Legendary Moments: Francis on Forest's first
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
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"Everyone enjoyed watching Brian Clough's team," says Trevor Francis, whose header won the 1979 final for Nottingham Forest FC and their charismatic manager.
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It did not take long for Trevor Francis to start justifying his landmark price tag. The first £1m British player when he joined Nottingham Forest FC in February 1979, the gifted forward scored the only goal as his new side overcame Malmö FF in that year's European Champion Clubs' Cup final.
Vote for Forest's famous first
Francis applied the finishing touch with his stooping 45th-minute header, but the mastermind behind Forest's victory, and their successful defence the following season, was Brian Clough. The enigmatic manager took the unfashionable Midlands club from the English second division to the apex of the continental game in just two years – and all with an attractive style of play that won Forest admirers far and wide.
"What has surprised me since is the number of people I've spoken to who were at the game," Francis told UEFA.com. "I can understand most Nottingham Forest fans wanted to be there, but so many supporters who weren't Forest fans were just drawn to the Brian Clough regime because he was such a charismatic character. And everyone enjoyed watching Brian Clough's team play football because they played it in the correct manner."
