FOREST HISTORY · Historic event
Woodcock and Birtles sink Argeș
On this day in 1979 Forest beat FC Argeș 2–0 in the European Cup second round first leg.
Forest began the second round of their European Cup defence with a controlled 2–0 win over FC Argeș at the City Ground.
Brian Clough’s side were no longer the surprise English champions in Europe. They were holders of the trophy, and every tie now came with the expectation that Forest should know how to manage two-legged football.
Tony Woodcock gave Forest the breakthrough with a right-footed finish after Larry Lloyd’s header helped create the chance. Garry Birtles then made it 2–0 with a left-footed shot from a Gary Mills pass, giving Forest a strong first-leg advantage without needing to chase the tie wildly.
The result mattered because it gave Forest exactly what a home first leg should provide: a lead, a clean sheet and control before the trip to Romania.
Forest completed the job away from home, winning the second leg 2–1 and the tie 4–1 on aggregate. They would later retain the European Cup, and the Argeș result became one of the practical steps on that second road to glory.
Sources
UEFA; 11v11; Transfermarkt
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