Nottingham Forest 1979 European Cup Final Retro Football Shirt

The unseeded format of the former European Cup competition threw up numerous oddities, such as Nottingham Forest facing a more challenging opponent in the First Round (competition holders Liverpool) of their successful 1978-79 campaign than the Final (Swedish champions Malmö).

Of course, Forest was unexpected finalists themselves in what was the club's first-ever entry to Europe's premier club competition. This was a team that had grown in stature as the tournament progressed, however, and the team traveled to the Munich Final as firm favorites.

Although missing the injured Martin O'Neill and the dropped Archie Gemmill, Forest had the luxury of introducing Britain's first million-pound footballer to their team for the game. Trevor Francis arrived at the City Ground three months earlier and became eligible only for the Final under UEFA rules.

The considerable cost of his acquisition looked money well spent when, just before half-time, he cleverly headed home a John Robertson cross for what would be the only goal of the game. The Swedish team was understrength and offered little threat to Forest who missed several chances in the second half to wrap up the game, most notably from Gary Birtles who still finished the campaign as the champion's top scorer with 6 goals.