1992–93 Nottingham Forest F.C. season
# 1992–93 Nottingham Forest F.C. season

During the 1992–93 English football season, Nottingham Forest competed in the inaugural season of the FA Premier League.

## Season summary

The previous season, Forest had finished 8th and started the new season fairly well with an opening-day 1–0 win over Liverpool in Sky Sports' first-ever 'Super Sunday' match on 16 August 1992 which saw their first-ever live goal scored by Teddy Sheringham. However, after the sale of key players Sheringham and Des Walker, Forest struggled thereafter and after the promising display against Liverpool on the opening day, they went on the receiving end of six successive defeats - during which they leaked 18 goals - which would set the tone for a long season ahead of them. They were virtually never out of the relegation zone after their 2–0 home defeat to eventual champions Manchester United on 29 August 1992 and since the opening day, they won just two of their next 21 games before the new year, leaving them in bottom place, six points from safety.

However, their form after the new year exceptionally improved with a run of five wins in the next seven league games, cumulating in a 1–0 win over Queens Park Rangers on 24 February 1993, briefly lifting them out of the relegation zone on goal difference, during a very tight relegation dogfight at the time with only seven points separating second-bottom Middlesbrough and 12th-placed Chelsea. However, a 2–0 defeat to Manchester City and a 1–1 draw with relegation rivals Crystal Palace in their next two home games saw them sucked back into the bottom-three and after that, they could not keep up the momentum needed for survival, winning just two of the next ten games, leaving them needing to win their final two games in order to stand any chance of avoiding relegation. They were ultimately relegated in bottom place with their fate being confirmed on 1 May 1993 in a 2–0 home defeat to Sheffield United - among other results going against them - which also saw the Blades effectively secure their survival at the expense of Middlesbrough. Brian Clough retired at the end of the season, leaving Frank Clark to try and take Forest back to the Premier League.

During the off-season, young Irish midfielder Roy Keane - who was named in the PFA Team of the Year - was sold to Manchester United. He would play a major role in Manchester United's dominance of English football over the next decade.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 18 | Southampton | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 54 | 61 | −7 | 50 | |
| 19 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 63 | 74 | −11 | 49 | |
| 20 | Crystal Palace (R) | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 49 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 21 | Middlesbrough (R) | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 54 | 75 | −21 | 44 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 22 | Nottingham Forest (R) | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 41 | 62 | −21 | 40 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |

