1981–82 Nottingham Forest F.C. season

Nottingham Forest
1981–82 season
Chairman	Geoffrey McPherson
Manager	Brian Clough
Stadium	The City Ground
First Division	12th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Fifth round
Top goalscorer	League: ; Ian Wallace (9); All: ; Ian Wallace (12)
Highest home attendance	26,327 vs West Ham United (League)
Lowest home attendance	15,037 vs Swansea City (League)
Average home league attendance	20,593 (League)
Home colours	Away colours
	← 1980–81 1982–83 →

The 1981–82 season was Nottingham Forest's 117th year in existence and fifth consecutive season in the First Division.

Summary

In his eighth season as manager, Brian Clough appointed Alan Hill as new trainer after the departure of Jimmy Gordon in the previous season.^[1] Meanwhile forward Trevor Francis was transferred out to Manchester City being replacing by Norwich City striker Justin Fashanu.^[2] The team finished in a disappointing 12th spot with a defensive line (4th overall) not being helped by his offensive line in a mediocre season delivered by Fashanu, Wallace and Ward. The club was early eliminated in FA Cup on third round. Meanwhile, the squad reached the League Cup fifth round only to be defeated by Tottenham Hotspur after a 1–0 score.

After six seasons with the club, assistant Peter Taylor announced his appointment as new manager of Derby County.^[3] Also, goalkeeper Peter Shilton left the club by the end of the season to be transferred out to Southampton.^[4] Central back Dave Needham was transferred out to Canada,^[5] and Scottish midfielder John McGovern signed with Bolton Wanderers for the next campaign.

Squad

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	ENG	Peter Shilton
—	GK	ENG	Steve Sutton
—	DF	ENG	Viv Anderson
—	DF	SCO	Willie Young
—	DF	ENG	Bryn Gunn
—	DF	ENG	Dave Needham
—	DF	NOR	Einar Jan Aas
—	DF	SCO	Kenny Burns
—	DF	ENG	Chris Fairclough
—	MF	ENG	Stuart Gray
—	MF	SCO	John McGovern (c)
—	MF	ENG	Mark Proctor
—	MF	ENG	Ian Bowyer


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	SCO	John Robertson
—	MF	FRG	Jürgen Röber
—	MF	ENG	Gary Mills
—	MF	SCO	Colin Walsh
—	MF	ENG	Calvin Plummer
—	MF	ENG	Steve Hodge
—	MF	ENG	Steve Kendal
—	MF	ENG	Neil Redfearn
—	FW	ENG	Justin Fashanu
—	FW	SCO	Ian Wallace
—	FW	ENG	Peter Ward
—	FW	ENG	Peter Davenport
—	FW	ENG	Trevor Francis

Transfers

In
Pos.	Name	from	Type
FW	Justin Fashanu	Norwich City	£875,000
MF	Mark Proctor	Middlesbrough	£440,000
MF	Jürgen Röber	Bayern München

Out
Pos.	Name	To	Type
FW	Trevor Francis	Manchester City	£735,000
DF	Frank Gray	Leeds United	£300,000

Winter

In
Pos.	Name	from	Type
FW	Peter Davenport	Cammell Laird 1907 F.C.	Free
MF	Ian Bowyer	Sunderland
DF	Willie Young	Arsenal	£50,000 ^[a]

Out
Pos.	Name	To	Type
DF	Kenny Burns	Leeds United	£400,000
FW	Peter Ward	Seattle Sounders	loan

Spring

In
Pos.	Name	from	Type

Out
Pos.	Name	To	Type
FW	Justin Fashanu	Southampton	loan

Results

Division One

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
10	Manchester City	42	15	13	14	49	50	−1	58
11	Aston Villa	42	15	12	15	55	53	+2	57	Qualification for the European Cup first round^[b]
12	Nottingham Forest	42	15	12	15	42	48	−6	57
13	Brighton & Hove Albion	42	13	13	16	43	52	−9	52
14	Coventry City	42	13	11	18	56	62	−6	50

Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:

^ Transferred in on 12 December 1981
^ Aston Villa qualified for the European Cup first round as the 1981–82 European Cup winners.

