1980 Football League Cup Final

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The 1980 Football League Cup Final was a football match held on 15 March 1980 between League Cup holders and European champions Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Wolves won the match 1–0 thanks to an Andy Gray goal in the 67th minute.

As both League Cup and European Cup holders, Nottingham Forest had entered the match as clear favourites. Indeed, victory here would have given the club a hat trick of League Cup wins, and they would go on to retain the European Cup at the end of the season. By contrast, Wolves' last silverware had been their League Cup win six years earlier and they had finished a lowly 18th in the First Division in the previous campaign, whilst Forest had ended runners-up.

Contents

[edit] Match summary

Living up to their tag of favourites, Nottingham Forest took the game to Wolves and created several opportunities, all denied by Bradshaw in the Wolves goal, as Francis shot across him and Gray's mazy run through was just halted. Birtles' driven attempt at a scrambled corner was also parried away by the keeper, while Wolves' attacks largely came to nothing.

The second half started more evenly and Wolves were the first to get the ball into the net, as Richards and Carr bundled it in after Shilton had flapped at a cross, only for a foul to be awarded against Wolves. In the 67th minute, a long ball upfield by Daniel created confusion in the Forest defence, as Needham and Shilton collided with one another, leaving Gray with the simplest of chances to prod the ball into the empty net. Forest now pressed hard for the equaliser but were thwarted by the resilient mass of Wolves' defence, as they cleared the ball after several goalmouth scrambles. In a break from the Forest onslaught, Wolves almost extended their lead further when Berry hit the woodwork. Nonetheless, the Molineux men held on to upset the odds and claim their second League Cup triumph.

[edit] Match details

1980-03-15
15:00 GMT
Nottingham Forest 0 – 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 96,527
Referee: D. Richardson
Gray Scored after 67 minutes 67'
NOTTINGHAM FOREST:
1 Flag of England Peter Shilton
2 Flag of England Viv Anderson
3 Flag of Scotland Frank Gray
4 Flag of Scotland John McGovern (c)
5 Flag of England David Needham
6 Flag of Scotland Kenny Burns
7 Flag of Northern Ireland Martin O'Neill
8 Flag of England Ian Bowyer
9 Flag of England Garry Birtles
10 Flag of England Trevor Francis
11 Flag of Scotland John Robertson
Substitute:
12 Flag of Scotland John O'Hare
Manager:
Flag of England Brian Clough
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS:
1 Flag of England Paul Bradshaw
2 Flag of England Geoff Palmer
3 Flag of England Derek Parkin
4 Flag of England Peter Daniel
5 Flag of England Emlyn Hughes (c)
6 Flag of Wales George Berry
7 Flag of England Kenny Hibbitt
8 Flag of Scotland Willie Carr
9 Flag of Scotland Andy Gray
10 Flag of England John Richards
11 Flag of England Mel Eves
Substitute:
12 Flag of England Colin Brazier
Manager:
Flag of England John Barnwell

MATCH RULES

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Replay if scores still level.
  • One named substitute
  • Maximum of 1 substitution.

[edit] Road to Wembley

[edit] Nottingham Forest

Round 2, 1st Leg: Blackburn Rovers 1–1 Nottingham Forest

Round 2, 2nd Leg: Nottingham Forest 6–1 Blackburn Rovers (Forest won 7–2 on aggregate)

Round 3: Middlesbrough 1–3 Nottingham Forest

Round 4: Bristol City 1–1 Nottingham Forest

  • Replay: Nottingham Forest 3–0 Bristol City

Quarter-final: West Ham United 0–0 Nottingham Forest

  • Replay: Nottingham Forest 3–0 West Ham United

Semi-final, 1st Leg: Nottingham Forest 1–0 Liverpool

Semi-final, 2nd Leg: Liverpool 1–1 Nottingham Forest

[edit] Wolverhampton Wanderers

Round 2, 1st Leg: Burnley 1–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Round 2, 2nd Leg: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 Burnley

Round 3: Crystal Palace 1–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Round 4: Queens Park Rangers 1–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

  • Replay: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Queens Park Rangers

Quarter-final: Grimsby Town 0–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

  • Replay: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Grimsby Town
  • Replay: Grimsby Town 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Semi-final, 1st Leg: Swindon Town 2–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Semi-final, 2nd Leg: Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1 Swindon Town