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NOTTINGHAM FOREST HISTORY
30 August, 1997

van Hooijdonk hat-trick sinks QPR

On this day in Nottingham Forest history in 1997 Forest beat Queens Park Rangers 4–0 during their Division One promotion season.

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Hat-trick hero, Pierre van Hooijdonk, pictured 2012.
Hat-trick hero, Pierre van Hooijdonk, pictured 2012. Image: Wim Hollemans, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pierre van Hooijdonk produced one of his most ruthless Forest performances as Nottingham Forest beat Queens Park Rangers 5-0 at the City Ground.

Forest were chasing promotion under Dave Bassett, and the match quickly became a show of attacking power. Van Hooijdonk scored a hat-trick, giving QPR a long afternoon and reminding the division how dangerous Forest could be when their main striker found rhythm.

Hat-trick hero, Pierre van Hooijdonk, pictured 2012.
Hat-trick hero, Pierre van Hooijdonk, pictured 2012. Image: Wim Hollemans, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kevin Campbell and Colin Cooper also scored, turning the result from a strong home win into a heavy statement. Forest had pace, height and finishing power, and QPR could not cope once the pressure built.

For supporters, the afternoon belonged above all to Van Hooijdonk. His goals carried Forest through much of that promotion season, and this 5-0 win showed why: when he was sharp, Forest looked capable of overwhelming almost anyone in the division.

Sources

11v11; London Hearts; BeSoccer

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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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Eras and timeline markers