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NOTTINGHAM FOREST HISTORY
24 August, 1968

Main Stand fire against Leeds

On this day in Nottingham Forest history in 1968 fire breaks out in the Main Stand during Forest’s match against Leeds United.

Stadium and facilities

Major stadium incident
The back of the City Ground Main Stand during the 1968 fire.
The back of the City Ground Main Stand during the 1968 fire. Image: Pubquiz64 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A serious fire in the Main Stand forced Nottingham Forest’s First Division match against Leeds United at the City Ground to be abandoned at half-time.

The game was level at 1-1 when the players left the pitch, but football quickly became secondary. Smoke and flames spread through the stand, and supporters had to evacuate as the incident developed.

The back of the City Ground Main Stand during the 1968 fire.
The back of the City Ground Main Stand during the 1968 fire. Image: Pubquiz64 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The abandonment left the match unfinished and the ground badly affected. The Main Stand suffered major damage, and Forest had to deal with the immediate practical consequences as well as the shock of what had happened.

The club played several subsequent home matches at Meadow Lane while the City Ground recovered. It was one of the most significant stadium incidents in Forest’s history, not because of the football played that day, but because of the disruption and danger around the ground itself.

The match against Leeds became remembered as the day the City Ground’s Main Stand fire changed the course of a fixture and temporarily changed where Forest had to play.

Fire Archive Footage

Sources

Nottingham Forest official history; David Marples; City Ground history

Forest timeline

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AUGUST
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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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