Nottingham Forest Club Profile

Nottingham Forest played their first official football match against neighbours Notts County on March 22 1866 – naming themselves Forest after the Forest Recreation Ground, which was the first field they played on.

Forest first entered the FA Cup in 1879 and hold the distinction of being the only club to have played FA Cup ties in the four home countries (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales).

Nottingham Forest won the FA Cup in 1898, and again in 1959, but it wasn’t until Brian Clough arrived as manager in 1975 that trophies became plentiful. Under the guidance of the legendary Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor, Nottingham Forest players won the First Division championship in 1978, the League Cup in both 1978 and 1979 and also the European Cup in 1979 and 1980.

Taylor left the club in 1980 but Clough went on to win more trophies, most notably the League Cup in 1989 and 1990.

The golden era came to an end in 1993 and, with relegation from the Premiership seemingly inevitable, Clough announced his retirement. Frank Clark became Clough’s replacement and despite the departures of star players Roy Keane and Nigel Clough, the former Leyton Orient boss signed the likes of Stan Collymore and Colin Cooper and Forest returned to the top flight at the first time of asking.

In the last 15 years, Nottingham Forest have suffered some difficult times, culminating in their relegation to the third tier of English football, but last season’s promotion will have given the fans optimism that the good times are on their way back.

Givemefootball.com brings you the latest Nottingham Forest news and exclusive player interviews