Best Reds game you attended?


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Hi all.

I've been a Forest fan ever since my dad took me to see Notts County v Port Vale sometime in the '50s.

Not strictly true of course, it wasn't until the '60s that I started going to the City Ground with a couple of schoolmates. I can't remember my first game, but Flip le Flem & Booth (Colin? blue chin) were playing at the time. I didn't start going regularly until 1966/67 after I left school.

I was there when Manchester United (Charlton, Best, Law et al) visited and fans were sitting pitch side of the walls, but my best ever memory is the FA Cup quarter final v Everton and the Storey-Moore triple attempt goal. We always stood just to the right of the goal at the Trent End and when IS-M zeroed in on the Everton net we were jumping up & down oohing & ahhing like idiots, and when it finally went in - BOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!! What a game (shame about the semi).

Is anyone else here on the photos of fans on the pitch during the main stand fire v Leeds? My dad bought me a Forest history book at some time & I was gobsmacked to see me & my mates on one of the photos in the book.

Another strong memory (for a different reason) is a 1st division game v W.Ham in the early '70s. Forest won 4-2 and by the time Forest's last goal went in I'd worked my way to the back of the Trent End so I could make a dash for the Clifton bus before most of the crowd got out. Unusually the Reds were attacking the Bridgford End in the second half, and very late on we scored our 4th goal (can't remember who got it). Anyway, I jumped up shouting YEAAAAHHHHH!!!!!! and cracked my head open on the edge of the corrugated sheeting above the doorway I was standing in. I didn't run for the bus, more like a slow staggerl

Obviously, there are great memories of the Cloughie years & European games at the City Ground, (especially Colin Barret putting Liverpool out) but it's the earlier ones that stick.

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That brings back some memories !

I saw the famous Flip Le Flem goal against Burnley . One of the few I remember .

It was a real Roy of the Rovers goal . He dribbled and swerved by about 7 defenders leaving half of them on the floor before knocking it in the net .Having said that I seem to remember that in other games he would make the stupidest of mistakes !

Being a would-be half-back myself , Jim Illey was a hero of mine a really elegant and excellent passer .

Another exciting player was Duncan McKenzie who when on song was brilliant .

I do remember a quarter final ? against Bolton when the ground was so full that I got passed over the heads of the adults and sat on the touchlines along with a load of other kids .

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Meltonstilton - I don't know about that, but he didn't take me again. Many years later, in the '80s, I took him to a Forest v Notts game in the old County Cup. Forest murdered 'em, but only won 1 or 2-0. It was just after Dave Needham switched to Forest from Notts I think. Dad was very quiet afterwards. He was a lifelong Notts fan and pined for the old Lawton years!

David W - yes McKenzie was a dream of a player. If memory serves, he was the chief destroyer of Man City in the first ever Sunday afternoon game. I think it was the FA Cup and the Reds (2nd Div) beat City (1st Div) 4-0 at the City Ground? Then (next round?) he did the same in the away game against Newcastle, only for their fans to invade the pitch and force an abandonment when Forest were 3-0 up. Newcastle won the eventual replay, but eventually was it Liverpool beat Newcastle in the final?

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Well said, Lizzie M.

There's a great photo of Joe B, almost horizontal in mid-air, shooting for goal in front of the Trent End late '60s. I can remember hearing on the radio that Johnny Carey had signed him for Forest from Arsenal & couldn't believe it, but there he was on the pitch at the next home game.

Zigger Zagger, Zigger Zagger, Joe-Ba-ker!


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Most memorable game might not have been the best, but 22nd April 1978 away at Coventry. Forest needed one point to secure the title, and got it with a 0-0 draw, after Shilts made a fantastic point-blank save.

After joining the celebrations on the pitch, me and my mates ran back to my car, which was parked in a nearby pub car park and about half an hour later, we were in the Man O Trent for the first of many celebratory pints of Home Ales.

Had one there, then into town for the rest (and before anyone asks, I left the car parked-up overnight!).

And then there were the European Cup matches... :)

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The one that sticks in my mind is when they played Liverpool in 1978. I went along with a friend and my brother who was 11 at the time and supported Liverpool, though because we were there for Forest he had to be with us, but at least he could wear his red and white scarf!. Dad had made a box for him to stand on and when Forest scored the first goal he stood moodily on it whilst all around celebrated. With the second goal he was knocked off his box and I had to hang on to him to stop him flying down the terraces.

It was not to be his day and on the way back to the car the Liverpool fans were lobbing bricks from their bus and the mounted police were riding through the crowds brandishing their batons. I told my brother to put his box on his head and we managed to get back to the car safely, though a brick did hit the side of it. A complete stranger tried to get into my car and I'm afraid I told him in no uncertain terms where to go. Much to the amazement of my friend. I then just drove my car (little old mini) straight through the crowds stopping for no one!

