Atkinson wrong dugout for Arsenal
On this day in Nottingham Forest history in 1999 Ron Atkinson enters the wrong dugout before Forest lose to Arsenal.
Ron Atkinson’s first Forest home match produced a comical dugout mistake that quickly became attached to his short spell at the club.
Before Nottingham Forest faced Arsenal at the City Ground, Atkinson accidentally walked into the visitors’ dugout rather than his own. He later recalled looking around and seeing Arsenal players beside him before realising he was in the wrong place.
The match itself brought no rescue. Martin Keown scored the only goal in a 1-0 Arsenal win, leaving Atkinson’s first home game remembered less for the football than for the image of Forest’s new manager briefly sitting in the wrong dugout.
Atkinson’s arrival was meant to steady the club, but Forest could not escape the bottom of the Premier League. The wrong-dugout moment survived because it seemed to capture the awkwardness of a campaign that never really found direction.
Sources
The Guardian; Sky Sports; Evening Standard
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