FOREST HISTORY · Historic event
Wilson brace secures FA Cup semi
On this day in 1959 Forest beat Bolton Wanderers to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
Nottingham Forest moved into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2–1 win over Bolton Wanderers at the City Ground.
The quarter-final came only five days after Forest had needed a second replay to finish off Birmingham City in the previous round. That gave the Bolton tie a demanding rhythm, with little time to reset before another major cup test.
Tommy Wilson scored both Forest goals, striking early and then adding the second after half-time. Archive captions describe Wilson knocking home his second goal, a decisive moment on the way to dumping the holders out of the FA Cup.
The win sent Forest into a semi-final against Aston Villa, which they won 1–0 at Hillsborough. They then beat Luton Town 2–1 at Wembley to win the FA Cup, making the Bolton quarter-final one of the decisive steps in the club’s 1959 triumph.
Sources
11v11; 1959 FA Cup records
Forest timeline
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