## Results

Nottingham Forest's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| - | - | - |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 16 August 1992 | Liverpool | H | 1–0 | 20,038 | Sheringham |
| 19 August 1992 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–2 | 29,623 | |
| 22 August 1992 | Oldham Athletic | A | 3–5 | 11,632 | Pearce (pen), Bannister (2) |
| 29 August 1992 | Manchester United | H | 0–2 | 19,694 | |
| 31 August 1992 | Norwich City | A | 1–3 | 14,104 | N Clough |
| 5 September 1992 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–4 | 16,180 | Bannister |
| 12 September 1992 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–2 | 19,420 | Bannister |
| 21 September 1992 | Coventry City | H | 1–1 | 17,553 | N Clough |
| 26 September 1992 | Chelsea | A | 0–0 | 19,760 | |
| 3 October 1992 | Manchester City | A | 2–2 | 22,571 | McKinnon, Pearce |
| 17 October 1992 | Arsenal | H | 0–1 | 24,862 | |
| 21 October 1992 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–0 | 17,846 | Black |
| 24 October 1992 | Sheffield United | A | 0–0 | 19,152 | |
| 31 October 1992 | Ipswich Town | H | 0–1 | 21,411 | |
| 7 November 1992 | Everton | H | 0–1 | 20,941 | |
| 21 November 1992 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–1 | 15,330 | Bannister |
| 28 November 1992 | Southampton | H | 1–2 | 19,942 | N Clough |
| 5 December 1992 | Leeds United | A | 4–1 | 29,364 | N Clough, Keane (2), Black |
| 12 December 1992 | Aston Villa | A | 1–2 | 29,015 | Keane |
| 20 December 1992 | Wimbledon | H | 1–1 | 19,326 | N Clough |
| 28 December 1992 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–2 | 32,118 | Gemmill |
| 9 January 1993 | Coventry City | A | 1–0 | 15,264 | Woan |
| 16 January 1993 | Chelsea | H | 3–0 | 23,249 | Bannister (2), Örlygsson |
| 27 January 1993 | Manchester United | A | 0–2 | 36,085 | |
| 30 January 1993 | Oldham Athletic | H | 2–0 | 21,240 | Woan (2) |
| 6 February 1993 | Liverpool | A | 0–0 | 40,463 | |
| 20 February 1993 | Middlesbrough | A | 2–1 | 15,639 | N Clough, Stone |
| 24 February 1993 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–0 | 22,436 | Crosby |
| 27 February 1993 | Manchester City | H | 0–2 | 25,956 | |
| 3 March 1993 | Crystal Palace | H | 1–1 | 20,603 | Keane |
| 13 March 1993 | Everton | A | 0–3 | 21,271 | |
| 17 March 1993 | Norwich City | H | 0–3 | 20,799 | |
| 21 March 1993 | Leeds United | H | 1–1 | 25,148 | N Clough |
| 24 March 1993 | Southampton | A | 2–1 | 18,005 | N Clough, Keane |
| 4 April 1993 | Aston Villa | H | 0–1 | 26,742 | |
| 7 April 1993 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1–3 | 20,467 | N Clough (pen) |
| 10 April 1993 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 3–4 | 16,782 | Black, Bannister (2) |
| 12 April 1993 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | 25,682 | Black, Rosario |
| 17 April 1993 | Wimbledon | A | 0–1 | 9,358 | |
| 21 April 1993 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | 19,024 | Keane |
| 1 May 1993 | Sheffield United | H | 0–2 | 26,752 | |
| 8 May 1993 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–2 | 22,093 | N Clough (pen) |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R3 | 3 January 1993 | Southampton | H | 2–1 | 13,592 | Keane, Webb |
| R4 | 23 January 1993 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–1 | 22,296 | Webb |
| R4R | 3 February 1993 | Middlesbrough | A | 3–0 | 20,514 | Bannister, N Clough, Woan |
| R5 | 13 February 1993 | Arsenal | A | 0–2 | 27,591 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R2 First Leg | 23 September 1992 | Stockport County | A | 3–2 | 7,964 | Örlygsson, N Clough, Bannister |
| R2 Second Leg | 7 October 1992 | Stockport County | H | 2–1 (won 5–3 on agg) | 15,573 | Black, Gannon (own goal) |
| R3 | 28 October 1992 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1–0 | 7,042 | Örlygsson |
| R4 | 2 December 1992 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–0 | 22,312 | Keane, Woan |
| QF | 12 January 1993 | Arsenal | A | 0–2 | 25,600 | |

## Players

### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | - | - | - |
| — | GK | WAL | Mark Crossley |
| — | GK | WAL | Andy Marriott |
| — | DF | ENG | Gary Charles |
| — | DF | ENG | Steve Chettle |
| — | DF | ENG | Brian Laws |
| — | DF | ENG | Stuart Pearce (captain) |
| — | DF | ENG | Carl Tiler |
| — | DF | ENG | Brett Williams |
| — | MF | NIR | Kingsley Black |
| — | MF | ENG | Gary Crosby |
| — | MF | SCO | Scot Gemmill |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | SCO | Ray McKinnon |
| — | MF | IRL | Roy Keane |
| — | MF | ISL | Þorvaldur Örlygsson |
| — | MF | ENG | Steve Stone |
| — | MF | ENG | Neil Webb |
| — | MF | ENG | Ian Woan |
| — | FW | ENG | Gary Bannister |
| — | FW | ENG | Nigel Clough |
| — | FW | SCO | Lee Glover |
| — | FW | ENG | Robert Rosario |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | - | - | - |
| — | DF | SCO | Terry Wilson (to Dunfermline Athletic) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | FW | ENG | Teddy Sheringham (to Tottenham Hotspur) |

## Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | - | - | - |
| — | DF | ENG | Craig Armstrong |
| — | DF | ENG | Steve Blatherwick |
| — | DF | ENG | Gary Bowyer |
| — | DF | ENG | Chris Hope |
| — | MF | ENG | Bobby Howe |
| — | MF | ENG | Ian Kilford |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Tony Loughlan |
| — | MF | ENG | Lee Marshall |
| — | MF | ENG | Justin Walker |
| — | FW | ENG | Steve Guinan |
| — | FW | ENG | Paul McGregor |

## Statistics

### Starting 11

    Considering appearances in all competitions

| Pos. | Name | MS | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| GK | Mark Crossley | 38 | |
| RB | Brian Laws | 33 | |
| CB | Steve Chettle | 31 | |
| CB | Carl Tiler | 38 | |
| LB | Stuart Pearce | 24 | |
| RM | Kingsley Black | 20 | Gary Crosby has 20 starts |
| CM | Roy Keane | 41 | |
| CM | Scot Gemmill | 34 | |
| LM | Ian Woan | 28 | |
| CF | Gary Bannister | 27 | |
| CF | Nigel Clough | 43 | |
