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Nottingham Forest Football Club were founded in 1865 by a group of "shinty" players (a form of field hockey).

Forest Decline to join the League

They were invited to join the Football League in 1888, but declined and a year later joined the rival Football Alliance.

Elected to Division One

In 1892, the Alliance was incorporated into the Football League as Division Two, but Forest, having won the Alliance championship, were elected directly into Division One.

FA Cup Winners

Forest won the FA Cup in 1898, but in 1906 they were relegated. They returned immediately as champions of Division Two but went down again in 1911.

Saved by the War

In 1914 the club finished bottom and were forced to seek re-election, and in 1915 the club almost went out of existence.

They survived only because the League was suspended for the war and they were relieved of the burden of paying player's wages.

In 1922 Forest were Second Division champions but they were relegated again three years later and by the late 1930s they were struggling to stave of relegation to the regional leagues.

Relegated to Division 3

Four years later they won promotion back to Division Two and in 1957 they returned to the First Division.

FA Cup Winners Again

In 1959, Forest won their first major trophy of the twentieth century, beating Luton Town in the FA Cup final.

In the 1966-67 season they came close to the double, finishing as runners-up in Division One and losing in the FA Cup semi-final.

However, in 1972, Forest were relegated back to Division Two.

The Appointment of Brian Clough

Brian Clough was appointed manager on 6 January 1975, and he would transform Forest from habitual underachievers into one of the top teams in Europe.

During his tenure at the club, Clough delivered the Division One Championship in 1978, the European Cup in 1979 and 1980 and League Cups in 1978, 1979, 1989, and 1990.

Relegations and Promotions

In 1993, Clough's last year in charge, Forest were relegated to Division One (old Second Division).

Frank Clark took Forest back to the Premier League in 1994 and into third place the year after, but in 1997, Forest were relegated again.

They returned as Division One champions the following season but were relegated again in 1999.

Relegation to League One

In 2004, the former European champions were relegated to League One - the third tier of English Football.

They remained at this level until 2008, when a second place finish ensured automatic promotion to the Championship.

In 2009/10 they finished third in the Championship and qualified for the promotion playoffs before surprisingly losing to sixth placed Blackpool.

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