Forest have had some great clashes against Premier League teams in the last few years and with top-flight and European giants Arsenal next at the City Ground, we take a look at some that are sure to live long in the memory of Reds’ fans:
Nottingham Forest 3-4 Newcastle United (AET), City Ground, 2011:
Steve McClaren’s Reds took on Alan Pardew’s Magpies and served up a seven-goal thriller on Trentside.
It took a 120th minute goal from Newcastle skipper Fabricio Coloccini to settle the Carling Cup tie, despite the game looking destined for penalties.
Danish frontman Peter Lovenkrands had put the Premier League side ahead and they went into half-time ahead.
Whatever former England and future Derby County boss McClaren said at the break seemed to spark the Reds to life, American speedster Robbie Findley fired the ball home to equalise following a James Perch mistake.
Forest then pushed to take the lead, creating numerous chances but were caught out as Sylvain Marveaux got the better of full-back Brendan Moloney. The Irishman bundled into Marveaux and the referee was quick to point to the spot.
Lovenkrands was on hand to convert the penalty to put Newcastle back into the lead again, although this one was short-lived. Matt Derbyshire broke clear of the Newcastle defence and fired in low past Rob Elliot.
No more goals were scored in the 90 minutes, but it did not take long in extra-time for another goal. Newcastle took the lead for the third time in the game, courtesy of Danny Simpson whose over-hit cross took Lee Camp and beat him.
The Reds equalised yet again through Marcus Tudgay, who had earlier gone close with a cheeky backheel but the night would end in heartbreak for the Reds.
Newcastle skipper and central defender was the surprise match-winner. He found himself high up the pitch after Forest failed to clear a corner and the unmarked Argentine steered his header home to send the away fans home delighted.
Manchester City 0-3 Nottingham Forest, Etihad Stadium, 2009:
Billy Davies was in the stands as he watched his new charges in action against Billionaires Manchester City in the FA Cup third round.
It was caretaker boss John Pemberton who masterminded the victory over the Premier league side, who introduced new signing Wayne Bridge to the fans before the game.
At the time, Forest were floating dangerously above the relegation zone but you couldn’t tell as they romped to victory.
After numerous chances missed by the Reds, including a Matt Thornhill header which he should have done better with, they finally took the lead in the 38th minute and it was well worth the wait.
Speedy forward Nathan Tyson unleashed a ferocious volley from the edge of the area which flew past Joe Hart in the city goal. It only took another four minutes for Forest to double their lead, this time courtesy of Robbie Earnshaw.
The Welshman reacted quickly to turn a Thornhill shot that was heading wide back towards goal, before celebrating in his usual acrobatic style.
Man City had a number of big names in the side, including Daniel Sturridge, Elano and Shaun Wright-Phillips but none of them seemed able to break down Forest and the Reds managed to have the final say on the game when Joe Garner scored.
The now-Rangers frontman had only been on the field for two minutes and profited from a poor bit of play by German Dietmar Hamaan to add gloss to an already impressive victory.
City ended fairly strong with Brazilian striker Jo going close but it was not to be and Forest advanced to the next round.
Nottingham Forest 5-0 West Ham United, City Ground, 2014:
How could we leave this game off the list? This match between Forest and the Hammers will largely be remembered for Jamie Paterson’s hat-trick but what Reds fans saw was a side at the height of their powers under Billy Davies.
Admittedly, Sam Allardyce had fielded a relatively young side but it still had experienced internationals like Alou Diarra and Stewart Downing in the side. Luckily for the Reds, it was one of their internationals who had the early impact.
Algerian Djamel Abdoun, a controversial figure during his time at Forest netted his first goal for the Reds from the spot after Jamie Paterson had been fouled in the box. The winger appeared to snatch the ball off Andy Reid before channeling his inner-Andrea Pirlo and chipping the penalty cheekily into the net.
Forest flew at the Hammers constantly all day, the visitors’ main threat coming from another player not without controversy, Ravel Morrison. The attacking midfielder had gone close with a dipping free-kick early on and was continuing to be a thorn in Forest’s side.
The teams went into half time with the home side just ahead and it looked like the game had settled down somewhat in all of the early second half exchanges. Enter Jamie Paterson.
