Robert Exley
(Parts one to three can be found here, here and here.
After losing Neil Webb to Manchester United over the summer of 1989, Arsenal visited the City Ground in mid-September and left with all three points after goals for Paul Merson and Brian Marwood gave the Gunners a 2-1 win. Forest’s reply came from an excellent strike by Garry Parker. On New Years’ Day, Forest began the 1990s with a tough televised clash with Liverpool. The Merseysiders took a two goal lead with a double for Ian Rush.
A second half fight back however saw Steve Hodge pull one back with a header, while Steve McMahon brought Nigel Jemson down in the box which lead to Nigel Clough equalising from the penalty spot, earning Forest a 2-2 draw. A week later though, a third round exit in the FA Cup to Manchester United at home effectively kept Alex Ferguson in his job. By the time of Forest’s visit to Highbury in early March, Arsenal had failed to score a goal for the previous six weeks. Brian Clough’s men meanwhile were unbeaten for the last nine league games, including a 1-0 win over Man City the previous Saturday with a goal by Gary Crosby who headed the ball out of the hand of City keeper Andy Dibble.
Perry Groves broke Arsenal’s goal drought to open the scoring, while a brave header from Tony Adams doubled Arsenal’s lead. Kevin Campbell added a third with his first ever goal for Arsenal. Later on in the second half, Tony Adams was unjustly punished for a decent enough tackle on Nigel Clough by awarding Forest a penalty. John Lukic saved the resulting spot kick from Clough, though was forced to face a retake as the referee adjudged that he had moved too soon. Clough’s second penalty however crashed against the crossbar and Arsenal held on for a 3-0 win over Forest.
Forest however reached a second successive League Cup Final and at the end of April met second tier Oldham Athletic (conquerors of Arsenal at Boundary Park in the early rounds) at Wembley. Forest retained their trophy with a 1-0 win courtesy of a goal from Nigel Jemson. Forest finished the 1989/90 season with a 4-0 thumping of Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd side who were to appear in the 1990 FA Cup Final the following week. In 1990/91, Arsenal’s visit to the City Ground came in late September. Goals for David Rocastle and Anders Limpar secured a 2-0 win for the Gunners.
Forest’s trip to Highbury that season came in March. Kevin Campbell opened the scoring for Arsenal, however an equaliser from Nigel Jemson gave Forest a 1-1 draw. Forest spent much of the 1990/91 season languishing in the bottom half of the table, though Brian Clough’s side also enjoyed a run of six wins in their last eight games which saw them finish in eighth place, which was one place higher than the season prior. This season saw the emergence of a young Roy Keane who was signed from Irish side Cobh Ramblers the previous summer. In late April, Keane bagged two goals in a 7-0 hammering of Chelsea at the City Ground. In their penultimate fixture, a 2-1 victory over second placed Liverpool on the Mayday bank holiday effectively won the 1990/91 League title for Arsenal with Scouser Ian Woan hammering the final nail in their coffin with a tremendous strike.
Forest finished their season with a 4-3 win over Leeds United, though in Cloughie’s one and only FA Cup Final would famously lose 1-2 to Spurs at Wembley in a final famed for Gazza’s two lunatic challenges – firstly on Garry Parker and the second on Gary Charles which was responsible for his subsequent injury which put him out of action for a year. Over the close season during the summer of 1991, Brian Clough was on the lookout for a new striker and one such forward lined up was Derby County’s Dean Saunders, who recently explained the hilarious story on Talksport this year. Saunders instead went to Liverpool, while Nottingham Forest instead snapped up Teddy Sheringham from Millwall.
At the time of Arsenal’s visit to the City Ground for a televised clash with Forest in December 1991, neither side were particularly in form, having both won just two of the previous six games. Arsenal’s poor defence of the league title in 1991/92 saw them thirteen points adrift of Leeds United at the top of the table, while Forest were languishing in twelfth place. After an Ian Woan strike handed Arsenal the title the previous May, another blast from the Forest winger gave Brian Clough’s men the lead. George Graham’s misery extended into the second half with a header from his former Millwall protégé Teddy Sheringham. Ted then set up Archie Gemmill’s son Scott to put Forest three goals up.
The Gunners looked dead and buried until a run from David Rocastle set up Paul Merson to chip Mark Crossley in the Forest goal to pull one back. Moments later Alan Smith scored another to set up an exciting closing few minutes for the Live ITV audience. Forest however hung on to inflict a 2-3 defeat on Arsenal. By the time of the return fixture at the end of March 1992, both Arsenal and Forest went on a run of just one defeat in the last nine games. Arsenal lay in fifth position, while Forest were seven points behind in eighth. Arsenal took the lead with a penalty from Lee Dixon, before Ian Woan hit yet another cracker from thirty yards to equalise for Forest. Another blast from outside the box, this time from Nigel Clough, put Forest ahead at half time.
Into the second half, David Seaman failed to hold a shot from Teddy Sheringham, though Roy Keane followed up to put Arsenal 1-3 behind. Once again, a Paul Merson goal sparked an Arsenal fight back. This time however, the Gunners managed to salvage a point. A Lee Dixon free kick looped in which connected well with Alan Smith’s head. Former Arsenal youth goalkeeper Andrew Marriott in the Forest goal saved, however Tony Adams pounced on the rebound to equalise and earn the Gunners a 3-3 draw. Forest finished the final season of the old Division One in eighth position for the second year running. It would again however be the knockout Cup competitions where Nottingham Forest would thrive again.