Position by round

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	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	A	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	A	H	A	H	H	H	A
Result	W	D	L	D	W	W	W	L	D	W	D	W	D	L	W	L	L	W	W	L	D	L	L	D	W	D	W	D	D	D	W	L	L	W	L	L	D	L	L	L	W	W
Position	6	1	11	12	6	5	4	6	6	4	5	5	5	7	5	7	8	6	6	7	11	11	11	11	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	10	12	10	10	11	11	12	13	13	12	11

Source: https://www.11v11.com/teams/nottingham-forest/tab/matches/season/1982/
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; = Champions, Qualified to 1982–83 European Cup; = Qualified to 1982–83 UEFA Cup; = Relegated to Division Two

Matches

.- Source: https://www.11v11.com/teams/nottingham-forest/tab/matches/season/1982/

29 August 1981 1	Nottingham Forest	2–1	Southampton	West Bridgford
	Trevor Francis 25', 26'		44' Kevin Keegan	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 25,234

31 August 1981 2	Manchester United	0–0	Nottingham Forest	Greater Manchester
				Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 51,496

5 September 1981 3	Birmingham City	4–3	Nottingham Forest	Birmingham
	Kevan Broadhurst 33' Tony Evans 39'Neil Whatmore 73', 86'		1', 45', 75' Ian Wallace	Stadium: St Andrews Attendance: 19,035 Referee: EA Read

12 September 1981 4	Nottingham Forest	0–0	West Bromwich Albion	West Bridgford
				Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 22,618

19 September 1981 5	Stoke City	1–2	Nottingham Forest	Stoke-on-Trent
	Adrian Heath 6'		51' Colin Walsh 85' Gary Mills	Stadium: Victoria Ground Attendance: 15,569

23 September 1981 6	Nottingham Forest	2–0	Sunderland	West Bridgford
	Ian Wallace 65' Mark Proctor 85'			Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 21,133

26 September 1981 7	Nottingham Forest	2–1	Brighton and Hove Albion	West Bridgford
	Kenny Burns 55' Ian Wallace 86'		10' Gordon Smith	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 19,220 Referee: PA Tyldesley

3 October 1981 8	Tottenham Hotspur	3–0	Nottingham Forest	Tottenham (North London)
	Mark Falco 27', 82' Micky Hazard 72'			Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 34,870

10 October 1981 9	Middlesbrough	1–1	Nottingham Forest	Middlesbrough
	Bryn Gunn 54' (o.g.)		71' Justin Fashanu	Stadium: Ayresome Park Attendance: 15,043 Referee: D Richardson

17 October 1981 10	Nottingham Forest	2–1	Coventry City	West Bridgford
	Ian Wallace 67', 79'		44' Steve Hunt	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 21,101 Referee: MJ Heath

24 October 1981 11	Manchester City	0–0	Nottingham Forest	Moss Side
				Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 34,881

31 October 1981 12	Nottingham Forest	2–1	Leeds United	West Bridgford
	Peter Ward 22' John Robertson 53' (pen.)		43'Aidan Butterworth	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 25,272

7 November 1981 13	Nottingham Forest	0–0	West Ham United	West Bridgford
				Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 26,327

21 November 1981 14	Nottingham Forest	1–2	Arsenal	West Bridgford
	Justin Fashanu 43'		62'Alan Sunderland 79'Brian Talbot	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 20,912

25 November 1981 15	Sunderland	2–3	Nottingham Forest	Sunderland
	Rob Hindmarch 62' Ally McCoist 79'		21'Colin Walsh 51'Justin Fashanu 86'Dave Needham	Stadium: Roker Park Attendance: 17,419

28 November 1981 16	Aston Villa	3–1	Nottingham Forest	Birmingham
	Des Bremner 6', 38' Peter Withe 76'		51'Colin Walsh	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 26,847

5 December 1981 17	Nottingham Forest	0–2	Liverpool	West Bridgford
			57' Mark Lawrenson 59' Ray Kennedy	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 24,521

12 December 1981 18	Swansea City	1–2	Nottingham Forest	Swansea
	Robbie M James 34' John Robertson 89' (pen.)		77' Willie Young	Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 17,559

