| 1976–77 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | BJ Appleby, QC | ||
| Manager | Brian Clough | ||
| Stadium | The City Ground | ||
| Second Division | 3rd (In1977–78 First Division) | ||
| FA Cup | 4th round | ||
| League Cup | 3rd round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Peter Withe (16) All: Withe (19) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 31,004(8 March 1977 v Notts County) (League) 38,284(Cup) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 12,393(League) 12,717(Cup) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 20,540(League) | ||
The1976–77 season wasNottingham Forest's 112th year in existence and fifth campaign consecutive in theSecond Division since their relegation in 1972.
During summer chairman BJ Appleby appointedBrighton & Hove Albion managerPeter Taylor as new assistant for Clough, now in his third season with the club. The1972 First Division Champion Duo was reunited again after two campaigns now inSecond Division.[1] The club reinforced the squad with several players, for the offensive line arriving strikerGarry Birtles fromLong Eaton United,[2] forwardPeter Withe was bought fromBirmingham City.[3] and Taylor asked for the return ofTony Woodcock[4] after a loan spell fromLincoln 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 defenderLarry Lloyd arriving fromCoventry City during October allowing McGovern came back as midfielder.[5] Forest ended their season by beatingMillwall 1–0, thanks to an own goal by Moore netting the winner, leaving them on 52 points withBolton Wanderers (who drawLuton 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 toCardiff City netting 50 and needed only two points in two more matches to overtake Forest.
On 14 May,Wolverhampton Wanderers beatBolton Wanderers 1–0 atBurnden Park. In their final match Bolton only draw 2–2 toBristol 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). Therefore, the club was promoted to theDivision One for the first time since being relegated in the1971–72 season.
Also, the squad clinched theAnglo-Scottish Cup in December 1976, their first piece of silverware since theFA Cup in1959 after defeatedLeyton Orient in the Finals with a massive 5–1 aggregate score.
Meanwhile, inLeague Cup the club advanced to the third round being defeated byCoventry City. InFA Cup the squad was eliminated in fourth round after a replay againstSouthampton F.C.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| 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 |
| FW | Tony Woodcock | Lincoln City | loan |
| 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. | |
| In | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Name | from | Type |
| FW | Tony Woodcock | Lincoln City | loan ended |
| Out | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Name | To | Type |
| MF | Bert Bowery | Boston Minutemen | |
| Pos | Team | 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 theFirst 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 |
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H |
| Result | D | D | L | D | W | D | W | L | W | L | W | L | W | W | D | W | W | W | D | D | W | L | W | L | L | W | D | L | W | L | W | W | W | W | W | D | L | L | W | D | W | W |
| Position | 10 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
A list ofNottingham Forest's matches in the 1976–77 season.[6][7][8]
| 21 August 19761 | Fulham | 2-2 | Nottingham Forest | Fulham |
| Lacy Mitchell | Stadium:Craven Cottage Attendance: 9,437 |
| 25 August 19762 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Charlton Athletic | West Bridgford |
| Curran | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 12,662 |
| 28 August 19763 | Nottingham Forest | 1–3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | West Bridgford |
| Daley | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 17,222 |
| 4 September 19764 | Luton Town | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | Luton |
| Barrett | Stadium:Kenilworth Road |
| 11 September 19765 | Nottingham Forest | 4–3 | Hereford United | West Bridgford |
| Bowyer Butlin Butlin Robertson | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 12,081 |
| 18 September 19766 | Southampton | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | Southampton |
| Stokes | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 23,006 |
| 25 September 19767 | Nottingham Forest | 5–1 | Carlisle United | West Bridgford |
| O'Hare Bowyer Barratt Withe | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 12,479 |
| 2 October 19768 | Hull City | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest | Kingston upon Hull |
| Bremner | Stadium:Boothferry Park Attendance: 16,096 |
| 9 October 19769 | Nottingham Forest | 6–1 | Sheffield United | West Bridgford |
