NUFC MAD-SAD GROUNDHOPPERS ARCHIVE MATCH REPORT *** FOREST V NUFC 56 YEARS AGO!

 Posted ‘high noon bells 🔔’ Thorzday 7th May 2026

THE PICTURE SHOWS ALAN FOGGON (LEFT) AND TOMMY GIBB HOLDIN THE FAIRS CUP, WHICH NUFC HAD WON THE PREVIOUS SEASON! 

THE PROGRAMME PRICE WAS ONE SHILLING (1/-) FIVE PENCE IN TODAYS MONEY!

In March 1970 NUFC played Forest away in an old 1st Division match and ‘The NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers’ were there in force for wor forst ever visit —-and (of course!) we are heedin back to The City Groond many 🌙 moons later, for wor game on Sunday afternooon!

A Geordie Times match report on that game 56 years ago, iz featured below! A 2-2 draw!— Ground number 013

013 city ground nottingham forest

(GROUND NUMBER 13)

Date of First Visit: 28th MARCH 1970

CITY GROUND, NOTTINGHAM

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 2 

NEWCASTLE UNITED 2  (Dyson, ‘Pop’ Robson)

(OLD) DIVISION ONE

ATTENDANCE 21,360 

"THIS IS 'NOTT!' THE REET GROOND!"

 

FOREST'S GROOND (BOTTOM)  

WITH NOTTS COONTY'S (TOP) IN THIS ARCHIVE PHOTO FROM 1970

Wi'd left the Toon from the ‘Spit and Vomit’ opposite the ‘Central’  at 'seven a.m. bells' and the bus waz well 'stocked' with broon ale, ex, lager and cider, most of which waz piled behind the seats at the back and waz in full view of the window! (in them days there waz nee 'law' tih say that drink was'nt allowed on busses, so there waz nee need tih hide it!) and some three and a half hours later, az we were approachin' the centre of Nottingham, a gang of Forest skinheeds 'clocked' wih and started chasin' the bus doon the road az it slowly made it's way roond the one way system!.

Like the 'Pied Piper of Hamlin', more and more skinheeds 'joined in' and before lang aboot a hundred or so were racin' afta the bus, hopin' we would get 'stuck in' a traffic jam so they could get 'STUCK IN'! tih US!

One kidda in particular, who looked like their leader,was built like 'a brick s***hoose'!

Hiz ‘Dr Martins’ were aboot size twelve! and he was runnin' frantically behind  the bus wavin' his 'shovel size' fists menacingly!

He had black sunken eyes and aboot twenty different club scarfs tied roond his belt and wrists! (az waz the ‘custom’ in them days!)

The scarfs were his 'souviners' that he'd more than likely 'half inched' from unsuspectin' terrified away fans az they were ambushed gannin tih the groond!

(Rather like a red indian tekin' some pale faces’ss scalps!)

Ominously!---ah could’nt see if he had a ‘souviner’ Toon scarf roond hiz neck----BUT!---------AH DID!

Ah guessed that he had'nt come tih greet us with a friendly hand-shake! (more like a ‘deathly’ 'neck-shake'!) and he very nearly caught up with us---BUT!---in the nick of time, the traffic eased off and the bus excellerated away!-----PHEW!----CLOSE CAALL! 

He pointed hiz finger and shook hiz fist, gesturin’ that he would ‘get us later’! , which in torn brought a large “G-U-L-P-!” tih mee ‘John o Groat’!

He would'nt iv gettin' MY scarf anyway, coz, bein' a 'ten stone hard-case' ah would'iv 'filled the B******! in' if he HAD tried! (ER!---CAN pigs fly!?)

(Pleeze note: ah waz anly fifteen back then---ah nuw weigh in at a 'magnificent'? seventeen stone!)

Anyway!---wi'd lost them for good and wor driver dropped wih off aboot a hundred yards from the groond. Wih heeded towards the floodlights and when we arrived we were greeted by a sign on the main stand:

'N O T T S   C O U N T Y   F. C. -  F o u n d e d  1 8 6 2' the sign proclaimed!

"NOTTS COONTY!"----(aye!---yiv guessed it!) we were at Meadow Lane (aka:) the WRANG groond!

(It's a fatal mistake tih heed for ithe nearest floodlight pylons in Nottingham!)

Az the two groonds are anly a couple of hundred yards apart, seperated anly by the river Trent, yih did'nt have tih be 'Eienstein' tih work oot that the other set of floodlights across the waata, were in fact---'Forests'!

So!---wih ‘gingerly’ headed across the Trent tih the reet venue (and intih ‘Forests’ territory!)

