NOTTINGHAM FOREST HISTORY
29 January, 1898

Win over Grimsby starts cup win run

On this day in Nottingham Forest history in 1898 Forest beat Grimsby Town to begin their first FA Cup-winning run.

Cup runs and campaigns

Famous cup run
The Nottingham Forest squad that won the FA Cup in 1898.
The Nottingham Forest squad that won the FA Cup in 1898. Image: Unknown author, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Nottingham Forest began the FA Cup run that would bring the club its first major national trophy with a clear 4-0 home win over Grimsby Town.

The first-round tie gave Forest a strong start in a competition that could quickly become awkward for leading clubs. Records from that time can be patchy, with the recorded Forest scorers being Capes, Richards twice and McInnes, although the available listing does not give a reliable goal sequence.

The Nottingham Forest squad that won the FA Cup in 1898.
The Nottingham Forest squad that won the FA Cup in 1898. Image: Unknown author, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A four-goal margin also made the afternoon stand out in a campaign that would become much more demanding later on. The importance of the match lies in where it led: this was the opening step in the cup journey that ended with Forest lifting the FA Cup for the first time.

The run finished with a 3-1 victory over Derby County in the 1898 final, turning a routine-looking home win over Grimsby into the first chapter of one of the club’s landmark cup stories.

Sources

11v11; The City Ground; FA Cup records

Explore more Nottingham Forest history

Browse the timeline to discover more events from this day and beyond:

JANUARY
18
Notts County 0–2 Nottingham Forest
22
Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackburn
26
Vitória SC 1–1 Nottingham Forest
31
Portimonense 1–2 Nottingham Forest Sporting CP 4–1 Nottingham Forest
8
Udinese 1–0 Nottingham Forest Barcelona 1–0 Nottingham Forest
12
Nottingham Forest 2–1 Bayer Leverkusen
16
Nottingham Forest 2–0 Stade Brestois 29
22
Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds
25
Nottingham Forest 0–2 Leeds
29
Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest
5
Nottingham Forest 0–0 Tottenham
12
Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest
19
Nottingham Forest 0–1 Coventry
11
Crystal Palace 14:00 Nottingham Forest
18
Nottingham Forest 16:30 Arsenal
23
Ipswich 20:00 Nottingham Forest
31
Brentford 15:00 Nottingham Forest
7
Nottingham Forest 17:30 Manchester City
21
Bournemouth 15:00 Nottingham Forest
27
Nottingham Forest 20:00 Chelsea
2
Hull City 20:00 Nottingham Forest
5
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brighton
12
Sunderland 15:00 Nottingham Forest
19
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Everton
27
Manchester United 16:30 Nottingham Forest
30
Newcastle 19:30 Nottingham Forest
2
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Fulham
5
Nottingham Forest 19:30 Hull City
16
Manchester City 15:00 Nottingham Forest
23
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Bournemouth
30
Chelsea 15:00 Nottingham Forest
6
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brentford
10
Fulham 20:00 Nottingham Forest
20
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Manchester United
27
Everton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
3
Nottingham Forest 20:00 Newcastle
13
Tottenham 15:00 Nottingham Forest
20
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Aston Villa
10
Leeds 15:00 Nottingham Forest
17
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Liverpool
24
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Sunderland
1
Brighton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
8
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Crystal Palace
15
Arsenal 15:00 Nottingham Forest
23
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Ipswich
30
Coventry 16:00 Nottingham Forest