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BBC News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'I'm retiring after 46 years on Nottingham Forest's turnstiles'
Alan Moore will be a familiar face to many Nottingham Forest fans who regularly attend matches at the club's historic City Ground. He has worked on the turnstiles for 46 seasons, letting ticketholders into the stadium since his last shift will be on Sunday, before the Reds take on Chelsea in the final game of the season."I think it'll be emotional - it's a point of change," said the 79-year-old former Royal Navy engineer. "I came in when they were in Europe, and I'm going out as they go back into Europe." Mr Moore, from Nuthall in Nottinghamshire, started working for the club during the Brian Clough era, which saw Forest famously win two back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980."Ah, they were great days," he said."I think the football played then was very entertaining... and it was brilliant to be on top of the world."Mr Moore took a short break from the club when he got deployed to the Falklands in 1982, but, even then, he was able to work part of the season. Mr Moore believes his role is more than just simply turning is often the first point of contact for fans arriving at the ground, which he said made him "sort of an ambassador for the club"."I'm meeting the fans and starting them off on their journeys for the game," he his early days with the club, Mr Moore had a season ticket, guaranteeing him a spot in the crowd next to his brother at the end of his he said the club would also allow employees to sit in an empty seat to watch matches."You need it [a season ticket] these days because you can't always get a seat," he said."When I've had to miss games in the past for one reason or another, it's always felt a little bit strange." Over the years, Mr Moore has built up a good rapport with some fans who regularly pass through his turnstile."I worked on the away side as well but, certainly, the home fans, they're all happy and cheerful," he said."One chap puts his hand through to shake my hand every game."But the lifelong Forest fan is moving to Matlock in Derbyshire, so he is giving up his beloved said: "I love the club and what it stands for, it's a community club."To mark the end of his time working at the City Ground, the club surprised Mr Moore with a stadium tour, a signed shirt and the promise of two tickets for Forest's first game of the 2025/26 he walked down the tunnel and out on to the pitch as part of his surprise tour, Mr Moore said: "I never, ever thought I'd be doing this. No, this is incredible."A spokesperson for the club said: "We were delighted to welcome Alan to the City Ground for a private tour along with his son and grandson, and we hope they enjoyed it."Working on matchdays as a turnstile operator for 46 years shows fantastic dedication, and his passion for the club is clear for all to see."We're looking forward to seeing Alan back at the stadium next season on the other side of the turnstiles showing his support for the team he loves."
Malay Mail
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Malay Mail
A club punching above its weight: Nottingham Forest chase Champions League dream after stunning revival
MANCHESTER, May 24 — Many of Matthew Oldroyd's memories as a Nottingham Forest fan involve climbing on to a bus to attend away games in unglamorous football destinations such as Oldham, Gillingham and Huddersfield. Forest began this season tipped for relegation but tomorrow can clinch a place in the Champions League for the first time in more than 40 years, and Oldroyd said his apprenticeship as a Forest fan during some of the team's darkest days had made their current campaign that much sweeter. 'I am part of that generation where I got my timings wrong and I ended up watching quite a lot of bad football for 25 years,' Oldroyd, author of Trailblazers: The Ground Breaking History of Nottingham Forest Football Club, told Reuters. 'It has made these recent successes much more enjoyable because we've been through that period of pain and turmoil, of course, and now we get to enjoy a team that are at the top end of the Premier League.' Forest famously won the European Cup in 1979 and 1980, under the management of Brian Clough, but have not played in Europe's elite club competition since the 1980-81 season. They have enjoyed a remarkable renaissance this season under Nuno Espirito Santo — whose surname translates to English as 'holy spirit' and who replaced Steve Cooper in December 2023. They became the first team in Premier League history to double their points tally from one season to the next. The Reds host Chelsea in a dramatic season finale at the City Ground, with both teams among five chasing three remaining Champions League spots, along with Manchester City, Newcastle and Aston Villa. The 40-year-old Oldroyd was born into a family of Forest fans and, while he missed out on the club's glory years under Clough, he has fond memories of singing arm-in-arm in City Ground's Trent End when it was a standing-room area. 'I don't think I really cared too much that we weren't that good. I was really happy to be going to watch Forest every week,' said Oldroyd, who is also the co-founder of Forest fan group Forza Garibaldi. His book, which he called a labour of love and was released earlier this year, traces the club's historical firsts, including the invention of shin pads. Forest player Samuel Weller Widdowson famously cut down a pair of cricket pads and strapped them over his socks in 1874. His team mates followed suit, thus Forest became the world's first team to wear them. Seventh-placed Forest had been rooted in the top five for most of the season but have lost momentum in recent weeks and now need luck on their side in the jam-packed race for Champions League qualification. They must beat Chelsea and also need Newcastle United or Aston Villa to drop points, while a draw or a loss would only be good enough to get into the Europa League or Conference League. Oldroyd believes Champions League qualification would be 'very typical of Forest being that club that punches above their weight'. 'I will counter that to say, regardless of what happens, we should all remember that it's been a fantastic season and Forest have established themselves again as being one of the better teams in the country, which for so long we just haven't known,' he said. 'Really a whole generation have known (Forest) as being a second-division club. So to now be challenging for Europe and playing in Europe next season is just really phenomenal. It really is.' — Reuters
CNA
24-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Champions League would be fitting result for Forest team that punches above weight
