1976–77 Nottingham Forest F.C. season

Nottingham Forest F.C. 1976–77 football season
Nottingham Forest F.C.
1976–77 season
ChairmanBJ Appleby, QC
ManagerBrian Clough
StadiumThe City Ground
Second Division3rd
FA Cup4th round
League Cup3rd round
Top goalscorerLeague: Peter Withe (16)
All: Withe (19)
Highest home attendance31,004 (League)
38,284 (Cup)
Lowest home attendance12,393 (League)
12,717 (Cup)
Average home league attendance20,540 (League)
Home colours
Away colours

The 1976–77 season was Nottingham Forest's 112th year in existence and fifth campaign consecutive in the Second Division since their relegation in 1972.

Summary

During summer chairman BJ Appleby appointed Brighton & Hove Albion manager Peter Taylor as new assistant for Clough, now in his third season with the club. The 1972 First Division Champion Duo was reunited again after two campaigns now in Second Division.[1] The club reinforced the squad with several players, for the offensive line arriving striker Garry Birtles from Long Eaton United,[2] forward Peter Withe was bought from Birmingham City.[3] and Taylor asked for the return of Tony Woodcock[4] after a loan spell from Lincoln City F.C. The defensive line had a poor performance through September, Middleton replaced Wells as Goalkeeper starter and Taylor asked for the transfer in of central-back defender Larry Lloyd arriving from Coventry City during October allowing McGovern came back as midfielder.[5] Forest ended their season by beating Millwall 1–0, thanks to an own goal by Moore netting the winner, leaving them on 52 points with Bolton Wanderers (who draw Luton Town 1–1 on the same day) on 48 with three more games to play. Forest's destiny was not in their own hands, on 10 May Bolton won 2-1 to Cardiff City netting 50 and needed only two points in two more matches to overtake Forest.

On 14 May, Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Bolton Wanderers 1–0 at Burnden Park. In their final match Bolton only draw 2-2 to Bristol Rovers. The promotion was unusually close throughout the campaign and the final table saw Forest clinching the last 3rd spot just one point ahead of the teams in 4th (Bolton) and 5th (Blackpool). Also, the team won the Anglo-Scottish Cup during December after defeated Leyton Orient in the Finals with a massive 5–1 aggregate score.

Meanwhile, in League Cup the club advanced to the third round being defeated by Coventry City. In FA Cup the squad was eliminated in fourth round after a replay against Southampton F.C.

Squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK England ENG John Middleton
GK England ENG Chris Woods
GK England ENG Peter Wells
DF England ENG Viv Anderson
DF England ENG Frank Clark
DF Scotland SCO John McGovern
DF England ENG Sammy Chapman (c)
DF England ENG Larry Lloyd
DF England ENG Colin Barrett
DF England ENG Bryn Gunn
DF England ENG Glyn Saunders
MF England ENG Terry Curran
MF England ENG Ian Bowyer
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF England ENG Bert Bowery
MF England ENG Steve Burke
MF Northern Ireland NIR Martin O'Neill
MF Scotland SCO John Robertson
MF Scotland SCO George Lyall
MF England ENG Sean Haslegrave
FW Scotland SCO John O'Hare
FW England ENG Barry Butlin
FW England ENG Tony Woodcock
FW England ENG Garry Birtles
FW England ENG Peter Withe

Transfers

In
Pos. Name from Type
MF Sean Haslegrave Stoke City £50,000
FW Garry Birtles Long Eaton United £2,000
FW Peter Withe Birmingham City
DF Larry Lloyd Coventry City £49,000
FW Tony Woodcock Lincoln City loan ended
MF Steve Burke Youth team
GK Chris Woods Youth team
Out
Pos. Name To Type
MF Bert Bowery Hull City F.C.
DF Glynn Saunders
MF Paul Richardson Chester City F.C.
DF John Cottam Chesterfield F.C.
DF Liam O'Kane retired
DF David Sunley Hull City F.C.
GK Peter Wells Southampton F.C.

Statistics

Players statistics

The statistics for the following players are for their time during 1976–77 season playing for Nottingham Forest. Any stats from a different club during 1976–77 are not included. Includes all competitive matches.