This waz dangerous territory indeed az in the past it was’nt unbeknown for away fans tih be unceremoniously thrown off the Trent Bridge intih the river below!

(On one occasion a ‘Dibble’ had tih dive in and save a drownin’ fan who had been hoyed ower the top!) (minus hiz scarf!---nee doubt!?)

So it waz with ‘trepedation’  that we crossed the ‘said’ river, but there waz nee sign of any ‘radgies’ waitin’ for wih, which waz just az well, az it waz the OTHER! ‘wet stuff’ that WE! were lookin’ for!.  And az luck would have it, we managed tih 'con'  wor way into the 'Robin Hood Bar' which was next tih the groond ('con' is the reet word as AH was still three years under age!) (followin' the Toon, ages yih VERY! quickly!)  

After aboot fower pints of 'Strongbow' (very appropriate in a bar named after 'Nottingham's finest'!) wih headed (or should that be 'staggered'?) tih the local 'chippy' opposite the Trent Bridge cricket groond for some 'Friar Tuck' (WHAT ELSE!?)

After wi'd finished wor 'nose bags', wih heeded for the paddock of the main stand, where the Toon fans were congregated.

The Forest 'skins' in the 'Trent End',  who'd chased us orlier, decided they wanted a 'pagger', so they came roond tih the paddock fence and started hoyin' 'clemmies' at wih!.

Amongst them was 'Twenty Scarfs', who ah guess would rather be knaan az 'Twenty ONE! Scarfs' and he was in the thick of it, tryin' tih add tih his 'collection'!

Things were startin' tih 'liven up' by nuw!, and there were a few punches thrown and 'Doc Martin' boots swung!, az the two sets of fans 'squared up' tih each other at an open gate in the middle of the segregation fence!, before the 'Dibble' moved in, trunchions drawn, an' chased them back into their 'end'!. 

From warra can remember of the match??, (divvint forget, ah was still 'under the influence'!) it was 'end tih end' stuff durin' the forst half, with Keith Dyson and 'Pop' Robson scorin' for the Toon, but!---(unfortunately for us!) 'Forest' aalso scored twice, and wih went in level at the break.

There was nee further score in the second half, (at least ah divvint think there was?) and tih be honest, ah was happy with the point gained, as it kept wih in the 'top six', an' a place in Europe looked on the cards for the thord season in a row.

After the match wih somehow managed tih get across the river tih Notts Coonty’s groond  in one piece!, (where wor bus was parked) and heeded for home!----with nee sign of ‘yee naa who’! AND with mee Black 'n' White scarf STILL! intact! aroond mee ‘still intact’ ‘Gregory Peck’!                                  

©Fink™☺ (The Mad-Sad Gr☺undh☻pper!)

AZ IT STANDS!

 Posted ‘high noon bells 🔔’ Wedinzday 6th May 2026

It’s a very sad state of affairs, az it’s iz still mathematically possible in May, for NUFC to be relegated IF we lose wor last 3 games and The Jellied Eels Mob of West Ham win theirs by big scores!— They will then be equal on points!

Wor goal difference iz minus 2, while West Ham’s iz minus 19, so the very, very unlikely scenario iz az follows!

NUFC lose 3-0 at The Friar Tuck Mob of Nottingham

Goal difference minus 5  45 points

West Ham beat The Arse 3-0 at home

Goal difference minus 16   39 points

NUFC lose 3-0 at home to WEST HAM!

Goal difference NUFC minus 8   45 points

Goal difference West Ham minus 13         42 points

NUFC lose 3-0 at The Cottage Pie Brigade of Fulhim in wor last game

Goal difference minus 11   45 points

West ham beat Leeedz 3-0 in their last game

Goal difference minus 10  45 points

This sequence of events surely cannot happen!—-surely?

THE TOON 3 NEE WHERE NEAR BRIGHTIN (OR HOVE!) 1 *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2025-2026

Posted 'high noon bells' Sunday 3rd May 2026

"SAFE AZ HOOSES!"

A game we really did have to win--and we DID, but it woz a very norvee SJP crowd to witness it!

The alarm bells were ringin orly on when Brightin attacked the Leazes goal, ---and within 2 minutes they had broken through wor defence, but Hinchelwood's shot woz saved by The Pope in the Toon goal!

6 minutes later they hit the crossbar, but luckily it rebounded to safety, with Pope well beaten!

