Celtic supporters recall Nottingham Forest’s terrifying escape from catastrophe six years prior to Hillsborough…

Three years after winning the European Championship twice, Nottingham Forest faced Celtic, the original continental conquerors.

In the third round of the UEFA Cup, or the Europa League for those who are younger, the two were drawn together. This was before “Battle of Britain” confrontations turned into the one-sided David vs. Goliath fights they have since become. Because of the disparity in wealth, Goliath can easily swat David off to one side.

Not in previous decades. In Europe, Scottish clubs were more capable of competing, and defeating major English clubs wasn’t the unfathomable crushing defeat it is now. Forest’s own success under Brian Clough was a perfect illustration of how a good manager in charge of a talented group of players could reach the pinnacle of the game without the backing of a Petro-State or billionaire sugar daddy.

So when the Hoops were paired with Forest 40 years ago today, it was a genuinely mouth-watering prospect. A number of Forest’s European heroes had moved on, but they were still a force to be reckoned with. The likes of Viv Anderson, Ian Bowyer and Gary Birtles remained. Celtic were a good side under Davie Hay, having battered Sporting 5-0 in the previous round.

But those who headed to the City Ground anticipating a red-hot atmosphere were instead gripped by freezing temperatures as a disaster was narrowly avoided. 67,000 packed in to the stadium in the banks of the River Trent. The game finished goalless, despite Celtic enjoying the bulk of the play, and they were in confident mood ahead of the return leg in Glasgow, while remaining wary of Clough’s side.

But ultimately, that everyone made it out of the ground safely was the real positive result. Fan accounts tell of a massive police presence around the stadium, and temperatures meant an extra pint in the nearby pubs was had before venturing out into the cold and making their way to the turnstiles. That resulted in a surge of punters arriving at the same time. Further delays due to the location of parked buses meant the gates were thrown open to ease the buildup—allegedly entry being permitted whether you had a ticket or not.

On the 40th anniversary of the clash, Celtic fans have been looking back at how lucky they were to avoid a major incident that sadly happened in all too familiar circumstances less than six years later at Hillsborough—eerily, in a now infamous match in which Forest were Liverpool’s opponents.