Two days before meeting Arsenal at Highbury, Forest were to meet Southampton in the final of the ZDS Cup (a new sponsor for the trophy played out between sides from the first and second divisions). As English clubs had returned to European competition (coupled with the fact that Sky TV who covered the tournament became less interested once Premiership coverage was secured the following season), this competition fell out of favour and this would be its final season. Nottingham Forest ran out 3-2 winners over Southampton at Wembley with goals from Kingsley Black and two for Scott Gemmill.
Forest’s League Cup Semi Final second leg tie with Spurs at White Hart Lane also inadvertently created the phenomenon of the Sunday 4PM live game. ITV’s ‘The Match’ and its predecessor show ‘The Big Match’ originally set on a kick off time of 2.30PM, later switched to 3.00PM to avoid the Eastenders omnibus. The kick off time for this game however turned out to be delayed by an IRA bomb threat. With the scores level at the end of ninety minutes the game went into extra time, with a Roy Keane header giving Forest a 2-1 victory. ITV’s coverage concluded around 7PM that evening and TV bosses noted that the long prelude and late finish gave them the highest audience figures of the year.
This however was a revelation that ITV bosses were unable to profit from. Being as they were a general TV channel, they were unable to hand over time for football coverage no longer than a two hour slot. Also, the ITV franchise licensing requirements of the ‘God Slot’ (Sunday night religious TV, of which Harry Secombe’s ‘Highway’ was a prime example of) meant that games couldn’t kick off any later than an early evening finish. Sky Sports however were free of both restrictions and able to exploit both the following season when coverage of top tier football switched to the Satellite Channel.
In the final of the 1991/92 League Cup, Forest were to meet Roy Keane’s future employers – Man Utd. Though Brian Clough’s men were to reach their third League Cup Final in four seasons, a Brian McClair goal would give Man Utd. their first ever League Cup by inflicting a 0-1 defeat on Forest. Ahead of Forest’s first season within the newly formed breakaway Premier League, Brian Clough had sold prominent England Centre Half Des Walker to Italian side Sampdoria. Forest’s first league of the new era would also be the first Sky Sports ‘Super Sunday’, against Liverpool at the City Ground. Forest ran out 1-0 winners with a goal from Teddy Sheringham.
The Liverpool game however was far from a sign of things to come. Teddy Sheringham subsequently transferred to Tottenham hotspur and there followed a run of six straight defeats in which eighteen goals were conceded. Forest managed to scrape three straight draws before Arsenal visited the City Ground in mid-October. Arsenal’s early Premiership form had also been a bit hit and miss, though managed two straight wins at home to Man City and Chelsea ahead of the visit to Nottingham. Arsenal went on to bag all three points with a goal from Alan Smith securing a 1-0 win.
By Christmas, Forest were anchored to the bottom of the Premiership and six points adrift of safety after having only managed three wins in the League. It was Arsenal that were to ensure that Forest were to enjoy no success in the Cup competitions either. In early January, two goals for Ian Wright eliminated Brian Clough’s men from the Quarter Finals of the League Cup with a 2-0 win for the Gunners. One month on in the fifth round of the FA Cup, Forest returned to Highbury. Another two superb strikes from Ian Wright meant another 2-0 win. Forest’s third visit to Highbury during 1992/93 came in the League in late April 1993.
Arsenal were on course for a Cup double, though were languishing in thirteenth place. Forest in contrast were scrapping for their survival at the foot of the table and three points adrift of safety. Ian Wright struck again for his fifth goal against Forest at Highbury in a little over three months. Roy Keane equalised for Forest to pull off a 1-1 draw. Ten days on, a 0-2 defeat to fellow strugglers Sheffield United in their penultimate fixture confirmed Forest’s relegation. After weeks of speculation, the following week Brian Clough confirmed his retirement.
Within weeks of his retirement, Brian Clough became embroiled in the spat between Alan Sugar and Terry Venables at Spurs over alleged ‘bung’ taking. Such allegations were probed further by ITV’s ‘World in Action’. Clough responded in his own way to such allegations on a further ITV show called ‘Sport in Question’ jointly hosted by Saint and Greavsie, which makes for both humorous and tragic viewing. Forest in contrast bounced back at the first attempt under the stewardship of former Clough signing Frank Clark as second tier runners up. On their return back to the Premiership in 1994/95, Forest managed an impressive start, climbing to second place in the table in late October.
Arsenal’s visit to the City Ground in December 1994 came on the back of a run of four games without a win, during which Paul Merson’s drink and drug revelations came to light and news of George Graham’s bung taking about to come to public attention. Forest meanwhile had fallen from to fifth place after five games without a win. Stuart Pearce put Forest ahead from the penalty spot, before Martin Keown scored his first goal for Arsenal around nine years after his debut. Forest regained the lead with a goal from Dutch 1994 World Cup star Bryan Roy, however - in what turned out to be his last game for Arsenal – Paul Davis equalised for the Gunners who pulled off a 2-2 draw.
By the time of Forest’s visit to Arsenal the following February, George Graham had been dismissed from his role in relation to the bung taking allegations. Later that same day, his final signing for Arsenal – Glenn Helder – made his debut, as the Gunners under the caretaker management of Stewart Houston ran out 1-0 winners with a goal from Chris Kiwomya. In Bruce Rioch’s first season as Arsenal manager while still looking for his first home win, in August 1995 Forest visited Highbury. David Platt opened the scoring with a tremendous volley. In the second half however, Kevin Campbell – who left Arsenal over the summer of 1995 – equalised for Forest to earn them a 1-1 draw.