No. Pos Nat Player Total Second Division League Cup FA Cup Anglo-Scottish Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England ENG Middleton 49 -47 38 -34 1 -2 5 -7 5 -4
DF England ENG Anderson 49 2 32+3 1 3 0 5 1 6 0
DF England ENG Lloyd 34 4 26 3 0 0 5 0 3 1
DF England ENG Chapman 41 4 29+2 2 2 0 2 0 6 2
DF England ENG Clark 56 0 42 0 2 0 5 0 7 0
MF Northern Ireland NIR O'Neill 51 11 36+2 9 2 2 5 0 6 0
MF England ENG Bowyer 57 14 41 12 2 0 5 1 9 1
MF Scotland SCO McGovern 51 0 39 0 2 0 3 0 7 0
MF Scotland SCO Robertson 57 11 41 6 2 0 5 3 9 2
FW England ENG Withe 42 19 32+1 16 0 0 5 1 4 2
FW England ENG Woodcock 37 17 30 11 0 0 5 5 2 1
GK England ENG Wells 9 -17 4 -9 1 -3 0 0 4 -5
FW Scotland SCO O'Hare 32 6 16+3 3 2 1 5 0 6 2
MF England ENG Curran 20 12 11+2 7 2 1 0 0 5 4
DF England ENG Barrett 17 5 10 2 2 1 0 0 5 2
FW England ENG Butlin 17 6 8+2 3 2 0 0 0 5 3
MF England ENG Haslegrave 11 1 3+2 1 0 0 0 0 6 0
DF England ENG Saunders 7 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
FW England ENG Birtles 1 0 1 0
FW England ENG Bowery 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
GK England ENG Woods 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF England ENG Burke 1 0 0+1 0
MF England ENG Richardson 1 0 0+1 0
DF England ENG Gunn
  • Source: https://www.11v11.com/teams/nottingham-forest/tab/players/season/1977/

Table

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (C, P) 42 22 13 7 84 45 +39 57 Promotion to the First Division
2 Chelsea (P) 42 21 13 8 73 53 +20 55
3 Nottingham Forest (P) 42 21 10 11 77 43 +34 52
4 Bolton Wanderers 42 20 11 11 75 54 +21 51
5 Blackpool 42 17 17 8 58 42 +16 51
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Results by round

Source: Competitive matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss;   = Leader, 1977–78 First Division;   = 1977–78 First Division;   = 1977–78 Third Division

Competitions

A list of Nottingham Forest's matches in the 1976–77 season.[6][7][8]

