Nottingham’s crush calamity is avoided by Celtic, but sadly, the warning was disregarded.
This evening, forty years ago, a sizable Celtic fan base traveled to Nottingham to watch Brian Clough’s Forest play in another Battle of Britain match.
It was also a contest between European Cup winners, with Nottingham Forest’s two victories in 1979 and 1980 over Celtic, who became the first British team to win the Big Cup in 1967.
The match, which was the first leg of the UEFA Cup Third Round, ended goalless despite Celtic having the better of play and having a legitimate chance to win. They would always be bitter about the chances they lost at Celtic Park.
live to regret the times you lost out on at Celtic Park when you came back.
It was a very cold night, and as we arrived to the City Ground, it became clear that the police were waiting for the anticipated chaos to start even though there was no indication of any unrest.
They were dressed in full riot gear. Because there was a huge amount of travelling support, there was unavoidably a late surge as many fans would have left it as late as possible to allow as much time in the local bars before getting to the game.
Buses that were parked up on the bridge close to the ground appeared to have caused delays for supporters as well. The Nottingham Police made the decision as kickoff drew near.
Here are a few thoughtful responses to this tweet:
“The large gathering of Celtic supporters caught Forest and the police off guard. There aren’t many turnstiles handling thousands of supporters. They let a gate into one of the pens open in their fear.
I have no memory of this one. It’s fascinating that eejits are still standing around attempting to rouse the fans, even though some fans are clearly in trouble and need assistance.
distinct periods. Unfortunately, Forest has had similar experiences in the past.
“My friend and I persevered through our first away tie in Europe. I don’t think Nottingham had ever seen such a large and completely unprepared away support before.
The crushing was horrific; I remember the Celtic supporters yelling, “We are not