| Bowyer Butlin Bowyer Curran Withe Anderson | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 17,801 |
| 16 October 197610 | Blackpool | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest | Blackpool |
| Walsh | Stadium:Bloomfield Road Attendance: 17,089 |
| 23 October 197611 | Nottingham Forest | 5–2 | Burnley | West Bridgford |
| Curran Robertson Butlin O'Neill | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 15,281 |
| 30 October 197612 | Oldham Athletic | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest | Oldham |
| Halom | Stadium:Boundary Park Attendance: 10,597 |
| 6 November 197613 | Nottingham Forest | 3–0 | Blackburn Rovers | West Bridgford |
| Bowyer Withe Haslegrave | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 12,972 |
| 13 November 197614 | Leyton Orient | 0–1 | Nottingham Forest | Leyton |
| Stadium:Brisbane Road Attendance: 27,089 |
| 20 November 197615 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Chelsea | West Bridgford |
| O'Neill | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 27,089 |
| 27 November 197616 | Cardiff City | 0–3 | Nottingham Forest | Cardiff |
| Stadium:Ninian Park Attendance: 12,770 |
| 4 December 197617 | Nottingham Forest | 4–2 | Bristol Rovers | West Bridgford |
| Robertson Woodcock Robertson Withe | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 16,302 |
| 11 December 197618 | Millwall | 0–2 | Nottingham Forest | Bermondsey |
| Stadium:The Den Attendance: 9,307 |
| 18 December 197619 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Plymouth Argyle | West Bridgford |
| Barrett | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 15,180 |
| 27 December 197620 | Bolton Wanderers | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | Bolton |
| Whatmore | Stadium:Burnden Park Attendance: 31,313 |
| 1 January 197721 | Blackburn Rovers | 1–3 | Nottingham Forest | Blackburn |
| Alcock | Stadium:Ewood Park Attendance: 14,534 |
| 14 January 197722 | Charlton Athletic | 2–1 | Nottingham Forest | Charlton |
| Mike Flanagan Hugh McAuley | Stadium:The Valley Attendance: 8,021 |
| 22 January 197723 | Nottingham Forest | 3–0 | Fulham | West Bridgford |
| Lloyd O'Neill Woodcock | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 24,718 |
| 5 February 197724 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–1 | Nottingham Forest | Wolverhampton |
| Carr Richards | Stadium:Molineux Stadium Attendance: 30,661 |
| 12 February 197725 | Nottingham Forest | 1–2 | Luton Town | West Bridgford |
| Lloyd | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 18,225 |
| 16 February 197726 | Nottingham Forest | abd. | Southampton | West Bridgford |
| Stadium:City Ground | ||||
| Note: Match abandoned at 47' due to fog.[9] | ||||
| 2 March 197727 | Hereford United | 0–1 | Nottingham Forest | Hereford |
| Stadium:Edgar Street Attendance: 7,503 |
| 5 March 197728 | Carlisle United | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | Carlisle |
| Martin | Stadium:Brunton Park |
| 8 March 197729 | Nottingham Forest | 1–2 | Notts County | West Bridgford |
| Withe | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 31,004 Referee: DW Civil |
| 12 March 197730 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Hull City | West Bridgford |
| Woodcock Withe | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 15,126 |
| 19 March 197731 | Sheffield United | 2–0 | Nottingham Forest | Sheffield |
| Edwards | Stadium:Bramall Lane Attendance: 20,370 |
| 22 March 197726[10] | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Southampton | West Bridgford |
| Woodcock O'Neill | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 12,393 |
| 26 March 197732 | Nottingham Forest | 3–0 | Blackpool | West Bridgford |
| Withe Woodcock Withe | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 16,658 |
| 29 March 197733 | Nottingham Forest | 3–0 | Leyton Orient | West Bridgford |
| Robertson Withe Withe Lloyd | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 16,267 | |||
| Note: Jackson saved a John Robertson penalty in the 14th minute | ||||
| 2 April 197734 | Burnley | 0–1 | Nottingham Forest | Burnley |
| Stadium:Turf Moor Attendance: 10,904 |
| 6 April 197735 | Nottingham Forest | 3–1 | Bolton Wanderers | West Bridgford |
| O'Neill Withe Bowyer | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 24,580 |
| 9 April 197736 | Notts County | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | West Bridgford |
| Bradd | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 32,518 |
| 16 April 197737 | Chelsea | 2–1 | Nottingham Forest | Fulham |
| 15:00 | Britton Finnieston | Report | Stadium:Stamford Bridge Attendance: 36,499 Referee: Ron Chalis |
| 23 April 197738 | Nottingham Forest | 0–1 | Cardiff City | West Bridgford |
| Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 20,646 |
