NOTTINGHAM FOREST HISTORY
16 October, 1983

Top flight derby victory over Notts

On this day in Nottingham Forest history in 1983 Forest beat Notts County in a top-flight Nottingham derby at the City Ground.

Rivalry and derby lore

Historic derby match

Forest won a top-flight Nottingham derby with a 3–1 victory over Notts County at the City Ground.

The match started sharply. Ian Wallace scored for Forest after eight minutes, only for Trevor Christie to level almost immediately from the penalty spot. Forest then took control before half-time, with Ian Bowyer scoring after 28 minutes and Peter Davenport adding the third before the interval.

That first-half burst gave the derby its decisive shape. Local derbies can become tense and awkward, especially when the clubs are sharing the same division, but Forest made the important attacking moments count early enough to protect the afternoon.

The result lifted Forest from 13th to eighth in the First Division table, while Notts County stayed near the bottom. It also came just before Forest returned to UEFA Cup duty against PSV Eindhoven, giving Brian Clough’s side a useful domestic lift.

For supporters, the scoreline had obvious local satisfaction. Forest had beaten their city rivals in the top flight, with Wallace, Bowyer and Davenport all on the scoresheet.

Sources

11v11; BeSoccer

Explore more Nottingham Forest history

Browse the timeline to discover more events from this day and beyond:

OCTOBER
18
Notts County 0–2 Nottingham Forest
22
Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackburn
26
Vitória SC 1–1 Nottingham Forest
31
Portimonense 1–2 Nottingham Forest Sporting CP 4–1 Nottingham Forest
8
Udinese 1–0 Nottingham Forest Barcelona 1–0 Nottingham Forest
12
Nottingham Forest 2–1 Bayer Leverkusen
16
Nottingham Forest 2–0 Stade Brestois 29
22
Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds
25
Nottingham Forest 0–2 Leeds
29
Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest
5
Nottingham Forest 0–0 Tottenham
12
Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest
19
Nottingham Forest 0–1 Coventry
11
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
21
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
5
Nottingham Forest 19:30 Hull City
16
Manchester City 15:00 Nottingham Forest
23
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Bournemouth
30
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
15
Arsenal 15:00 Nottingham Forest
23
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Ipswich
30
Coventry 16:00 Nottingham Forest