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NOTTINGHAM FOREST HISTORY
29 August, 1981

Fashanu makes league debut

On this day in Nottingham Forest history in 1981 Justin Fashanu makes his Forest league debut in a 2–1 home win over Southampton.

Player legacies

Senior debut

Justin Fashanu made his Nottingham Forest league debut in a 2–1 First Division win over Southampton at the City Ground.

His arrival had already made national headlines. Fashanu had joined from Norwich City in a landmark £1m move, making him Britain’s first black footballer to command a £1m transfer fee.

The match itself was won by Forest through two Trevor Francis goals, with Kevin Keegan scoring for Southampton. Francis’s first was listed as a header from a Viv Anderson cross, while his second came after a Justin Fashanu pass, with Francis making the run before finishing.

But the bigger Forest story was how quickly the move unravelled. Fashanu struggled to settle under Brian Clough, scored only three league goals for Forest, and left the club in 1982 after loan spells and a difficult relationship with the manager.

That makes the debut feel very different in hindsight. What began as a high-profile signing full of expectation became one of the most complicated and painful player stories connected to Clough’s later Forest years.

Justin Fashanu on Justin Fashanu

Sources

Sporting Heroes; ESPN

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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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