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 |
| First Division | 1st |
| FA Cup | 6th Round |
| League Cup | Winners |
| Top goalscorer | League: Robertson Withe (12) All: Withe 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 |  | Peter Shilton | 43 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| DF | | Viv Anderson | 50 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| DF |  | Kenny Burns | 55 | 4 | 41 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| DF | | Larry Lloyd | 34 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| DF | | Colin Barrett | 41(2) | 1 | 33(2) | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| MF |  | Martin O'Neill | 52(2) | 13 | 38(2) | 8 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 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 | | John Robertson | 56 | 18 | 42 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| FW | | Peter Withe | 54 | 19 | 40 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| FW | | Tony Woodcock | 50 | 19 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| GK | | John Middleton | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GK | | Chris Woods | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 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 | | David Needham | 22 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| MF | | Steve Burke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MF | | Ian Bowyer | 36(3) | 10 | 25(3) | 4 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 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 |
| Own goals | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
Transfers In
| Pos | Player | From | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Kenny Burns | Birmingham City | £150,000 | July 1977 |
| GK | Peter Shilton | Stoke City | £325,000 | September 1977 |
| MF | Archie Gemmill | Derby County | £25,000 & P/E | September 1977 |
| DF | David Needham | Queens Park Rangers | £140,000 | December 1977 |
Transfers Out
| Pos | Player | To | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Sammy Chapman | Notts County | £7,500 | July 1977 |
| FW | Barry Butlin | Peterborough United | £20,000 | September 1977 |
| MF | Sean Haslegrave | Preston North End | £25,000 | September 1977 |
| GK | John Middleton | Derby County | P/E | September 1977 |
| MF | Terry Curran | Derby County | £50,000 | November 1977 |
Club Kit
Supplier: Adidas
          Home |      Away |
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 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Liverpool | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 65 | 34 | +31 | 57 | Qualification for the European Cup first round[a] |
| 3 | Everton | 42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 76 | 45 | +31 | 55 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Manchester City | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 74 | 51 | +23 | 52 | |
| 5 | Arsenal | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 60 | 37 | +23 | 52 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions
Notes:
Results by round
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; = Leader, 1978-79 European Cup; = 1978-79 UEFA Cup; = 1978-79 Second Division
Matches
A list of Nottingham Forest's matches in the 1977–78 season.[1][2][3]
Competitive
| 20 August 1977 1 | Everton | 1–3 | Nottingham Forest | Liverpool |
Pearson  44' | Withe 20' Robertson 38'O'Neill 77' | Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 38,001 |
| 23 August 1977 2 | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Bristol City | Nottingham |
| Withe 82' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 21,743 |
| 27 August 1977 3 | Nottingham Forest | 3–0 | Derby County | Nottingham |
| Withe 31', 67' Robertson 78' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 28,807 |
| 3 September 1977 4 | Arsenal | 3–0 | Nottingham Forest | London |
| Stapleton 3', 60' Brady 69' (pen.) | Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 40,810 |
| 10 September 1977 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–3 | Nottingham Forest | Wolverhampton |
| Bell 73' Daley 82' (pen.) | Withe 18' Bowyer 64'Woodcock 72' | Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 24,662 |
| 17 September 1977 6 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Aston Villa | Nottingham |
| Woodcock 5' Robertson 89' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 31,016 |
| 24 September 1977 7 | Leicester City | 0–3 | Nottingham Forest | Leicester |
| O'Neill 18' Woodcock 63'Robertson 89' (pen.) | Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,447 |
| 1 October 1977 8 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Norwich City | Nottingham |
| Burns 73' | Peters 78' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 23,741 |
| 4 October 1977 9 | Nottingham Forest | 4–0 | Ipswich Town | Nottingham |
| Withe 43', 58', 86', 89' | 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 34' Withe 86' | Kidd 21' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 35,572 |
| 22 October 1977 12 | Queens Park Rangers | 0–2 | Nottingham Forest | London |
| Bowyer 59' Burns 82' | Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 24,248 |
| 29 October 1977 13 | Nottingham Forest | 4–0 | Middlesbrough | Nottingham |
| Anderson 31', 44' Bowyer 40'McGovern 55' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 27,373 |
| 5 November 1977 14 | Chelsea | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest | London |
| Aylott 55' | Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 36,116 |
| 12 November 1977 15 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Manchester United | Nottingham |
| Burns 49' Gemmill 74' | Pearson 5' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 30,183 |
| 19 November 1977 16 | Leeds United | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest | Leeds |
| Hankin 36' | 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 10' Woodcock 52' | Stadium: St. Andrew's Attendance: 29,925 |
| 10 December 1977 19 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Coventry City | Nottingham |
| O'Neill 40' McGovern 44' | Wallace 41' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 29,823 |