Second Division

Matches

Fulham F.C. v Nottingham Forest
21 August 1976 1 Fulham F.C. 2-2 Nottingham Forest Fulham
Lacy 38'
Mitchell 45'
23' Curran
63' O'Hare
Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 9,437
Nottingham Forest v Charlton Athletic
25 August 1976 2 Nottingham Forest 1–1 Charlton Athletic Nottingham
Curran 33' (pen) 6' Hales Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 12,662
Nottingham Forest v Wolverhampton Wanderers
28 August 1976 3 Nottingham Forest 1–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nottingham
Daley 18' (o.g.) 14', 73' Gould
16' Dailey 16
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 17,222
Luton Town F.C v Nottingham Forest
4 September 1976 4 Luton Town F.C 1–1 Nottingham Forest Luton
Barrett 89' (o.g.) 30' (pen) Curran Stadium: Kenilworth Road
Nottingham Forest v Hereford United
11 September 1976 5 Nottingham Forest 4–3 Hereford United Nottingham
Bowyer 33'
Butlin 37'
Butlin 74'
Robertson 64'
11', 75' McNeil
17' Spiring
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 12,081
Southampton F.C. v Nottingham Forest
18 September 1976 6 Southampton F.C. 1–1 Nottingham Forest Southampton
Stokes 9' 28' Bowyer Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 23,006
Nottingham Forest v Carlisle United
25 September 1976 7 Nottingham Forest 5–1 Carlisle United Nottingham
O'Hare 19'
Bowyer 69', 89'
Barratt 72'
Withe 78'
7' Barry Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 12,479
Hull City F.C. v Nottingham Forest
2 October 1976 8 Hull City F.C. 1–0 Nottingham Forest Kingston upon Hull
Bremner 40' Stadium: Boothferry Park
Attendance: 16,096
Nottingham Forest v Sheffield United
9 October 1976 9 Nottingham Forest 6–1 Sheffield United Nottingham
Bowyer 11'
Butlin 36'
Bowyer 41'
Curran 48'
Withe 56'
Anderson 61'
38' (pen) Ian 'Chico' Hamilton Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 17,801
Blackpool F.C. v Nottingham Forest
16 October 1976 10 Blackpool F.C. 1–0 Nottingham Forest Blackpool
Walsh 64' Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Attendance: 17,089
Nottingham Forest v Burnley F.C.
23 October 1976 11 Nottingham Forest 5–2 Burnley F.C. Nottingham
Curran 3'
Robertson 50' (pen)
Butlin 54'
O'Neill 76', 80'
19' Flynn
48' Smith
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 15,281
Oldham Athletic v Nottingham Forest
30 October 1976 12 Oldham Athletic 1–0 Nottingham Forest Oldham
Halom 31' Stadium: Boundary Park
Attendance: 10,597
Nottingham Forest v Blackburn Rovers
6 November 1976 13 Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackburn Rovers Nottingham
Bowyer 7'
Withe 52'
Haslegrave 77'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 12,972
Leyton Orient F.C. v Nottingham Forest
13 November 1976 14 Leyton Orient F.C. 0–1 Nottingham Forest Leyton
74' Woodcock Stadium: Brisbane Road
Attendance: 27,089
Nottingham Forest v Chelsea F.C.
20 November 1976 15 Nottingham Forest 1–1 Chelsea F.C. Nottingham
O'Neill 34' 38' Britton Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 27,089
Cardiff City F.C. v Nottingham Forest
27 November 1976 16 Cardiff City F.C. 0–3 Nottingham Forest Cardiff
1'Withe
43'Chapman
88' Woodcock
Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 12,770
Nottingham Forest v Bristol Rovers
4 December 1976 17 Nottingham Forest 4–2 Bristol Rovers Nottingham
Robertson 13' (pen)
Woodcock 65'
Robertson 74'
Withe 88'
30' David Williams
38' Gordon Fearnley
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 16,302
Millwall F.C. v Nottingham Forest
11 December 1976 18 Millwall F.C. 0–2 Nottingham Forest Bermondsey
11' O'Neill
79' O'Hare
Stadium: The Den
Attendance: 9,307
Nottingham Forest v Plymouth Argyle
18 December 1976 19 Nottingham Forest 1–1 Plymouth Argyle Nottingham
Barrett 88' 12' Austin Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 15,180
Bolton Wanderers v Nottingham Forest
27 December 1976 20 Bolton Wanderers 1–1 Nottingham Forest Bolton
Whatmore 46' 1' Withe Stadium: Burnden Park
Attendance: 31,313
Blackburn Rovers v Nottingham Forest
1 January 1977 21 Blackburn Rovers 1–3 Nottingham Forest Blackburn
Alcock 29' 23' Withe
27' Woodcock
82'Bowyer
Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 14,534
Charlton Athletic v Nottingham Forest