A very memorable occasion, though perhaps not for my brother and probably not for the right reasons....but still a life long memory for me.

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I only went to the matches until early 70's because I was never in Nottingham at weekends after that. But I always went in the Trent End, standing of course in those days, and my friend fainted as it was so airless in there. What a nightmare! All these tough blokes carried her along to the gangway by which time she'd come round. Just walking along the side of the Trent after the matches in those days was something else ........ my feet never touched the ground going back up towards Trent Bridge.

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#9 Hibernia56

many lols!! I still have that box.......it's now full of horse shoes from my horse owning days

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An Alan Hinton rocket from 1965 verses Man U . Plus some familiar faces Henry Newton , Peter Grummit , McKinlay, Whitefoot and Moore .

and as mentioned in #1 , the Ian Moore hat trick verses Everton

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Not being a football person I never ever attended a home match ! but did once get dragged to an away matchby some friends, my first and last !

Always remember it was at Crystal palace and we lost, the train got wrecked on the way home (not by me and my silly mates I might add) and we got all got chucked off the train somewhere North of Leicester and I had to ring my dad to fetch me home !

Not a happy memory and never been to a match ever again.

Strangely enough my eldest son, still living in Nottm is an ardent supporter and always has been. He didn't get it from me though.

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Only ever been to two football matches in my life

1) Notts County v Crewe at Crewe. Winter 1963

I went there with a mate train spotting & he was a "County fan.

2) Spurs v Leeds at White Heart Lane Easter Monday 1969

With another friend at the time I was living in Ilford.

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Celtic away brilliant !!!!!!!

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Forest 2 - Man U 2. As Max Boyce would say "I WAS THERE!"

I had forgotten how muddy the pitch could get back then, and what a job it was for Peter Grummit to bounce the ball in the area. I recall his first game (but not the opposition) when in the opening moments Jim Iley back passed to him to give him a feel of the ball and it went straight through his legs for the first goal. noblue

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My most memorable game was my one and only! I had just met my boyfriend at the bowling alley, he took me home that night and asked me out, and said where do you want to go. I said to a Forest match and I want to go to the Trent End. So we did, and I don't remember seeing any of the game as I was dwarfed by those standing around me. All I seemed to do all through the game was elbow folks back again as they kept shoving me. I never went to another game but I did marry the boyfriend, 45 years ago.

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#13 - Great footage Davidw. Thanks for posting it.

Like Commo, I'd forgotten the state the pitch could get into, but it was unusual for the City Ground & we're spoilt these days, it's like a snooker table year round.

I once (only once!) went to a game at the Baseball Ground, what a mess that was, and Cloughie used to ask for it to be watered before a game whatever state it was in.

There's been some re-runs of the old ITV Sunday afternoon football programmes with Brian Moore in the chair. They showed a Reds game that was played when most others had been called off because of snow & ice. Forest had left the snow on the pitch & rollered it flat & only cleared it along the sidelines & goalmouth markings. The match was played on compacted snow, with an orange ball. Can't remember who the opponents were (Norwich?).

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I'm a lifelong Notts County fan but remember seeing Forest draw 2-2 with Man U. in the 1964/5 season. There were 43000 packed like sardines in the City Ground that Saturday. It was an excellent game with my all time favourite Dennis Law scoring both United's goals. Charlton and Best were also playing. I think most if not all the United side were internationals.The atmosphere was absolutely electric and it was almost impossible to get your hands in your pockets. Crowd safety wasn't a consideration in those days. United finished the season as champions.

The best game I remember was the the County Cup Final at the end of the 1962/3 season when Notts beat Forest 2-1 at The City Ground.

Only a friendly competition between Forest, Notts and Mansfield but to a 12 year old Notts fan it meant everything. Growing up in the 60s following Notts County was painful. Forest were riding high in the old First Division whilst Notts were struggling in the basement. The gap between the two teams was huge. Well illustrated in the graph http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Notts_graph.JPG

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On the subject of muddy pitches. The Baseball ground at Derby was a quagmire.

When Derby were riding high in the late 60s I recall reading on a toilet door at People's College that "Cloughie walks on water" Some wag had written below " At the Baseball Ground he has to!"

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February 22nd 2003. In the hospitality suite as guest of one of my armoured cable supplier's I watched probably one of the best games Ive seen, Forests then Marlon Harewood scored 4 goals in the first half against Stokes 10 man squad that was followed by David Johnson belted in a 5th just into the second half and that was followed by a sixth from substitute Eoin Jess. Tony Pulis was not

a happy bunny that day

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Went to the Baseball ground in, I think, 1979, for a Forest/Derby match soon after Denis Thatcher's company had relaid the pitch.

There was that much sand on it, all the Forest fans were singing "We do like to be beside the seaside". :)

That was the game that one particular Forest "fan", Paul Scarrott, got thrown out of the ground three times for hooliganism.

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