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19 February, 1996

Spurs tie abandoned by snow

On this day in 1996 Forest’s FA Cup tie with Spurs is abandoned because of heavy snow.

Controversies and incidents

Infamous on-pitch incidents
Match abandoned by snow.
Match abandoned by snow. Image: W.carter / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Forest’s FA Cup fifth-round tie against Tottenham Hotspur was abandoned after heavy snow made the City Ground pitch unplayable.

The match had only lasted around 15 minutes before conditions forced the officials to stop it. Cup ties often carry tension because of the stakes, but this one became memorable for the weather rather than the football.

Match abandoned by snow.
Match abandoned by snow. Image: W.carter / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

For supporters inside the ground, the afternoon turned into an unusual and frustrating interruption. The fixture had drawn attention as a meeting between two top-flight clubs, but the snow quickly became the central story.

The tie was rescheduled and ended 2–2 at the City Ground. Forest then progressed after a further replay at Tottenham, going through on penalties after a 1–1 draw. The abandoned match remains one of those odd FA Cup moments: a big tie, a short burst of football, and a Nottingham snowstorm that made finishing the game impossible.

Abandoned FA Cup tie.

Sources

11v11; The Independent; talkSPORT

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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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