FOREST HISTORY · Historic event

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6 September, 1978

Oldham replay aids cup defence

On this day in 1978 Forest beat Oldham in a League Cup replay on their trophy-retaining run.

Cup runs and campaigns

Famous cup run

Nottingham Forest kept their League Cup defence moving with a 4-2 replay win over Oldham Athletic at the City Ground.

The tie had needed a replay after a 0-0 draw at Boundary Park, so Forest still had work to do against lower-division opposition. Brian Clough’s side found the breakthrough after half-time, with David Needham, Kenny Burns and Tony Woodcock scoring in quick succession before John Robertson added a penalty.

The 4-2 scoreline gave the evening a lively edge, but the important part was progress. The League Cup had already become important to Clough’s Forest, and avoiding an early exit kept the possibility of another Wembley run alive.

That possibility became reality. Forest went on to retain the League Cup in 1979, beating Southampton 3-2 in the final at Wembley. The Oldham replay was not the showpiece moment, but it belonged to the practical work behind another trophy: one of the rounds that had to be negotiated before the celebrations could happen.

Sources

11v11; The City Ground

Explore more Nottingham Forest history

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Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds
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Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest
5
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
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
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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
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Nottingham Forest 19:30 Hull City
16
Manchester City 15:00 Nottingham Forest
23
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Bournemouth
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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
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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