But it woz NUFC who took the lead at The Gallowgate End in the 12th minute, when Jacob Murphy chased a through baall doon the wing. Brightin's goalie Verbruggen raced oot of hiz box and collided with wor number 23, who fell to the groond!---Rather than stay doon to claim a free kick, he got to hiz feet and crossed from the byline to Wil Osula, who nodded home with their goalie 'nee where near'! (Just like Brightin's groond iz 'nee where near Brightin' (Hence wor name for them at the top of the page!) 1-0 to us!

This carmed wor norves a bit and within 12 minutes of the forst goal we were 2-0 up when a Bruno corner foond the heed of Dan Burn, who heeded the baall high into the net, with their goalie 'nee where' again! (sic!)

A massive scare came not lang after this az The Pope tried to clear a Murphy back pass, but hiz clearance rebounded off Hinshelwood and hit the near post!---Very luckily for The Pope it rebounded to safety! 

HT 2-0 to us!

In the 2nd period Brightin pressed the Gallowgate goal and after a couple of glarin misses they finally foond the net, when an unmarked Hinshelwood fired high into the goal on the hour mark, with The Pope well beaten! 

2-1 to us!

It woz 'pull your hair oot time' folks az Minteh somehow managed to 'sky' the baall, with the goal gapin', az strands of mee hair nearly came came oot at the roots!

Wissa woz then introduced and did a 'sky shot' az well, at the other end, when he somehow hit the baall high into the Leazes Gods az we graoned in dispair! Wor £55 million poond man still hazzint scored a home Premyaa Leegue goal aall season!

He had another chance just a few minutes later when he claimed the baall on the byline after a slip from a Brightin player--He woz clean through on goal but nearly baallzed it up again!---Luckily Harvey Barnes woz on hand to welly the baall into the goal, with 95 minutes on the clock, to seal the victory and prevent more potential 'hair loss'!

Just after the restart the ref blew for full time to loud cheerin from the majority of the crowd--but definatly not the 1,500 Brightin fans who had made the 350 mile jorney north!

Attendance: 52,099

News that 'The Jellied Eels Mob of West Ham' had lost 3-0 at Brentfaad, meant that they can anly equal wor points total of 45, but have a goal difference of -19 to wor -2 and with just 3 games left, that seems an impossible task! We would have to lose wor last 3 games and they would have to win az well by huge scores!---It aint gannih happen!

To make safety definate, Villa play Sporz this afternooon and Sporz must win and then win their last 3 games to be able to beat wor points total!---Aall eyes on that game this evenin’!

Updated——⬇️’10:30pm bells 🔔’

Villa 1 Sporz 2

Disgracefully, Villa made 7 changes in the hope of overturning a 1-0 defeat at Forest last Thorzday in the Europa Leegue semi final 1st leg!   The 2nd leg of the tie iz this comin Thorzday and the changes were to protect star players, for this Thorzday!

The result plunges West Ham into the bottom 3!- So mathematically NUFC are still in the relegation mix!  

However! odds of aboot 5,000 to 1 make this scenario the most unlikely thing that could ever happen!

 

 

 

THE TOON V NEE WHERE NEAR BRIGHTIN (OR HOVE) *** PREMYAA LEEGUE!

 Posted ‘high noon 🕛 bells 🔔 Saturday 2nd May 2026

“NO! ITS NOT THE VIEW FROM THE TOP OF A SKYSCRAPER!••• ITS THE VIEW FROM LEVEL 7 IN THE MILBURN STAND!”

Havin lost wor previous 5 games, NUFC really MUST get sumik oot if the game v Brightin this afternooon!

We havvint beaten them for ages az we slide doon the table! (The last 6 times we have played them!)

The Toon are actually on the same number of points away from a European place and a relegation place with 42 points—8 points eethaa way!⬇️⬆️⁉️

Anthony Gordon iz back in the fray, while Joelinton retornz after hiz 2 game ban!

Fab Schar, Emil Krafth and Tino Livramento are still crocked!

The very fact that we are now lookin nervously ower wor shoulders at the last relegation place and not a place in Europe, iz something The Geordie Times never expected to see again, when the PIF took ower!— But here we are!

FINAL FOWER (4) FIXTURES FINALISED!

 Posted 1:17pm 🛎️ bells’ Thorzday 30th April 2026

“WOR FINAL HOME GAME KICK OFF TIME AGAINST THE JELLIED EELS MOB HAZ FINALLY BEEN ANNOONCED! COO! COO!”

The Geordie Times faithful carrier pigeon, known az Secret Pigeon, (above) flew to Geordie Times HQ to give us the ‘cast in stone’ dates for wor final 4 fixtures on the season, 2 days after they were annoonced! (This iz The Geordie Times— Wot the hell did yoo expect?🤔

It will bring the total number of competitive fixtures to an exhausting 58!