| 17 December 1977 20 | Manchester United | 0–4 | Nottingham Forest | Manchester |
| B. Greenhoff 23' (o.g.) Woodcock 28', 89'Robertson 53' | Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 54,375 |
| 26 December 1977 21 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Liverpool | Nottingham |
| Gemmill 21' | Heighway 39' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 47,218 |
| 28 December 1977 22 | Newcastle United | 0–2 | Nottingham Forest | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Needham 16' McGovern 71' | Stadium: St. James' Park Attendance: 54,375 |
| 31 December 1977 23 | Bristol City | 1–3 | Nottingham Forest | Bristol |
| Mabbutt 82' | Needham 11' Woodcock 21'O'Neill 58' | Stadium: Ashton Gate Attendance: 31,990 |
| 2 January 1978 24 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Everton | Nottingham |
| Robertson 25' (pen.) | Ross 85' (pen.) | 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 32' Gemmill 64' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 35,743 |
| 4 February 1978 27 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Nottingham |
| Woodcock 40' McGovern 53' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 28,803 |
| 25 February 1978 28 | Norwich City | 3–3 | Nottingham Forest | Norwich |
| Ryan 44' (pen.) Suggett 68'Robson 70' | Withe 16' Barrett 22'O'Neill 24' | Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 26,004 |
| 4 March 1978 29 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | West Ham United | Nottingham |
| Needham 79' Robertson 81' (pen.) | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 33,924 |
| 14 March 1978 30 | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Leicester City | Nottingham |
| Robertson 13' (pen.) | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 32,355 |
| 25 March 1978 31 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Newcastle United | Nottingham |
| Robertson 32' (pen.) Anderson 67' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 35,552 |
| 29 March 1978 32 | Middlesbrough | 2–2 | Nottingham Forest | Middlesbrough |
| Mills 13' Cummins 22' | Woodcock 20' O'Neill 54' | Stadium: Ayresome Park Attendance: 25,445 |
| 1 April 1978 33 | Nottingham Forest | 3–1 | Chelsea | Nottingham |
| Burns 68' O'Neill 82'Robertson 87' | Langley 8' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 31,262 |
| 5 April 1978 34 | Aston Villa | 0–1 | Nottingham Forest | Birmingham |
| Woodcock 86' | 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 65' | F. Gray 41' (pen.) | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 38,662 |
| 18 April 1978 37 | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers | Nottingham |
| Robertson 29' (pen.) | 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 73' (o.g.) Clark 78' | 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 28' Hughes 35' | Bowyer 16' Robertson 36' (pen.) | Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 23,612 |
| 4 May 1978 42 | Liverpool | 0–0 | Nottingham Forest | Liverpool |
| Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 50,021 |
Second round
| 30 August 1977 | Nottingham Forest | 5–0 | West Ham United | Nottingham |
| O'Neill 9' Bowyer 25', 85'Woodcock 65'Withe 78' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 18,224 |
Third round
| 25 October 1977 | Nottingham Forest | 4–0 | Notts County | Nottingham |
| Robertson 16' (pen.) Woodcock 46'Bowyer 65', 84' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 26,931 |
Fourth round
| 29 November 1977 | Nottingham Forest | 4–2 | Aston Villa | Nottingham |
| Lloyd 7' Anderson 13'Withe 25'Woodcock 52' | Little 79' Carrodus 85' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 29,333 |
Fifth round
| 17 January 1978 | Bury | 0–3 | Nottingham Forest | Bury |
| Bowyer 8' O'Neill 55'Robertson 78' | Stadium: Gigg Lane Attendance: 21,500 |
Semifinals
| 8 February 1978 1 | Leeds United | 1–3 | Nottingham Forest | Leeds |
| E. Gray 28' | Withe 19', 21' O'Hare 75' | Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 43,222 |
| 22 February 1978 2 | Nottingham Forest | 4–2 (7–3 agg.) | Leeds United | Nottingham |
| Withe 18' Bowyer 49'O'Neill 72'Woodcock 75' | F. Gray 13' Graham 19' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 38,131 |
Final
| 18 March 1978 | Nottingham Forest | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Liverpool | London |
| Stadium: Wembley Attendance: 100,000 |
Replay
| 22 March 1978 | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Liverpool | Manchester |
| Robertson 52' (pen.) | Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 54,375 |
Third round
| 7 January 1978 | Nottingham Forest | 4–1 | Swindon Town | Nottingham |
| Woodcock 37', 77' Withe 55'Robertson 67' | Moss 84' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 28,953 |
Fourth round
| 31 January 1978 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Manchester City | Nottingham |
| Robertson 3' Withe 59' | Kidd 61' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 38,509 |
Fifth round
| 18 February 1978 | Queens Park Rangers | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | London |
| Busby 18' | O'Neill 89' | Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 26,803 |
Replay
| 27 February 1978 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Queens Park Rangers | Nottingham |
| Robertson 19' (pen.) | Shanks 43' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 40,097 |
Second replay
| 2 March 1978 | Nottingham Forest | 3–1 | Queens Park Rangers | Nottingham |
| O'Neill 2' Woodcock 65', 79' | Bowles 64' | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 33,960 |
Sixth round
| 11 March 1978 R6 | West Bromwich Albion | 2–0 | Nottingham Forest | West Bromwich |
| Martin 15' Regis 47' | Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 36,506 |
Pre-season and Friendlies
| 1 August 1977 Friendly | St Gallen  | 2–3 | Nottingham Forest | St Gallen, Switzerland |
| Bowyer 51' Withe 7' 37' | 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 (pen.)' | Stadium: Burgh Road Attendance: 2,500 |
| 15 August 1977 County Cup Final | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 (3–2 p) | Notts County | Nottingham |
| Bowyer 49' | 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 |