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17 April, 1988

Centenary Tournament won at Wembley

On this day in 1988 Forest win the Football League Centenary Tournament.

Trophies and titles

Domestic cup win
Double goal-scorer, Nigel Clough, pictured 2009.
Double goal-scorer, Nigel Clough, pictured 2009. Image: Chris Barnes / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nottingham Forest won the Football League Centenary Tournament at Wembley by beating Sheffield Wednesday on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

The Mercantile Credit Football Festival was staged to mark the Football League’s centenary, bringing clubs together for a short Wembley tournament. Forest came through the format and finished the weekend with silverware, even though the final itself produced no goals.

Double goal-scorer, Nigel Clough, pictured 2009.
Double goal-scorer, Nigel Clough, pictured 2009. Image: Chris Barnes / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Penalty shoot-outs can make unusual tournaments feel suddenly serious. Forest held their nerve after the goalless final, while Sheffield Wednesday were left beaten in the decisive moments from the spot.

The tournament did not carry the status of the FA Cup or League Cup, but it still gave Forest a Wembley success and an official honour from a one-off Football League celebration. For supporters, it was another piece of silverware from a strong late-1980s side.

Match Footage

Sources

Nottingham Forest official honours; The Guardian; Steve's Football Stats; Football-programmes.net

Forest timeline

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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 …
1988
Centenary Tournament won at Wembley

Nottingham Forest won the Football League Centenary Tournament at Wembley by beating Sheffield Wednesday on penalties after a 0-0 draw. The Mercantile Credit Football…

Trophies and titles