| Match Pictures | Matches: 1983 – 1984 | 1983-84 Pictures |
Trivia
- The game was played on a very cold night and the playing surface was hard and frosty.
- Game shown live on the BBC.
- There was crushing at the packed Celtic end of the ground and the game was stopped until safety was restored.
- Celtic doctor John Fitzimmons tended to hurt fans at the pitch side.
- Brian Clough took a Celtic flag and pitched it on the field during the stoppage.
- Managers Billy McNeill (Man City), Alex Ferguson (Aberdeen) and Jock Wallace (Rangers) turned up to lend their support to Celtic.
- The 6,000 travelling Celtic fans were praised by the Police and locals alike for their humour and good behaviour.
- John Colquhoun was signed for £60,000from Stirling Albion 48 hours before the match and travelled south with the Celtic party.
Review
From the Celtic View:-
When the Celtic players ran to their fans at the end of their UEFA Cup match in Nottingham it was not to take a salute but to salute the supporters of whom the club has become so proud.
Such is their loyalty to the club that these fans travelled from all over Britain and Ireland to cheer the bhoys in green and white hoops.
In the stadium there were many strange accents wearing Celtic scarves but when they all joined together the one voice took on that familiar Celtic tone. It was loud, it was enthusiastic, it was continuous but above all it was sporting and respectable.
New chants are always to be heard Celtic play and the one along the lines of “You’re Supposed To Be At Home” showed some of the pride the supporters had in the way that their team had the home side pinned down to defensive play.
There were signs of danger, too, during this match when too many Celtic fans were crowded into the small “pens” at City Ground.
Stories have reached us of Police opening a gate and sending people into the ground through it – ticket or no ticket.
We have had a great number of tickets passed on to us by fans who did not need to use them. Still intact, with the stub to be handed over, some of these tickets did not even leave the owners’ pockets.
Local fans could tell us after the match that they had room to walk about at their end of the stadium. Space was obviously very scarce at the Celtic end and the Police action made things worse.
When fans did spill onto the pitch, things were made to look much worse by the number of stewards and police who rushed to the area. After the spillage, police stood around the Celtic support as if they expected trouble but all they witnessed was that unique blend of enthusiasm, humour and loyalty that is associated with the Celtic support.
Many Celtic fans, having travelled from Scotland for the game, decided for their own safety to leave the Park at half time.
Teams
Nottingham Forest:-
Sutton; Anderson, Swain; Fairclough, Hart, Bowyer; Wigley, Davenport (Wallace), Birtles, Hodge, Walsh
Subs:- Wallace Gunn Sinclair Smalley
Celtic:-
Bonner, McGrain, Reid, Aitken, McAdam (Melrose 54), Sinclair, McClair, P McStay, McGarvey, MacLeod, Burns.
Subs not used:- Latchford, Halpin, Dobbin, McGugan.
Ref:- S. Aladren (Spain)
Att:- 32,017.
Highlights Overcrowding problems!
Articles
- Match Report
- I was there…. (by Hampden 57)
Pictures
Articles
This was taken from the London edition of the Daily Mirror, written by Jimmy Greaves.
"I was convinced I was watching Nottingham Forest play Celtic at Parkhead when I tuned into the television coverage of their UEFA Cup Tie.
It looked and sounded as if at least 30,000 of the 32,017 crowd were supporting Celtic.
Say what you like about Brian Clough, but he deserves better support from the Nottingham public for all the success he has brought to Forest.
They’ll be surrounded by so much green and white that they will think they have been squeezed into a tube of toothpaste."
Evening Times 24th November 1983
Article from The Celtic View:-
“Battle of the Giants” that is how this match was billed by the “Nottingham Post”. Celtic, Scotland’s most respected side of recent years, Britain’s first winners of the European Cup were to face the localbhoyinthephotograph heroes.
Nottingham Forest had won the European Cup twice in recent years under the guidance of their current manager, Brian Clough. The newspapers had voiced split decisions on who would go through this two-leg encounter, but the more glamorous names in the forest side seemed to get the vote of confidence and in their first leg at home we were given the impression by the press that they’d be hard to contain.
Celtic were told, by the newspaper men, that they’d be doing well to concede only one or two goals. This would leave them a chance of qualifying at Celtic Park. Never was it suggested that Celtic could win. Bookmakers were giving odds of 8/1 for Celtic to win 1-0.
As always, though, Celtic fans had their own ideas about the outcome of the match, about the ability of the bhoys in the green and white hoops. That is why 11,500 tickets were not enough to satisfy the travelling fans.
Nottingham police had found it hard to believe that such an enormous football support descending on their City could behave so well. That they could enjoy themselves without causing damage to local people or their property. There was a story going round Celtic Park about a Glasgow policeman who was in Nottingham for the match and visited his colleagues on the local force. Seeing them preparing bundles of charge sheets in advance he advised them that they would not need them – it was Celtic supporters who were coming to town. After the match the local police had to agree with him.
During the game Celtic added to the pride that is their tradition. The Celtic on the field can be proud of the display they gave to outclass the home side. The Celtic on the terracings and in the stands can be proud of the support and encouragement they gave their team, of an enthusiasm that locals would tell us has never been seen in City Ground before.
Celtic had an uncomfortable start which saw ‘keeper Pat Bonner emerge as an early hero. After only ten minutes Birtles easily shook off McAdam to meet a long ball and raced towards goal with only the ‘keeper to beat.
Big Pat came out and committed himself to diving at the International striker’s feet to smother his shot.
The ball was cleared out of danger and as Celtic moved upfield the ball went out of play for a shy and in the 11th minute came the unfortunate incident of the Celtic fans spilling onto the park to avoid being crushed in the too tightly packed terracing where a crush barrier had collapsed.
It took nine minutes for fans to receive medical attention and for fans to find new space in the stadium.
During this, Celtic manager, Davie Hay, had worked with police to safeguard the interests of the supporters. Neil Mochan, Doctor Fitzsimmons, Brian Scott, Frank Connor and even Celtic View photographer Andy Feeney came to the aid of suffering fans. The Celtic doctor gave the kiss of life and revived several injured fans.
When the match restarted, Celtic seemed to have found new fervour and for the remaining 70 minutes it was hard to figure out which side was at home
On a heavily frosted pitch, Celtic, without Davie Provan and Willie McStay suffered a further setback by losing Tom McAdam early in the second half with a hamstring injury. They still played well and constructively and had by far the better to win.
In the end a goalless draw is a good result for Celtic, but they still have to win the tie at Celtic Park, as Frank McGarvey said having no goals gives Celtic nothing to lean back on. They will have to attack and that is what they will do