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2 January, 1982

Defeat to Wrexham brings cup upset

On this day in 1982 Wrexham come from behind to knock Forest out of the FA Cup.

Iconic match memories

Well remembered match for any historically notable reason

Nottingham Forest suffered a bruising FA Cup shock when Wrexham won 3-1 at the City Ground in the third round.

Forest made the ideal start, with Mark Proctor scoring after only two minutes. At half-time Brian Clough’s side still led 1-0, and with players such as Peter Shilton, Viv Anderson, Ian Wallace and John Robertson in the side, the match looked set up for the home team to manage.

Wrexham changed the story after the interval. Steve Dowman equalised in the 61st minute, Mick Vinter put the Welsh side ahead in the 70th, and Dixie McNeil added a third three minutes later. What had begun as a controlled afternoon for Forest turned into a sudden and damaging cup exit.

The result stood out because of the contrast between the clubs’ recent histories. Forest had been European champions only a short time earlier, while Wrexham came from the Second Division. For supporters, it was one of those FA Cup afternoons where status counted for little once the tie began to turn.

Sources

Wrexham AFC Archive; The Guardian

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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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On this day in …
1982
Defeat to Wrexham brings cup upset

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