF | Frank Clark | 19(1) | 1 | 12(1) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
DF | Bryn Gunn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
DF | Larry Lloyd | 34 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
DF | David Needham | 22 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
MF | Ian Bowyer | 36(3) | 10 | 25(3) | 4 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | |
MF | Steve Burke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
MF | Archie Gemmill | 36(2) | 3 | 32(2) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
MF | John McGovern | 42 | 5 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |
MF | Martin O'Neill | 52(2) | 13 | 38(2) | 8 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
MF | John Robertson | 56 | 18 | 42 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 3 | |
FW | Garry Birtles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
FW | Steve Elliott | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
FW | John O'Hare | 11(2) | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1(1) | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | |
FW | Peter Withe | 54 | 19 | 40 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 2 | |
FW | Tony Woodcock | 50 | 19 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 4 | |
Own goals | 2 | 2 |
Transfers In
Pos | Player | From | Fee | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
DF | £150,000 | July 1977 | ||
GK | £325,000 | September 1977 | ||
MF | £25,000 & P/E | September 1977 | ||
DF | £140,000 | December 1977 |
Transfers Out
Pos | Player | To | Fee | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
DF | £7,500 | July 1977 | ||
FW | £20,000 | September 1977 | ||
MF | £25,000 | September 1977 | ||
GK | P/E | September 1977 | ||
MF | £50,000 | November 1977 |
Table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nottingham Forest (C) | 42 | 25 | 14 | 3 | 69 | 24 | +45 | 64 | League Champions, qualified for European Cup 1978–79 First round[lower-alpha 1] |
2 | Liverpool | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 65 | 34 | +31 | 57 | European Cup 1978–79 First round[lower-alpha 2] |
3 | Everton | 42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 76 | 45 | +31 | 55 | UEFA Cup 1978–79 First round |
4 | Manchester City | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 74 | 51 | +23 | 52 | |
5 | Arsenal | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 60 | 37 | +23 | 52 |
(C) Champion.
Notes:
- Nottingham Forest also won the League cup this year.
- Liverpool won the European Cup, now for the second year running, and thus qualified for the following season's competition.
Matches
A list of Nottingham Forest's matches in the 1977-78 season.[1][2][3]
Competitive
Division One
20 August 1977 1 | Everton | 1–3 | Nottingham Forest | Liverpool |
Pearson |
Withe Robertson O'Neill |
Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 38,001 |
23 August 1977 2 | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Bristol City | Nottingham |
Withe |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 21,743 |
27 August 1977 3 | Nottingham Forest | 3–0 | Derby County | Nottingham |
Withe Robertson |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 28,807 |
3 September 1977 4 | Arsenal | 3–0 | Nottingham Forest | London |
Stapleton Brady |
Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 40,810 |
10 September 1977 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–3 | Nottingham Forest | Wolverhampton |
Bell Daley |
Withe Bowyer Woodcock |
Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 24,662 |
17 September 1977 6 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Aston Villa | Nottingham |
Woodcock Robertson |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 31,016 |
24 September 1977 7 | Leicester City | 0–3 | Nottingham Forest | Leicester |
O'Neill Woodcock Robertson |
Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,447 |
1 October 1977 8 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Norwich City | Nottingham |
Burns |
Peters |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 23,741 |
4 October 1977 9 | Nottingham Forest | 4–0 | Ipswich Town | Nottingham |
Withe |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 26,845 |
8 October 1977 10 | West Ham United | 0–0 | Nottingham Forest | London |
Stadium: Upton Park Attendance: 26,128 |
15 October 1977 11 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Manchester City | Nottingham |
Woodcock Withe |
Kidd |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 35,572 |
22 October 1977 12 | Queens Park Rangers | 0–2 | Nottingham Forest | London |
Bowyer Burns |
Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 24,248 |
29 October 1977 13 | Nottingham Forest | 4–0 | Middlesbrough | Nottingham |
Anderson Bowyer McGovern |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 27,373 |
5 November 1977 14 | Chelsea | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest | London |
