1980 Football League Cup final

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1980 Football League Cup Final
Old Wembley Stadium (external view).jpg
Event 1979–80 Football League Cup
Date15 March 1980
Venue Wembley Stadium, London
Referee David Richardson (Great Harwood)
Attendance96,527
1979
1981

The 1980 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 1979–80 Football League Cup, the 20th season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in The Football League. The match was played at Wembley Stadium on 15 March 1980, and was contested by League Cup holders and European champions Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers. [1]

Contents

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, although in the league table, Wolves were level on points with them with a game in hand. Victory here would have given the club a hat trick of League Cup wins, and they retained 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.

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.

The cup was then presented by then-FA Chairman Sir Harold Thompson to Wolves captain Emlyn Hughes. This completed Hughes' personal achievement of having won every major domestic honour during his career.

Match details

Nottingham Forest 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Gray Soccerball shade.svg67'
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 96,527
Referee: David Richardson (Great Harwood)
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Nottingham Forest
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Wolverhampton Wanderers
1 Flag of England.svg Peter Shilton
2 Flag of England.svg Viv Anderson
3 Flag of Scotland.svg Frank Gray
4 Flag of Scotland.svg John McGovern (c)
5 Flag of England.svg David Needham
6 Flag of Scotland.svg Kenny Burns
7 Ulster Banner.svg Martin O'Neill
8 Flag of England.svg Ian Bowyer
9 Flag of England.svg Garry Birtles
10 Flag of England.svg Trevor Francis
11 Flag of Scotland.svg John Robertson
Substitute:
12 Flag of Scotland.svg John O'Hare
Manager:
Flag of England.svg Brian Clough
1 Flag of England.svg Paul Bradshaw
2 Flag of England.svg Geoff Palmer
3 Flag of England.svg Derek Parkin
4 Flag of England.svg Peter Daniel
5 Flag of England.svg Emlyn Hughes (c)
6 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg George Berry
7 Flag of England.svg Kenny Hibbitt
8 Flag of Scotland.svg Willie Carr
9 Flag of Scotland.svg Andy Gray
10 Flag of England.svg John Richards
11 Flag of England.svg Mel Eves
Substitute:
12 Flag of England.svg Colin Brazier
Manager:
Flag of England.svg John Barnwell

Match officials

  • Assistant referees:
    • M.J.R. Barker (Oswestry)
    • B.A. Champion (Bristol)
  • Reserve referee: B.H. Daniels (Brentwood)

Match rules

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

Road to Wembley

Nottingham Forest

Round 2 (1st leg) Blackburn Rovers 1–1Nottingham Forest
Round 2 (2nd leg)Nottingham Forest6–1 Blackburn Rovers
(Nottingham Forest won 7–2 on aggregate)
Round 3 Middlesbrough 1–3Nottingham Forest
Round 4 Bristol City 1–1Nottingham Forest
Round 4 (Replay)Nottingham Forest3–0 Bristol City
Round 5 West Ham United 0–0Nottingham Forest
Round 5 (Replay)Nottingham Forest3–0 West Ham United (a.e.t.)
Semi-final (1st leg)Nottingham Forest1–0 Liverpool
Semi-final (2nd leg) Liverpool 1–1Nottingham Forest
(Nottingham Forest won 2–1 on aggregate)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Round 2 (1st leg) Burnley 1–1Wolverhampton Wanderers
Round 2 (2nd leg)Wolverhampton Wanderers2–0 Burnley
(Wolverhampton Wanderers won 3–1 on aggregate)
Round 3 Crystal Palace 1–2Wolverhampton Wanderers
Round 4 Queens Park Rangers 1–1Wolverhampton Wanderers
Round 4 (Replay)Wolverhampton Wanderers1–0 Queens Park Rangers
Round 5 Grimsby Town 0–0Wolverhampton Wanderers
Round 5 (Replay)Wolverhampton Wanderers1–1 Grimsby Town (a.e.t.)
Round 5 (2nd replay) Grimsby Town 0–2Wolverhampton Wanderers
Semi-final (1st leg) Swindon Town 2–1Wolverhampton Wanderers
Semi-final (2nd leg)Wolverhampton Wanderers3–1 Swindon Town
(Wolverhampton Wanderers won 4–3 on aggregate)

References

  1. "15th March 1980: League Cup Final Wolves v Nottingham Forest". The Football Network. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.