First competitive Notts derby victory
On this day in 1878 Forest beat Notts County 3–1 as Turner, Goodyer and Smith score in the FA Cup.
Nottingham Forest beat Notts County 3–1 away in the FA Cup, creating the first competitive meeting between the two Nottingham clubs.
Forest’s goals were credited to Turner, Goodyer and Smith, while Owen scored for Notts County. That gives the entry more than just a scoreline: Forest won the first competitive Nottingham derby with three different scorers in an FA Cup tie.
The fixture belongs to the earliest layers of Forest history. Long before modern league structures, television coverage or the later shape of the professional game, Forest and Notts County were already giving Nottingham football its own local edge.
Forest went on to reach the semi-finals of the 1878–79 FA Cup, where they lost to eventual winners Old Etonians. The importance of this match still comes from its place at the beginning of a rivalry: Forest won the first competitive Nottingham derby, giving the club an early landmark in the city’s football identity.
Sources
Steve’s Football Stats; Nottingham Sport; 11v11; FA Cup historical records
Forest timeline
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