Premier League: City Ground Clash Evokes Memories of Famous Rivalry

Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur

The return of this fixture evokes many memories for me as a schoolboy, in the years when the Premier League was just a twinkle in the eye.

It was period in the late 1980s and early 1990s; when Brian Clough was well into his domain as the King of Sherwood Forest and when Terry Venables had arrived to set the white half of North London believing again.

Among the games I can recall were a league encounter in October 1990 when David Howells scored two late goals at the City Ground to earn Spurs a 2-1 win in Nottingham.

Then there was the League Cup semi-final second leg of 1992 when Roy Keane headed an extra-time winner for Forest at White Hart Lane.

Forest had a bit of a hoodoo over their opponents in those days in cup competitions.

Three years earlier they had won 3-2 at White Hart Lane in a League Cup quarter-final replay en route to winning the trophy.

It seemed then that Forest often did better in North London and vice versa, although the 1991 FA Cup Final famously went the way of Spurs.

All in all, this game reminds me of two of English football’s great clubs and their first top flight meeting for 23 years this Sunday afternoon should be savoured.

Talking Points

Nottingham Forest welcome Jack Colback to their squad for the first time since the opening day of the season following illness.

Moussa Niakhate and Omar Richards are long-term absentees but boss Steve Cooper has no fresh concerns for a team which has secured four points to date from a hard fought win at home to West Ham and a draw at Everton.

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Tottenham remain without Cristian Romero and Oliver Skipp, both of whom will return to training next week, while manager Antonio Conte will make a late decision on Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil after the pair missed training.

The likelihood of Premier League highlights appears strong given both sides seem to have confidence.

There’s certainly a feel-good factor about Tottenham Hotspur once more.

The capture of midfielder Yves Bissouma from Brighton for £25 million, plus add-ons, caught my eye earlier this summer.

The Moroccan international signed a four-year deal to become the club’s third signing since Conte’s men secured Champions League football in May and more have followed.

The Italian has this week said his club’s hierarchy knows he wants two players for every role as he prepares for a stage of the season where he feels the true competitors will become known.

That stance means he is keen to recruit if the likes of fringe players such as Harry Winks, Sergio Reguilon or Bryan Gil depart to find regular first-team football.

Whether he gets his wish is unclear but he has certainly been backed in the market this term and their strong starting XI, backed up from the bench, means they will start as strong favourites in Nottingham.

Yet the ambition shown by the newly promoted men, who have forked out transfer fees totalling almost £150 million as they commit to spending big to boost their hopes of survival in a first top-flight campaign for more than two decades, is brave and their lack of fear has been refreshing to see on and off the pitch.

History

Harry Kane has now score 185 goals for Tottenham in the Premier League — Harry Kane scored 250 goals for Tottenham Hotspur in all competitions

This will be the first Premier League meeting between the sides since April 1999 when Steffen Iversen scored the only goal of the game against soon to be relegated Forest.

Their very first clash in the Premier League era came in April 1993, also at the City Ground, when Kingsley Black and Robert Rosario scored in a 2-1 victory for the hosts, although they would lose their top flight status a few weeks later.

Overall, Forest have 36 successes to Spurs’ 55 wins and an additional 29 draws.

Forest have won six of the last 10 league meetings but lost both fixtures in 1998-99, their most recent top-flight campaign.

Indeed, they have not won any of the last five in league and cup – a run stretching back to 1997.

Their most recent meeting came in the third round of the League Cup in 2014 – a year in which Spurs went onto reach the final – when three goals in the last 18 minutes from Ryan Mason, Roberto Soldado and Harry Kane earned the North Londoners a 3-1 success against their Championship opponents.