14 January 1977 22 Charlton Athletic 2–1 Nottingham Forest Charlton
Mike Flanagan 23'
Hugh McAuley 34'
37' Bowyer Stadium: The Valley
Attendance: 8,021
Nottingham Forest v Fulham F.C.
22 January 1977 23 Nottingham Forest 3–0 Fulham F.C. Nottingham
Lloyd 83'
O'Neill 85'
Woodcock 86'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 24,718
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Nottingham Forest
5 February 1977 24 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 Nottingham Forest Wolverhampton
Carr 32'
Richards 35'
89' Chapman Stadium: Molineux Stadium
Attendance: 30,661
Nottingham Forest v Luton Town F.C.
12 February 1977 25 Nottingham Forest 1–2 Luton Town F.C. Nottingham
Lloyd 86' 55' R Futcher
71' Aston
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 18,225
Nottingham Forest v Southampton F.C
16 February 1977 26 Nottingham Forest abd. Southampton F.C Nottingham
1' Holmes Stadium: City Ground
Note: Match abandoned at 47' due to fog.[9]
Hereford United v Nottingham Forest
2 March 1977 27 Hereford United 0–1 Nottingham Forest Hereford
38' Curran Stadium: Edgar Street
Attendance: 7,503
Carlisle United v Nottingham Forest
5 March 1977 28 Carlisle United 1–1 Nottingham Forest Carlisle
Martin 78' 72' (pen) Robertson Stadium: Brunton Park
Nottingham Forest v Notts County
8 March 1977 29 Nottingham Forest 1–2 Notts County Nottingham
Withe 86' 53' (o.g.) Viv Anderson
63' (pen) Steve Carter
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 31,004
Referee: DW Civil
Nottingham Forest v Hull City F.C.
12 March 1977 30 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Hull City F.C. Nottingham
Woodcock 4'
Withe 45'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 15,126
Sheffield United v Nottingham Forest
19 March 1977 31 Sheffield United 2–0 Nottingham Forest Sheffield
Edwards 37', 89' Stadium: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 20,370
Nottingham Forest v Southampton F.C.
22 March 1977 26 [10] Nottingham Forest 2–1 Southampton F.C. Nottingham
Woodcock 21'
O'Neill 55'
65' Rodrigues Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 12,393
Nottingham Forest v Blackpool F.C.
26 March 1977 32 Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackpool F.C. Nottingham
Withe 43'
Woodcock 45'
Withe 80'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 16,658
Nottingham Forest v Leyton Orient
29 March 1977 33 Nottingham Forest 3–0 Leyton Orient Nottingham
Robertson soccer ball with red X 14'
Withe 31'
Withe 35'
Lloyd 60'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 16,267
Note: Jackson saved a John Robertson penalty in the 14th minute
Burnley F.C. v Nottingham Forest
2 April 1977 34 Burnley F.C. 0–1 Nottingham Forest Burnley
65' Woodcock Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 10,904
Nottingham Forest v Bolton Wanderers
6 April 1977 35 Nottingham Forest 3–1 Bolton Wanderers Nottingham
O'Neill 44'
Withe 53'
Bowyer 82'
72' Paul Jones Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 24,580
Notts County v Nottingham Forest
9 April 1977 36 Notts County 1–1 Nottingham Forest Nottingham
Bradd 17' 27' Withe Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 32,518
Chelsea F.C. v Nottingham Forest
16 April 1977 37 Chelsea F.C. 2–1 Nottingham Forest Fulham
15:00 Britton 63'
Finnieston 87'
Report 42' O'Neill Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 36,499
Referee: Ron Chalis
Nottingham Forest v Cardiff City F.C.
23 April 1977 38 Nottingham Forest 0–1 Cardiff City F.C. Nottingham
25' Sayer Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 20,646
Nottingham Forest v Oldham Athletic
27 April 1977 39 Nottingham Forest 3–0 Oldham Athletic Nottingham
Bowyer 38'
O'Neill 83'
Woodcock 49'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 17,139
Bristol Rovers v Nottingham Forest
30 April 1977 40 Bristol Rovers 1–1 Nottingham Forest Bristol
Bater 62' 84' Robertson Stadium: Eastville
Attendance: 8,893
Plymouth Argyle v Nottingham Forest
2 May 1977 41 Plymouth Argyle 1–2 Nottingham Forest Plymouth
Bruce Bannister 19' 29' Woodcock
52' Withe
Stadium: Home Park
Attendance: 13,542
Nottingham Forest v Millwall F.C.
7 May 1977 42 Nottingham Forest 1–0 Millwall F.C. Nottingham
Moore 15' (o.g.) Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 23,529

