East Midlands Derby vs Derby County
The East Midlands Derby: a fierce rivalry for the Brian Clough Trophy.
Football matches held between Derby County F.C. and Nottingham Forest F.C. are often referred to as an 'East Midlands Derby' and are the focus of a lengthy and intense rivalry. According to an unofficial survey on 'football rivalries' the 'East Midlands Derby' is the sixth fiercest rivalry in English football, with 9 out of 10 fans from the two clubs naming the other as their 'fiercest rival'. Since 2007, the winning team of a Derby vs Forest match has been awarded the Brian Clough Trophy, in memory of Brian Clough, who managed both clubs during his long and successful football career. The inaugural match for the trophy was held at Derby's Pride Park Stadium on 31 July 2007, in which the host team won 2–0. Since the inauguration of the Brian Clough Trophy, fans from both sides have nicknamed the fixture El Cloughico, in reference to the El Clásico rivalry between Spanish football teams FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF. The fixture is seen as one of the biggest rivalries in English football, spanning back over 100 years. Hooliganism and violence is a common occurrence at the fixture.
Lore & Background
The first meeting of Derby County and Nottingham Forest came in the 1892–93 First Division. The first competitive fixture between the two teams was held on 1 October 1892 at the Racecourse Ground in the Football League Division One, which Nottingham Forest won 3–2. Derby County were the hosts for that match. The return fixture in January 1893 also ended in victory for Nottingham Forest, this time 1–0. It was not until the 1894–95 season that Derby secured a first win over their future rivals, coming out on top 4–2 in September 1894. Although the clubs are rivals because of their geographical proximity, the rivalry intensified towards the late 1970s when Brian Clough was appointed Forest manager, much to the dismay of the Derby support. On 2 November 2008, referee Stuart Attwell became the centre of attention when he disallowed two Derby goals in the final few minutes and booked eight players and issued a straight red card to Forest midfielder Lewis McGugan. Animosity between the clubs grew further with the appointment of former Derby manager Billy Davies at Forest in December 2009, along with the signing of several former Derby players, and the appointment of Nigel Clough as Derby manager. Two fractious FA Cup ties and post-match incidents added to the tension. In the 2011–12 season, Derby claimed a first league double in the fixture since 1972. Both teams claimed a home victory in the 2013–14 season: Forest won 1–0 at the City Ground in September, but Derby then won 5–0 at Pride Park in March 2014, equalling the record margin of victory in the fixture's history. Having spent thirteen years together in the EFL Championship, at the end of the 2021-22 season Forest were promoted to the Premier League while Derby were relegated to EFL League One.
Reader's Guide
The head-to-head record is last updated on 22 January 2022. Major competitions include meetings in the Football League and FA Cup. There have been a further 25 meetings in various minor competitions, including Wartime competitions and the Anglo-Italian Cup.
Did You Know?
- Brian Clough was the first man to manage both Derby County and Nottingham Forest, having managed Derby between June 1967 and October 1973 before managing Forest from January 1975.
- Dave Mackay managed Forest between 1972 and 1973 before joining Derby in 1973 as the replacement for Brian Clough, making him the second man to manage both clubs.
- Since World War II, some 30 players have played for both clubs, with the most famous being Brian Clough.
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