Aylott |
Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 36,116 |
12 November 1977 15 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Manchester United | Nottingham |
Burns Gemmill |
Pearson |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 30,183 |
19 November 1977 16 | Leeds United | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest | Leeds |
Hankin |
Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 42,925 |
26 November 1977 17 | Nottingham Forest | 0–0 | West Bromwich Albion | Nottingham |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 31,908 |
3 December 1977 18 | Birmingham City | 0–2 | Nottingham Forest | Birmingham |
O'Neill Woodcock |
Stadium: St. Andrew's Attendance: 29,925 |
10 December 1977 19 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Coventry City | Nottingham |
O'Neill McGovern |
Wallace |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 29,823 |
17 December 1977 20 | Manchester United | 0–4 | Nottingham Forest | Manchester |
B. Greenhoff Woodcock Robertson |
Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 54,375 |
26 December 1977 21 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Liverpool | Nottingham |
Gemmill |
Heighway |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 47,218 |
28 December 1977 22 | Newcastle United | 0–2 | Nottingham Forest | Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
Needham McGovern |
Stadium: St. James' Park Attendance: 54,375 |
31 December 1977 23 | Bristol City | 1–3 | Nottingham Forest | Bristol |
Mabbutt |
Needham Woodcock O'Neill |
Stadium: Ashton Gate Attendance: 31,990 |
2 January 1978 24 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Everton | Nottingham |
Robertson |
Ross |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 44,030 |
14 January 1978 25 | Derby County | 0–0 | Nottingham Forest | Derby |
Stadium: Baseball Ground Attendance: 36,500 |
21 January 1978 26 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Arsenal | Nottingham |
Needham Gemmill |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 35,743 |
4 February 1978 27 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Nottingham |
Woodcock McGovern |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 28,803 |
25 February 1978 28 | Norwich City | 3–3 | Nottingham Forest | Norwich |
Ryan Suggett Robson |
Withe Barrett O'Neill |
Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 26,004 |
4 March 1978 29 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | West Ham United | Nottingham |
Needham Robertson |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 33,924 |
14 March 1978 30 | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Leicester City | Nottingham |
Robertson |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 32,355 |
25 March 1978 31 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Newcastle United | Nottingham |
Robertson Anderson |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 35,552 |
29 March 1978 32 | Middlesbrough | 2–2 | Nottingham Forest | Middlesbrough |
Mills Cummins |
Woodcock O'Neill |
Stadium: Ayresome Park Attendance: 25,445 |
1 April 1978 33 | Nottingham Forest | 3–1 | Chelsea | Nottingham |
Burns O'Neill Robertson |
Langley |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 31,262 |
5 April 1978 34 | Aston Villa | 0–1 | Nottingham Forest | Birmingham |
Woodcock |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 44,315 |
11 April 1978 35 | Manchester City | 0–0 | Nottingham Forest | Manchester |
Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 43,428 |
15 April 1978 36 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Leeds United | Nottingham |
Withe |
F. Gray |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 38,662 |
18 April 1978 37 | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers | Nottingham |
Robertson |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 30,339 |
22 April 1978 38 | Coventry City | 0–0 | Nottingham Forest | Coventry |
Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 36,881 |
25 April 1978 39 | Ipswich Town | 0–2 | Nottingham Forest | Ipswich |
Mariner Clark |
Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 30,062 |
29 April 1978 40 | Nottingham Forest | 0–0 | Birmingham City | Nottingham |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 37,625 |
2 May 1978 41 | West Bromwich Albion | 2–2 | Nottingham Forest | West Bromwich |
T. Brown Hughes |
Bowyer Robertson |
Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 23,612 |
4 May 1978 42 | Liverpool | 0–0 | Nottingham Forest | Liverpool |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 50,021 |
League Cup
30 August 1977 R2 | Nottingham Forest | 5–0 | West Ham United | Nottingham |
O'Neill Bowyer Woodcock Withe |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 18,224 |
25 October 1977 R3 | Nottingham Forest | 4–0 | Notts County | Nottingham |
Robertson Woodcock Bowyer |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 26,931 |
