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8 January, 1975

Neil Martin seals Clough first win

On this day in 1975 Brian Clough wins his first Forest match as Neil Martin scores against Tottenham.

Manager legacies

Managerial turning point
Brian Clough's first win at Forest, pictured 1980.
Brian Clough's first win at Forest, pictured 1980. Image: Hans van Dijk / Anefo, via Wikimedia Commons

Brian Clough’s first match as Nottingham Forest manager ended with an immediate FA Cup lift, as Forest beat Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 in a third-round replay.

The setting made the result stand out. Forest were a Second Division side, Spurs were from the top flight, and Clough had only just arrived. Neil Martin scored the only goal in the 34th minute, heading in to give Forest the lead and the first goal of the Clough era.

Brian Clough's first win at Forest, pictured 1980.
Brian Clough's first win at Forest, pictured 1980. Image: Hans van Dijk / Anefo, via Wikimedia Commons

Clough watched from the directors’ box rather than the dugout, but the symbolism was already strong. Forest had gone away to Tottenham, won a cup replay, and given their new manager something positive to hold onto at the very start.

The win did not mean everything changed overnight. Forest still had a long climb ahead, and Clough’s first league victory came later. But as a beginning, it could hardly have been cleaner: one match, one Neil Martin goal, one cup win, and the first small sign that something different had entered the club.

Sources

The City Ground; Game of the People; EFL

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JANUARY
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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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