The 28th May marks the 35th Anniversary of Forest’s historic European Cup win in Madrid.
The Reds won their second consecutive European title under Brian Clough 35 years ago today.
Forest were the underdogs for the final at Real Madrid’s, Bernabéu stadium, against the Hamburg side that included Kevin Keegan.
Gary Birtles played every game for the club of the 1979/80 season as well as the consecutive European Finals over three decades ago.
He said: “For me the 1980 final was more special. We weren’t expected to win it, so to beat Hamburg was fantastic.
The magnitude of the achievement ranks above my England caps. It was incredible for all of us, we won it together as mates. It was very special.
Gary Birtles, European Cup Winner
Mirroring their 1979 success, Brian Clough’s team won 1-0 with a goal in the first half by John Robertson on the 20 minute mark.
Keith Mather, Chairman of the Nottingham Forest Supporters Club, was at both the 1979 and 1980 finals.
He said: “It doesn’t matter how many times you see it, that special feeling of watching your team in a European Final, you can’t describe it.
It’s hard to believe how many years ago it was. The atmosphere in Nottingham was so good at the time.
Keith Mather, Chairman of the Nottingham Forest Supporters Club
No English club has repeated the feat of winning consecutive European Cups since Nottingham Forest did what seemed like the impossible. AC Milan are the only other club to boast such an achievement in the last 35 years.
Brian Clough kept his easy going persona, despite the pressures of overseeing the biggest game in the clubs football calendar, and in the club’s history.
Ex-England international, Gary Birtles said: “He didn’t say much, it was all very light. If you were in the team he trusted you to do your job, and that was great for us.”
Forest hasn’t lived up to the team’s previous success since Brian Clough retired 22 years ago, but fans can look back fondly on accomplishments that not many clubs can compare to.