 Just 1 behind the most games played in wor Fairs Cup winnin season in 1968-1969

MAY

2nd Saturday. Home to Nee Where Near Brightin @ ‘3 🛎️s’. Nee telly!

10th Sunday. Away to The Friar Tuck Mob of Nottingham @ ‘2 🛎️s’. SKY telly

17th Sunday. Home to The Jellied Eels Mob of West Ham @ ‘5:30 🛎️s’. SKY telly

24th Sunday. Away to The Cottage Pie-eyed Brigate of Fulhim @ ‘4 🛎️s’. 

Hopefully nee live telly, coz if we are we will be in danger of relegation! (Surely not?🥶)

MILLIONS OF REASONS TO BELEEEVE!

 Posted ‘high noon 🕛 bells 🔔 Wedinzday 29th April

The Geordie Times gans from strength to strength az we have past the half million pageviews for April aalready!

Last month it woz well ower 600,000 meanin that we have easily smashed the one million mark for the last 2 months!

We have applied to Google ad sense to put adverts on wor site, to try and claw back some of wor piggy bank money spent this season in away travel throughoot the UK and Europe! (We’ve been to every game!)

“OH NO!— MEE FUNDS ARE LOW!”

The trip to ‘CarrierBag’ (Qarabag) in Azerbaijan cost an unprezidented £1,500, (£1,100 for 4 flights ✈️ and 2 trains 🚂 alone!) which woz by far and away the most expensive European trip and longest distance that ‘The NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers’ have travelled! (6,000 miles roond trip via Edinburgh and Istanbul and Baku!) It woz aalso the longest distance any English club haz travelled for a European game!

Anyway! thanks for followin us and let’s hope NUFC can get some much needed points on Saturday v Brighton at SJP!

More to follow on that in the next couple of days!

Az per usual!  “Watch this space!”

THE ARSE 1. THE TOON 0 *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2025-2026

 Posted from ‘high noon 🕛 bells 🔔 onwards, Sunday 26th April 2026

“AIR SHOTS AND ‘OWER THE BAR’ FROM 3 YARD OOT’ , AGONY!”🙈

A goal from a set piece corner woz the difference between the 2 sides at The Emirates Stadium yesterday evening!

Unfortunately for NUFC and the travellin 3,000 plus 3 fans, it wasn’t for ‘us’, az  The Arse ran oot 1-0 winners to reclaim top spot!

Played in brilliant sunshine, we went behind after 9 minutes, when a short corner woz fired into the centre and Eze made nee misstayk az he sent a rocket shot past The Pope in the Toon goal, to put the home side 1-0 up! (Arsenal’s 3rd short corner!)

We thought that this wouldnt be the anly goal, but a different NUFC to the previous 4 games (and defeats!) torned up this time!

The biggest and most obvious problem iz we didn’t have a proven goalscorer on the pitch, with Wissa on the subs bench once again!

Osula led the line and within one minute of the start he had an ‘air shot’ at the far end from the travelling Toon fans, when a connection would have put us 1-0 up!

That woz hiz one chance to make a name for himself, which he failed miserably to dee!

Yet again after this, we were frightened to have a shot on goal and passed the baall sideways and back, time and time again!

And then that short corner goal that undid us!

We more than matched The Arse in the first half, but of course its goals that count, not performances!

The 2nd period wazzint much better in terms of shots on goal!

In the 66th and 75th minutes respectively, both Wissa and Waltemade came on, to replace the ineffective Osula and the injured Bruno, who sadly limpted off aroond the pitch!

Not lang after Waltemade had come on, The Toon had a great chance to equalise when the giant Jawman sent a nice flick to Wissa, who woz just 3 yards from the goal line, but he somehow managed to kick the baall ower the bar, to the dispair of the visiting fans, behind that goal!🙈

Dan Burn had a great chance after this, but he heeded the baall straight at their keeper, instead of the back of the net and that just aboot summed it up! FT 1-0 to them!

Attendance: 60,204 (3,003 Toon fans)

Wor 5th loss in a row —and with Forest, (5-0 at the SOS), West Ham and Sporz winnin their games, the gap between us and 3rd bottom Sporz iz now doon to 8 points, with 4 games to gan!

The train yem woz a complete nightmare az well—more on that to follow later AND wor 2 boozer ‘mini’ pub crawl before and after the game!

‘MINI’ PUB CRAWL!—Just 2 this time az mentioned! ⬇️ A new one for this season and The Parcel Yard, where we have been tee previously this season!

