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29 October, 1897

Walker birthday recalls 1959 FA Cup

On this day in 1897 Billy Walker is born before later managing Forest to the 1959 FA Cup triumph.

Manager legacies

Posthumous or anniversary legacy note
Former manager Billy Walker, pictured as an Aston Villa player in 1925.
Former manager Billy Walker, pictured as an Aston Villa player in 1925. Image: Unknown author / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Billy Walker’s name sits firmly in Nottingham Forest history because he led the club through one of its great Wembley days.

Born in Wednesbury, Walker later managed Forest from 1939 to 1960, a spell that covered wartime football, post-war rebuilding and the club’s return to major honours. His long service alone made him one of the most important managers in Forest’s story.

Former manager Billy Walker, pictured as an Aston Villa player in 1925.
Former manager Billy Walker, pictured as an Aston Villa player in 1925. Image: Unknown author / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The defining moment came in 1959, when Walker’s Forest beat Luton Town 2–1 in the FA Cup final at Wembley. Roy Dwight and Tommy Wilson scored the Forest goals, giving the club its second FA Cup triumph.

That final became even more memorable because Forest had to protect the lead after Dwight broke his leg and could not continue, in the era before substitutes. Walker’s side held on, turning the win into one of the club’s most dramatic trophy days.

For supporters looking back, Walker represents a different era of management: steady, long-serving and tied to a trophy-winning team before the later Clough and Taylor years changed the club’s scale again.

FA Cup Final Footage

Sources

The City Ground; England Football Online; Soccerbase

Forest timeline

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Notts County 0–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackburn
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Vitória SC 1–1 Nottingham Forest
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Portimonense 1–2 Nottingham Forest Sporting CP 4–1 Nottingham Forest
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Udinese 1–0 Nottingham Forest Barcelona 1–0 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 2–1 Bayer Leverkusen
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Nottingham Forest 2–0 Stade Brestois 29
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Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds
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Nottingham Forest 0–2 Leeds
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Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 0–0 Tottenham
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Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 0–1 Coventry
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Crystal Palace 14:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 16:30 Arsenal
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Ipswich 20:00 Nottingham Forest
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Brentford 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 17:30 Manchester City
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Bournemouth 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 20:00 Chelsea
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Hull City 20:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brighton
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Sunderland 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Everton
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Manchester United 16:30 Nottingham Forest
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Newcastle 19:30 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Fulham
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Nottingham Forest 19:30 Hull City
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Manchester City 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Bournemouth
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Chelsea 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brentford
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Fulham 20:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Manchester United
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Everton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 20:00 Newcastle
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Tottenham 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Aston Villa
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Leeds 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Liverpool
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Sunderland
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Brighton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Crystal Palace
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Arsenal 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Ipswich
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Coventry 16:00 Nottingham Forest
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