9 January 1982 19	Nottingham Forest	2–1	Birmingham City	West Bridgford
	Peter Ward 61' Ian Wallace 68'		73' Frank Worthington	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 15,906 Referee: RA Banks

23 January 1982 20	Nottingham Forest	0–2	Notts County	West Bridgford
			63'Paul Hooks 74'Trevor Christie	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 26,158 Referee: CB White

30 January 1982 21	Nottingham Forest	0–0	Stoke City	West Bridgford
				Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 16,219

6 February 1982 22	West Bromwich Albion	2–1	Nottingham Forest	West Bromwich
	Martyn Bennett 31' Kevin Summerfield 66'		47' Peter Ward	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 14,975

13 February 1982 23	Southampton	2–0	Nottingham Forest	Southampton
	Kevin Keegan 24' Mick Channon 55'			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 21,350

16 February 1982 24	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–0	Nottingham Forest	Wolverhampton
				Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 11,195

20 February 1982 25	Brighton & Hove Albion	0–1	Nottingham Forest	Brighton
			44' Peter Ward	Stadium: Goldstone Ground Attendance: 17,168

27 February 1982 26	Nottingham Forest	1–1	Middlesbrough	West Bridgford
	Stuart Gray 90'		6' David Hodgson	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 16,464 Referee: C Thomas

9 March 1982 27	Coventry City	0–1	Nottingham Forest	Coventry
			12' Jurgen Rober	Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 9,677 Referee: JB Worrall

13 March 1982 28	Nottingham Forest	1–1	Manchester City	West Bridgford
	Peter Ward 82' (pen.)		45' Tommy Caton	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 20,929

17 March 1982 29	Nottingham Forest	1–1	Ipswich Town	West Bridgford
	Calvin Plummer 69'		81' (pen.) John Wark	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 16,686

20 March 1982 30	Leeds United	1–1	Nottingham Forest	Leeds
	Frank Worthington 26' (pen.)		7' Jurgen Rober	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 18,036

27 March 1982 31	West Ham United	0–1	Nottingham Forest	Upton Park (East London)
			31' Ian Wallace	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 24,633

3 April 1982 32	Nottingham Forest	0–1	Everton	West Bridgford
			74' Steve McMahon	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 17,323

10 April 1982 33	Nottingham Forest	0–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	West Bridgford
			63' Andy M Gray	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 15,691

12 April 1982 34	Notts County	1–2	Nottingham Forest	West Bridgford
	Trevor Christie 22'		16' Ian Bowyer 83'Calvin Plummer	Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 19,304 Referee: G Courtney

17 April 1982 35	Arsenal	2–0	Nottingham Forest	Islington
	Brian Talbot 38'		64' Graham Rix	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 21,986

20 April 1982 36	Everton	2–1	Nottingham Forest	Walton
	Graeme Sharp 46', 87'		69' Jurgen Rober	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 15,463

24 April 1982 37	Nottingham Forest	1–1	Aston Villa	West Bridgford
	Dave Needham 13'		57' (pen.) Gordon Cowans	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 18,213

1 May 1982 38	Liverpool	2–0	Nottingham Forest	Liverpool
	Craig Johnston 55', 69'			Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 34,321

5 May 1982 39	Nottingham Forest	0–1	Manchester United	West Bridgford
			36' Frank Stapleton	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 18,449

8 May 1982 40	Nottingham Forest	0–2	Swansea City	West Bridgford
			2', 85' Robbie M James	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 15,037

12 May 1982 41	Nottingham Forest	2–0	Tottenham Hotspur	West Bridgford
	Peter Davenport 39' Stuart Gray 57'			Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 15,273

15 May 1982 42	Ipswich Town	1–3	Nottingham Forest	Ipswich
	Alan Brazil 67'		51', 64', 72' Peter Davenport	Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 19,974

FA Cup

2 January 1982 3	Nottingham Forest	1–3	Wrexham	Nottingham
	Mark Proctor 2'		61' Steve Dowman 69'Mick Vinter 72'Dixie McNeil	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 15,649