Runnin total of different drinkin dens this season, now 161

We sat in the beer garden (just ower the railings in the photo) and az it neared kick off time, some young Toon fans walked past and started goading the Arsehole fans with chants of, “Second again!—Second again!” ( Man City had claimed top spot off them a few days beforehand)

One middle aged ‘Arsehole’ (well named) woz non plused and hoyed a bowl of chips at them ower the fence!— The chef of The Grafton (who iz the Geordie owner) hord aboot it, came oot and angrily confronted the Arsehole!—and told him to leave and barred him from the premises!

A chip 🍟 off the old block—-perhaps? (sic!)

We were booked on the 9:03pm bells 🔔 train 🚂 from King’s Cross to The Central (station in the Toon)

There woz total chaos coz of a broken doon train somewhere up the line! Some trains were cancelled, while wors woz still running—but very late!

We boarded it  at 9:30 bells 🔔 az hundreds of others rushed to board, az it woz the last train back and az theirs had been cancelled!

Total chaos ensued az the train soon filled up and people were standin in the corridors!

At 9:45 bells 🔔 an annoocement came ower the loudspeakers, telling passengers to stop smokin and vapin on the train!

Another annooncement said that there woz fightin in Coach A coz of the overcrowding! (People sitting in booked seats they hadn’t booked!) (We were in Coach M a lang way away!)

ANYWAY! We eventually left at 10:15 🔔 and finally arrived back on Tyneside at the ungodly hour of qwaataa to TWO 🔔 on Sunday mornin

80 minutes late! The lift a’d arranged at midneet 🔔 bells’ when the train woz due back woz missed, so aa had to get a taxi yem, arrivin at Geordie Times HQ at 2:05 🔔 bells’

Who would be a Toon fan!?😵‍💫

THE ARSE v THE TOON *** TOMORROW AFTERNOOON!

 Posted 'high noon bells' Friday 24th April 2026

A GREAT ACTION PAINTING FROM AN ARSENAL V NUFC GAME PLAYED 100 YEARS AGO AT HIGHBURY IN OCTOBAA 1926 *** 

A 2-2 DRAW IN FRONT OF A 45,000 CROWD *** 

NUFC WON THE OLD 1st DIVISION FOR THE 4th TIME THAT SEASON!

(THE LAST TIME WE WON THE TOP FLIGHT TITLE!) 

NOTE THAT ARSENAL PLAYED IN AALL RED SHIRTS BACK THEN, WITHOOT THE WHITE SLEEVES OF THEIR CURRENT KIT!

We are off to the capital city yet again tomorrow, for wor game against 'The Arse' at 'The Em' in a '5:30 bells' kick off for live telly (Sky or pirate ☠️ stick!)

Nerves will definatly be janglin from the Arsenal players and fans, az their title hopes hang by a thread, after their defeat to Man City last Sunday—-and City’s 1-0 win at Bornlee on Wedinzday neet, saw them leapfrog The Arse to top spot, on goals scored! (The win aalso relegated Bornlee to the Championship)

According to AI, NUFC are mathimatically safe with 42 points, and says it will be just enough to escape the drop!---How the times have changed since last season!

Wor allocation of 3,003 tickets were sold ages ago —and az usual we will be in the orange area of the stadium map! The Geordie Times will be in block 23, row 23, indicated by the pin 📌 ⬇️

The Arseholes will odds on favourites to win and we would certainly settle for an unlikely draw, but wor fragile defence might not be able to hold oot!

Both Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento are expected to be missin due to injury, while lang torn absentees Fab Schar and Emil Krafth arnt expected to return anytime soon!

Joelinton sorves hiz 2nd and last 2 games ban, for picking up too many yellow cards! 🟨

Like we say--- a defeat iz aalso on ‘the cards’, but you never know what will happen with NUFC!?

*After wor 2-1 defeat at SJP to Bournemoooth last Saturday, I owerheard 2 fans talkin on the way oot of the groond!

“I wish the season woz ower!”, one said to hiz mate!

It just aboot sums it up!

A Geordie Times match and boozer report will appear here sometime on Sunday!

Let’s hope it’s not a horror story!👹 🙏🏻 

ARSENAL ARCHIVE MATCH REPORT FROM 1968

 Posted 'high noon bells' Thorzday 23rd April 2026 (St. George’s Day! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)

We heed for London yet again on Saturday, for wor game at The Emirates Stadium against 'The Arse', some 58 years since The Geordie Times entourage forst visited their old groond at Highbury, less than half a mile from their new abode! (0-0)

It woz aalso wor forst ever visit to London aall those years ago!

A match report on the 1968 game iz reproduced below!

Ground number: 004 Highbury

Oh and it’s St. George’s Day!⬇️ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