| 27 April 197739 | Nottingham Forest | 3–0 | Oldham Athletic | West Bridgford |
| Bowyer O'Neill Woodcock | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 17,139 |
| 30 April 197740 | Bristol Rovers | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | Bristol |
| Bater | Stadium:Eastville Attendance: 8,893 |
| 2 May 197741 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–2 | Nottingham Forest | Plymouth |
| Bruce Bannister | Stadium:Home Park Attendance: 13,542 |
| 7 May 197742 | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Millwall | West Bridgford |
| Moore | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 23,529 |
| 31 August 1976 | Walsall F.C. | 2–4 | Nottingham Forest | Walsall |
| Alan Buckley Bernie Wright | Stadium:Fellows Park Attendance: 8,437 |
| 21 September 1976 | Nottingham Forest | 0–3 | Coventry City | Nottingham |
| Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 15,969 Referee: TP Bosi |
| 8 January 1977 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Bristol Rovers | Nottingham |
| John Robertson 53' (pen) | David Williams 77' | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 17,770 |
| 8 January 1977replay | Bristol Rovers | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Nottingham Forest | Bristol |
| Alan Warboys | Tony Woodcock | Stadium:12,348 |
| 18 January 19772nd replay | Nottingham Forest | 6–0 | Bristol Rovers | Birmingham |
| Woodcock Anderson Bowyer O'Hare Withe Woodcock | Stadium:Villa Park Attendance: 5,736 |
| 29 January 1977 | Nottingham Forest | 3–3 | Southampton F.C. | Nottingham |
| Robertson Robertson Woodcock | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 38,284 |
| 1 February 19772nd replay | Southampton F.C. | 2–1 | Nottingham Forest | Southampton |
| Woodcock | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 29,401 |
| 7 August 19761 | Notts County | 0–0 | Nottingham | |
| Stadium:City Ground |
| 11 August 19762 | Nottingham Forest | 3–2 | Nottingham | |
| Curran Curran Butlin | Stadium:City Ground |
| 14 August 19763 | Nottingham Forest | 4–2 | Nottingham | |
| Butlin Butlin | Stadium:City Ground |
| 14 September 19763 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Nottingham | |
| Sammy Chapman Robertson | Stadium:City Ground |
| 28 September 19763 | Kilmarnock F.C. | 2–2 | Kilmarnock | |
| 20 October 1976 | Nottingham Forest | 2–2 | Nottingham | |
| Lloyd Withe | Stadium:City Ground |
| 3 November 1976 | Ayr United | 0–2 | ||
| 13 December 1976 | Leyton Orient | 1–1 | Leyton | |
| Attendance: 5,058 |
| 15 December 1976 | Nottingham Forest | 4–0 (5–1agg.) | Nottingham | |
| Chapman Barrett Barrett Bowyer | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 12,717 |
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 | Football League Division Two | Football League Cup | FA Cup | Anglo-Scottish Cup | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| GK | Middleton | 49 | -47 | 38 | -34 | 1 | -2 | 5 | -7 | 5 | -4 | ||
| DF | Anderson | 49 | 2 | 32+3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | ||
| DF | Lloyd | 34 | 4 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| DF | Chapman | 41 | 4 | 29+2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| DF | Clark | 56 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| MF | O'Neill | 51 | 11 | 36+2 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| MF | Bowyer | 57 | 14 | 41 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 1 | ||
| MF | McGovern | 51 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| MF | Robertson | 57 | 11 | 41 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 2 | ||
| FW | Withe | 42 | 19 | 32+1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||
| FW | Woodcock | 37 | 17 | 30 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | ||
| GK | Wells | 9 | -17 | 4 | -9 | 1 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -5 | ||
| FW | O'Hare | 32 | 6 | 16+3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| MF | Curran | 20 | 12 | 11+2 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| DF | Barrett | 17 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | ||
| FW | Butlin | 17 | 6 | 8+2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | ||
| MF | Haslegrave | 11 | 1 | 3+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| DF | Saunders | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| FW | Birtles | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| FW | Bowery | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| GK | Woods | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| MF | Burke | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||||||||
| MF | Richardson | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||||||||
| DF | Gunn | ||||||||||||