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15 February, 1989

Own goal rescues semi 1st leg

On this day in 1989 Forest draw 1–1 with Bristol City in a League Cup semi-final first leg.

Cup runs and campaigns

Reached final / semi-final / quarter-final

Forest began their League Cup semi-final against Bristol City with a 1–1 first-leg draw at the City Ground.

Bristol City, then a Third Division side, made the tie uncomfortable and took the lead through Paul Mardon in the second half. Forest rescued the draw late on when John Pender put through his own goal in the 85th minute, leaving the semi-final level before the return match.

The late equaliser kept Brian Clough’s side from travelling to Ashton Gate behind in the tie. Bristol City had already shown they could threaten an upset, so the first leg left Forest with plenty still to do.

Forest completed the job in the second leg, winning 1–0 away after extra time to progress 2–1 on aggregate. They went on to beat Luton Town 3–1 in the final at Wembley, making this draw part of the route to another major trophy.

Match Footage

Sources

Transfermarkt; 1988–89 season records; The Guardian background feature

Forest timeline

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FEBRUARY
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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 …
1989
Own goal rescues semi 1st leg

Forest began their League Cup semi-final against Bristol City with a 1–1 first-leg draw at the City Ground. Bristol City, then a Third Division…

Cup runs and campaigns
1992
Clough, Pearce score in Bristol Cup win

Forest moved into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 4–1 win over Bristol City at the City Ground. Brian Clough’s side took control through…

Cup runs and campaigns