The youngster had never scored for Forest before this fixture but scored a fantastic 15 minute hat-trick. Three times the winger cut the Hammers defence apart and took each of his goals very well and he saved the best until last, weaving in and out of defenders before smashing the ball into the net.
At the time, the man leading the City Ground scoring charts was club legend Andy Reid and he had the final say on the game when he struck late on to make 5-0, which saw Forest waltz into the FA Cup fourth road.
West Ham United 3-2 Nottingham Forest, Upton Park, 2011:
The Reds’ 5-0 demolition was not the sides’ only clash in the FA Cup in the last few years. At the time, Nottingham Forest were flying high in England’s second tier and fancied their chances against the Hammers, who were still hurting from a Carling Cup semi-final exit earlier in the week.
West Ham would eventually be relegated as this season concluded but that did not stop them edging a tight but entertaining affair in the capital.
Victor Obinna was the hero as he scored three times for the home side.
The Londoners were very quick out of the blocks and put Forest under pressure from the word ‘go’. It took only four minutes for Nigerian forward Obinna to break the deadlock, who produced a cool finish after Forest keeper Lee Camp had been wrong-footed by a deflection.
Going behind so early woke the Reds up and it was experienced striker Dele Adebola making a nuisance of himself that got Forest level. He slotted home after some good work by David McGoldrick, which was deserved after a spell of sustained pressure. Provider then turned poacher as he bundled the ball past Robert Green to make it 2-1 on 40 minutes.
The Reds were not ahead long at Upton Park, in fact they barely had time for a breather before Victor Obinna had the ball in the net for a second time. Lee Camp could not keep out the striker’s looping cross-shot and only the Nigerian will know if it was intentional.
As the second half began, it was clear that the two sides were very evenly matched. Fans had not been back in their seats for very long after the half-time break before they saw another goal, Joel Lynch pulled Winston Reid down in the box and it was Victor Obinna who stepped up to complete his hat-trick.
The spot-kick turned out to be the winner but it could have been more flattering on West Ham if Lee Camp had not produced excellent saves to deny Frederic Piquionne and Freddie Sears.
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Nottingham Forest, White Hart Lane, 2014:
Club legend and at-the-time manager of Nottingham Forest, Stuart Pearce shocked everyone with his team selection in this game. After a fantastic start to the season with the likes of Britt Assombalonga and Michail Antonio impressing, most Forest fans made the trip to North London (sporting green jumpers in tribute to the tenth anniversary of Brian Clough’s passing) full of excitement at seeing what their two star attackers could do against Premier League opposition.
Instead the Reds fans were treated to a host of changes which included Stephen McLaughlin, Lars Veldwijk and Jorge Grant’s introduction to the side. In truth, this was probably the least entertaining game of the list but what Reds fans will remember from this clash with Spurs is a resilient display from their team for much of the game.
Spurs amassed a whopping 64% possession over the course of the game crafted very few clear cut opportunities despite long spells on the ball. Forest, if anything, looked more likely to break the deadlock as Spurs struggled to deal with the Reds’ quick flowing counter-attacks.
Ben Osborn hit the bar and Jamie Paterson proved to be a thorn in the Premier League team’s side for the majority of the game and Forest finally broke the deadlock just after the hour.
A lofted cross into the penalty area was not dealt with by Tottenham and it felt to large Dutch striker Veldwijk at the back post. He took the ball to the byline and pulled it back. The man who benefitted from the Dutchman’s good work was none other than debutant Jorge Grant, who passed the ball into the net and send the away section into jubilation.
That woke Spurs up however, their Argentinian boss Mauricio Pochettino made two changes and both paid off.
Harry Kane and midfielder Ryan Mason were both introduced to the match and it was the latter who levelled things up, ten minutes after the Londoners had fallen behind. The Englishman picked up the ball thirty yards out before producing an excellent shot that fizzed past Dorus de Vries in the Forest goal.
Things stayed level until seven minutes from time, Andros Townsend had an effort at goal turned in by Spaniard Roberto Soldado before Kane rounded things up with a crisp strike.
If you were not lucky to get a ticket for Tuesday night’s game against Arsenal, there are plenty of ways to keen up-to-date with the City Ground goings-on. See our news show special on Tuesday where Christian Hewgill will present live from the City Ground. Tune it at 5.30pm and 6.00.
