Former Nottingham Forest striker Tommy Gaynor has recalled their rivalry with Liverpool ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup clash.
Gaynor played for Brian Clough in the 1980s at the City Ground.
“They were great days, it was brilliant to be part of all that,” says Gaynor.
“We had a great side, a team of internationals, basically, Sheringham, Clough, Pearce, Walker, later Roy Keane. I had five years there, we finished third in the top division in England, unfortunately we were up against a very good Liverpool team for all those years.
“They were just a super team, the best team in England, they were the best team for a five-six year period. Alan Hansen was a midfielder disguised as a defender, he just marshalled that defence so well and was so good on the ball.
“John Barnes was, to me, the best player in England at that time, Ian Rush and John Aldridge up front, Ronnie Whelan in midfield, every player on that side was just brilliant.”
In his debut season at Forest, they played Liverpool three times in a hectic 11-day spell close to the end of the season: a 2-1 home win in the league for Forest only one of two losses in the league for champions-elect Liverpool, then a 2-1 victory for the Reds in the FA Cup semi-final, and heavy loss.
“They were hard matches against Liverpool. I remember being on the receiving end of a 5-0 drubbing in Anfield, which was hard to take, I was on the bench that day and I was probably glad I didn’t play, no one likes to lose 5-0. We’d beaten them 2-1 just before the 5-0 and they were hurt.”
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