a**enal Beat Record
a**enal have beaten Nottingham Forest's outstanding record, held for 26 years, of 42 consecutive League games without defeat.
a**enal's 5-3 victory over Middlesbrough on August 21st 2004 brought them level with Brian Clough's double European Cup winning team. And in their match against Blackburn on August 25th they beat the record with a convincing 3-0 victory.
Forest's record run was between November 26, 1977 and November 25, 1978.
Forest won half and drew half of their 42 games in the run compared to a**enal's 30 wins and 12 draws. a**enal are also ahead in goals scored, a massive 92 to Forest's 58. However, Forest were tighter at the back, conceding just 22 goals compared to a**enal's 31.
Forest's 42-game run was completed over two seasons, 26 in the 1977/78 title-winning season and 16 in the following campaign.
It started with a 0-0 draw against West Brom at the City Ground. It ended almost exactly a year later at Anfield when Liverpool beat Forest 2-0.
One of the highlights of the run was the 4-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. United, at the time were languishing in the bottom half of the table and Forest ripped them to shreds. Tony Woodbilly produced a great performance, scoring two. John Robertson got another and the fourth was a Greenhoff own-goal.
Forest finished League Champions in the 1977-78 season, clinching it with four matches to go. At the home game against Birmingham they were presented with the Championship trophy for the first time in its 114-year history. At the end of the season they were 7 points ahead of rivals Liverpool with 64 points.
The above photograph, taken in 1979 has the majority of players there during the 42 game run.
The players involved in the run are amongst the great names of Nottingham Forest's football history (in alphabetical order):
Anderson, Barrett, Birtles, Bowyer, Burns, Clarke, Elliott, Gemmill, Lloyd, McGovern, Mills, Needham, O'Hare, O'Neill, Robertson, Shilton, Withe, Woodbilly
Although not playing in the league Forest's 17-year old keeper Chris Woods played an important part in Forest's League Cup run. At 18 he became the youngest goalkeeper to play in a Wembley final. And he won his medal in the replay at Old Trafford when Forest lifted the League Cup.
And there was the European Cup success, but that's another story.
Nottingham Forest's 42 game unbeaten run:
1 |
West Brom H |
0-0 |
26-11-1977 |
2 |
Birmingham A |
0-2 |
03-12-1977 |
3 |
Coventry H |
2-1 |
10-12-1977 |
4 |
Man Utd A |
0-4 |
17-12-1977 |
5 |
Liverpool H |
1-1 |
26-12-1977 |
6 |
Newcastle A |
2-0 |
28-12-1977 |
7 |
Bristol C A |
1-3 |
31-12-1977 |
8 |
Everton H |
1-1 |
02-01-1978 |
9 |
Derby A |
0-0 |
14-01-1978 |
10 |
a**enal H |
2-0 |
21-01-1978 |
11 |
Wolves H |
2-0 |
04-02-1978 |
12 |
Norwich A |
3-3 |
25-02-1978 |
13 |
West Ham H |
2-0 |
04-03-1978 |
14 |
Leicester H |
1-0 |
14-03-1978 |
15 |
Newcastle H |
2-0 |
25-03-1978 |
16 |
Middlesbrough A |
2-2 |
29-03-1978 |
17 |
Chelsea H |
3-1 |
01-04-1978 |
18 |
Aston Villa A |
0-1 |
05-04-1978 |
19 |
Man City A |
0-0 |
11-04-1978 |
20 |
Leeds H |
1-1 |
15-04-1978 |
21 |
QPR H |
1-0 |
18-04-1978 |
22 |
Coventry A |
0-0 |
22-04-1978 |
23 |
Ipswich A |
0-2 |
25-04-1978 |
24 |
Birmingham H |
0-0 |
29-04-1978 |
25 |
West Brom A |
2-2 |
02-05-1978 |
26 |
Liverpool A |
0-0 |
04-05-1978 |
27 |
Tottenham H |
1-1 |
19-08-1978 |
28 |
Coventry A |
0-0 |
22-08-1978 |
29 |
QPR A |
0-0 |
26-08-1978 |
30 |
West Brom H |
0-0 |
02-09-1978 |
31 |
a**enal H |
2-1 |
09-09-1978 |
32 |
Man Utd A |
1-1 |
16-09-1978 |
33 |
Middlesbrough H |
2-2 |
23-09-1978 |
34 |
Aston Villa A |
1-2 |
30-09-1978 |
35 |
Wolves H |
3-1 |
07-10-1978 |
36 |
Bristol City A |
1-3 |
14-10-1978 |
37 |
Ipswich H |
1-0 |
21-10-1978 |
38 |
Southampton A |
0-0 |
28-10-1978 |
39 |
Everton H |
0-0 |
04-11-1978 |
40 |
Tottenham A |
1-3 |
11-11-1978 |
41 |
QPR H |
0-0 |
18-11-1978 |
42 |
Bolton A |
0-1 |
25-11-1978 |
END |
Liverpool A |
2-0 |
09-12-1978 |