League Cup

Second round

Walsall F.C. v Nottingham Forest
31 August 1976 Walsall F.C. 2–4 Nottingham Forest Walsall
Alan Buckley 24'
Bernie Wright 86'
17' Curran
41' Barrett
62' O'Neill
80' O'Neill
Stadium: Fellows Park
Attendance: 8,437

Third round

Nottingham Forest v Coventry City
21 September 1976 Nottingham Forest 0–3 Coventry City Nottingham
23' Mick Ferguson
30' (pen) Mick Coop
39' Les Cartwright
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 15,969
Referee: TP Bosi

FA Cup

Third round

Nottingham Forest v Bristol Rovers
8 January 1977 Nottingham Forest 1–1 Bristol Rovers Nottingham
John Robertson 53' (pen) David Williams 77' Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 17,770
Replay
Bristol Rovers v Nottingham Forest
8 January 1977 Bristol Rovers 1–1 (a.e.t.) Nottingham Forest Bristol
Alan Warboys Tony Woodcock Stadium: 12,348
Second Replay
Nottingham Forest v Bristol Rovers
18 January 1977 Nottingham Forest 6–0 Bristol Rovers Birmingham
Woodcock 10'
Anderson 72'
Bowyer 52'
O'Hare 76'
Withe 59'

Woodcock 60'
Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 5,736

Fourth round

Nottingham Forest v Southampton F.C.
29 January 1977 Nottingham Forest 3–3 Southampton F.C. Nottingham
Robertson 38' (pen)
Robertson 66'
Woodcock 69'
52' Alan Ball
57' Mick Channon
68' Peter Osgood
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 38,284
Replay
Southampton F.C. v Nottingham Forest
1 February 1977 Southampton F.C. 2–1 Nottingham Forest Southampton
Woodcock 18' 10' Ted MacDougall
66'
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 29,401

Anglo-Scottish Cup

First round

Notts County v Nottingham Forest
7 August 1976 1 Notts County 0–0 Nottingham Forest Nottingham
Stadium: City Ground
Nottingham Forest v West Bromwich Albion
11 August 1976 2 Nottingham Forest 3–2 West Bromwich Albion Nottingham
Curran
Curran
Butlin
Stadium: City Ground
Nottingham Forest v Bristol City
14 August 1976 3 Nottingham Forest 4–2 Bristol City Nottingham
Butlin
Butlin
Stadium: City Ground

Quarterfinals

Nottingham Forest England v Scotland Kilmarnock F.C.
14 September 1976 3 Nottingham Forest England 2–1 Scotland Kilmarnock F.C. Nottingham
Sammy Chapman
Robertson
Stadium: City Ground
Kilmarnock F.C. Scotland v England Nottingham Forest
28 September 1976 3 Kilmarnock F.C. Scotland 2–2 England Nottingham Forest Kilmarnock
Curran
Curran

Semifinals

Nottingham Forest England v Scotland Ayr United
20 October 1976 Nottingham Forest England 2–2 Scotland Ayr United Nottingham
Lloyd
Withe
Stadium: City Ground
Ayr United Scotland v England Nottingham Forest
3 November 1976 Ayr United Scotland 0–2 England Nottingham Forest
Withe
Woodcock

Finals

Leyton Orient England v England Nottingham Forest
13 December 1976 Leyton Orient England 1–1 England Nottingham Forest Leyton
Robertson Attendance: 5,058
Nottingham Forest England v England Leyton Orient
15 December 1976 Nottingham Forest England 4–0
(5–1 agg.)
England Leyton Orient Nottingham
Chapman
Barrett
Barrett
Bowyer
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 12,717

References

  1. ^ "Brian Clough and the miracle of Nottingham Forest" theguardian.com 10 October 2015
  2. ^ Mullan, Sean (27 June 2015). "Manchester United's transfer 'firsts'". Manchester United. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Peter Withe" The Observer, 6 February 2005
  4. ^ "The story of Tony Woodcock: An Englishman in Cologne". 1. FC Köln. 30 December 2015. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Honours". Nottinghamforest.co.uk. 23 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  6. ^ "1977-1978". Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  7. ^ Smales, Ken (1991). Forest – The First 125 Years. Nottingham: Temple Printing. ISBN 978-1870010092.
  8. ^ Attaway, Pete (2010). Nottingham Forest: Brian Clough and His Legacy - A Complete Record 1975 - 2010. Southend-on-Sea: Desert Island Book. ISBN 978-1905328833.
  9. ^ "The Fog On The Trent Was Heaven Sent !". fansnetwork.co.uk. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  10. ^ Delayed from 16 February 1977
  • v
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  • e
Nottingham Forest F.C. seasons
  • v
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  • e
National teams
League competitions
Levels 1–4
Levels 5–6
Levels 7–9
Cup competitions
FA cups
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Club seasons
First Division
Second Division
  • Blackburn Rovers
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  • Cardiff City
  • Carlisle United
  • Charlton Athletic
  • Chelsea
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  • Millwall
  • Nottingham Forest
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  • Orient
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Third Division
  • Brighton & Hove Albion
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Fourth Division