League Cup

6 October 1981 2 (1st leg)	Birmingham City	2–3	Nottingham Forest	Birmingham
	Frank Worthington Neil Whatmore		14', 16' Ian Wallace 57'Mark Proctor	Stadium: St Andrews Attendance: 14,330

28 October 1981 2 (2nd leg)	Nottingham Forest	2–1 (5–3 agg.)	Birmingham City	Nottingham
	Dave Needham 8' John Robertson 74'		86' Tony Evans	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 16,316

11 November 1981 3	Blackburn Rovers	0–1	Nottingham Forest	Blackburn
			23' Justin Fashanu	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 14,752

2 December 1981 4	Nottingham Forest	2–0	Tranmere Rovers	Nottingham
	Ian Wallace 46' Jurgen Rober 54'			Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 12,244

18 January 1982 5	Tottenham Hotspur	1–0	Nottingham Forest	Tottenham
	Ossie Ardiles 59'			Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 31,192

Statistics

Squad statistics

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Football League Division One		FA Cup		Football League Cup
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	ENG	Peter Shilton	47	0	41	0	1	0	5	0
	DF	ENG	Viv Anderson	44	0	39	0	1	0	4	0
	DF	SCO	Willie Young	26	1	25	1	1	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	John McGovern	34	0	26+4	0	0+1	0	3	0
	DF	ENG	Bryn Gunn	43	0	36+1	0	1	0	5	0
	MF	ENG	Ian Bowyer	24	1	23+1	1	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Mark Proctor	43	3	35+2	1	1	1	5	1
	MF	ENG	Stuart Gray	38	2	32+1	2	0	0	5	0
	MF	SCO	John Robertson	42	3	36	2	1	0	5	1
	FW	ENG	Justin Fashanu	36	4	31+1	3	0	0	4	1
	FW	SCO	Ian Wallace	34	12	28+1	9	1	0	4	3
	GK	ENG	Steve Sutton	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	FRG	Jürgen Röber	25	4	21+1	3	1	0	2	1
	DF	ENG	Dave Needham	21	3	17	2	1	0	3	1
	FW	ENG	Peter Ward	18	5	14+1	5	1	0	2	0
	DF	NOR	Einar Jan Aas	17	0	14	0	0	0	3	0
	MF	ENG	Gary Mills	17	1	13+1	1	0	0	1+2	0
	MF	SCO	Colin Walsh	19	3	7+8	3	1	0	2+1	0
	MF	ENG	Calvin Plummer	9	2	7+2	2	0	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	Kenny Burns	8	1	7	1	0	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Peter Davenport	5	4	5	4	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Chris Fairclough	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Trevor Francis	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Steve Hodge	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Steve Kendal	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Neil Redfearn	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Source: https://www.11v11.com/teams/nottingham-forest/tab/players/season/1982/

References

^ Nick Miller (17 September 2014). "The forgotten story of … Brian Clough's other right-hand man". Retrieved 2 August 2023.
^ Matthews, Tony (2013). Manchester City Player by Player. Stroud: Amberley. p. 127. ISBN 978-1445617374.
^ "Signing 'a hooligan' and a Shankly team talk: how Clough set up Forest for title" The Guardian 11 November 2015
^ Wilson, Jonathan (9 July 2015). "Why the importance of a goalkeeper cannot be overestimated". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
^ "North American Soccer League Players David Needham". NASL Jerseys. Dave Morrison. Retrieved 24 January 2010.

[6] Transferred in on 12 December 1981

[table_note_res_EC1RC0.92867913699182-7] Aston Villa qualified for the European Cup first round as the 1981–82 European Cup winners.

[1] Nick Miller (17 September 2014). "The forgotten story of … Brian Clough's other right-hand man". Retrieved 2 August 2023.

[2] Matthews, Tony (2013). Manchester City Player by Player. Stroud: Amberley. p. 127. ISBN 978-1445617374.

[hooligan-3] "Signing 'a hooligan' and a Shankly team talk: how Clough set up Forest for title" The Guardian 11 November 2015

[4] Wilson, Jonathan (9 July 2015). "Why the importance of a goalkeeper cannot be overestimated". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2018.

[5] "North American Soccer League Players David Needham". NASL Jerseys. Dave Morrison. Retrieved 24 January 2010.

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