29 November 1977 R4 | Nottingham Forest | 4–2 | Aston Villa | Nottingham |
Lloyd Anderson Withe Woodcock |
Little Carrodus |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 29,333 |
17 January 1978 R5 | Bury | 0–3 | Nottingham Forest | Bury |
Bowyer O'Neill Robertson |
Stadium: Gigg Lane Attendance: 21,500 |
8 February 1978 Semi-Final, 1st Leg | Leeds United | 1–3 | Nottingham Forest | Leeds |
E. Gray |
Withe O'Hare |
Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 43,222 |
22 February 1978 Semi-Final, 2nd Leg | Nottingham Forest | 4–2 (7–3 agg.) | Leeds United | Nottingham |
Withe Bowyer O'Neill Woodcock |
F. Gray Graham |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 38,131 |
18 March 1978 Final | Nottingham Forest | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Liverpool | London |
Stadium: Wembley Attendance: 100,000 |
22 March 1978 Final Replay | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Liverpool | Manchester |
Robertson |
Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 54,375 |
FA Cup
7 January 1978 R3 | Nottingham Forest | 4–1 | Swindon Town | Nottingham |
Woodcock Withe Robertson |
Moss |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 28,953 |
31 January 1978 R4 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Manchester City | Nottingham |
Robertson Withe |
Kidd |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 38,509 |
18 February 1978 R5 | Queens Park Rangers | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | London |
Busby |
O'Neill |
Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 26,803 |
27 February 1978 R5 Replay | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Queens Park Rangers | Nottingham |
Robertson |
Shanks |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 40,097 |
2 March 1978 R5 2nd Replay | Nottingham Forest | 3–1 | Queens Park Rangers | Nottingham |
O'Neill Woodcock |
Bowles |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 33,960 |
11 March 1978 R6 | West Bromwich Albion | 2–0 | Nottingham Forest | West Bromwich |
Martin Regis |
Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 36,506 |
Pre-season and Friendlies
1 August 1977 Friendly | St Gallen | 2–3 | Nottingham Forest | St Gallen, Switzerland |
Bowyer Withe |
Stadium: Espenmoos Attendance: 2,300 |
3 August 1977 Friendly | Wacker Innsbruck | 0–2 | Nottingham Forest | Innsbruck, Austria |
Woodcock Robertson |
Attendance: 7,300 |
5 August 1977 Friendly | SV Plattling | 1–5 | Nottingham Forest | Plattling, Germany |
O'Neill Elliott Birtles |
Stadium: Rennbahnstadion Attendance: 1,500 |
6 August 1977 Friendly | VfR Neuburg | 1–5 | Nottingham Forest | Neuberg, Germany |
Woodcock Barrett O'Neill Bowyer |
Attendance: 1,000 |
9 August 1977 Friendly | SC Bregenz | 0–3 | Nottingham Forest | Bregenz, Austria |
Elliott Woodcock |
Stadium: Casino Stadium Attendance: 2,000 |
13 August 1977 Centenary Match | Skegness Town | 0–4 | Nottingham Forest | Skegness |
Burns Bowyer Elliott Robertson |
Stadium: Burgh Road Attendance: 2,500 |
15 August 1977 County Cup Final | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 (3–2 p) | Notts County | Nottingham |
Bowyer |
Smith |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 11,569 Referee: G. Flint |
12 September 1977 Liam O'Kane Testimonial | Nottingham Forest XI | 0–0 | Leicester City XI | Nottingham |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 5,190 Referee: B. Martin |
17 October 1977 John Harris Testimonial | Sheffield United XI | 1–6 | Nottingham Forest | Sheffield |
Burns Withe Woodcock Robertson |
Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 6,780 Referee: K. Styles |
14 November 1977 Alan Goad Testimonial | Hartlepool United | 2–2 | Nottingham Forest | Hartlepool |
Burns Woodcock |
Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 4,000 Referee: P. Partridge |
22 November 1977 Friendly | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 1–6 | Nottingham Forest | Tel Aviv, Israel |
Anderson McGovern Lloyd Woodcock O'Hare |
Stadium: Bloomfield Stadium Attendance: 19,000 |
3 April 1978 Henry Newton Testimonial | Derby County | 1–2 | Nottingham Forest | Derby |
Lloyd Bowyer |
Stadium: The Baseball Ground Attendance: 9,070 Referee: M. Taylor |
12 April 1978 Les Bradd Testimonial | Notts County | 0–1 | Nottingham Forest | Nottingham |
O'Hare |
Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 10,129 Referee: B. Martin |
1 May 1978 Brian Clough & Peter Taylor Testimonial | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Derby County | Nottingham |
McGovern Withe |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 18,272 Referee: C. White |
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Smales, Ken (1991). Forest - The First 125 Years. Nottingham: Temple Printing. ISBN 978-1870010092.
- Attaway, Pete (2010). Nottingham Forest: Brian Clough and His Legacy - A Complete Record 1975 - 2010. Southend-on-Sea: Desert Island Book. ISBN 978-1905328833.