MANCHESTER, England : Many of Matthew Oldroyd's memories as a Nottingham Forest fan involve climbing on to a bus to attend away games in unglamorous football destinations such as Oldham, Gillingham and Huddersfield. Forest began this season tipped for relegation but on Sunday can clinch a place in the Champions League for the first time in more than 40 years, and Oldroyd said his apprenticeship as a Forest fan during some of the team's darkest days had made their current campaign that much sweeter. "I am part of that generation where I got my timings wrong and I ended up watching quite a lot of bad football for 25 years," Oldroyd, author of Trailblazers: The Ground Breaking History of Nottingham Forest Football Club, told Reuters. "It has made these recent successes much more enjoyable because we've been through that period of pain and turmoil, of course, and now we get to enjoy a team that are at the top end of the Premier League." Forest famously won the European Cup in 1979 and 1980, under the management of Brian Clough, but have not played in Europe's elite club competition since the 1980-81 season. They have enjoyed a remarkable renaissance this season under Nuno Espirito Santo - whose surname translates to English as "holy spirit" and who replaced Steve Cooper in December 2023. They became the first team in Premier League history to double their points tally from one season to the next. The Reds host Chelsea in a dramatic season finale at the City Ground, with both teams among five chasing three remaining Champions League spots, along with Manchester City, Newcastle and Aston Villa. The 40-year-old Oldroyd was born into a family of Forest fans and, while he missed out on the club's glory years under Clough, he has fond memories of singing arm-in-arm in City Ground's Trent End when it was a standing-room area. "I don't think I really cared too much that we weren't that good. I was really happy to be going to watch Forest every week," said Oldroyd, who is also the co-founder of Forest fan group Forza Garibaldi. His book, which he called a labour of love and was released earlier this year, traces the club's historical firsts, including the invention of shin pads. Forest player Samuel Weller Widdowson famously cut down a pair of cricket pads and strapped them over his socks in 1874. His team mates followed suit, thus Forest became the world's first team to wear them. Seventh-placed Forest had been rooted in the top five for most of the season but have lost momentum in recent weeks and now need luck on their side in the jam-packed race for Champions League qualification. They must beat Chelsea and also need Newcastle United or Aston Villa to drop points, while a draw or a loss would only be good enough to get into the Europa League or Conference League. Oldroyd believes Champions League qualification would be "very typical of Forest being that club that punches above their weight". "I will counter that to say, regardless of what happens, we should all remember that it's been a fantastic season and Forest have established themselves again as being one of the better teams in the country, which for so long we just haven't known," he said. "Really a whole generation have known (Forest) as being a second-division club. So to now be challenging for Europe and playing in Europe next season is just really phenomenal. It really is."
Reuters
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Champions League would be fitting result for Forest team that punches above weight
MANCHESTER, England, May 24 (Reuters) - Many of Matthew Oldroyd's memories as a Nottingham Forest fan involve climbing on to a bus to attend away games in unglamorous football destinations such as Oldham, Gillingham and Huddersfield. Forest began this season tipped for relegation but on Sunday can clinch a place in the Champions League for the first time in more than 40 years, and Oldroyd said his apprenticeship as a Forest fan during some of the team's darkest days had made their current campaign that much sweeter. "I am part of that generation where I got my timings wrong and I ended up watching quite a lot of bad football for 25 years," Oldroyd, author of Trailblazers: The Ground Breaking History of Nottingham Forest Football Club, told Reuters. "It has made these recent successes much more enjoyable because we've been through that period of pain and turmoil, of course, and now we get to enjoy a team that are at the top end of the Premier League." Forest famously won the European Cup in 1979 and 1980, under the management of Brian Clough, but have not played in Europe's elite club competition since the 1980-81 season. They have enjoyed a remarkable renaissance this season under Nuno Espirito Santo -- whose surname translates to English as "holy spirit" and who replaced Steve Cooper in December 2023. They became the first team in Premier League history to double their points tally from one season to the next. The Reds host Chelsea in a dramatic season finale at the City Ground, with both teams among five chasing three remaining Champions League spots, along with Manchester City, Newcastle and Aston Villa. The 40-year-old Oldroyd was born into a family of Forest fans and, while he missed out on the club's glory years under Clough, he has fond memories of singing arm-in-arm in City Ground's Trent End when it was a standing-room area. "I don't think I really cared too much that we weren't that good. I was really happy to be going to watch Forest every week," said Oldroyd, who is also the co-founder of Forest fan group Forza Garibaldi. His book, which he called a labour of love and was released earlier this year, traces the club's historical firsts, including the invention of shin pads. Forest player Samuel Weller Widdowson famously cut down a pair of cricket pads and strapped them over his socks in 1874. His team mates followed suit, thus Forest became the world's first team to wear them. Seventh-placed Forest had been rooted in the top five for most of the season but have lost momentum in recent weeks and now need luck on their side in the jam-packed race for Champions League qualification. They must beat Chelsea and also need Newcastle United or Aston Villa to drop points, while a draw or a loss would only be good enough to get into the Europa League or Conference League. Oldroyd believes Champions League qualification would be "very typical of Forest being that club that punches above their weight". "I will counter that to say, regardless of what happens, we should all remember that it's been a fantastic season and Forest have established themselves again as being one of the better teams in the country, which for so long we just haven't known," he said. "Really a whole generation have known (Forest) as being a second-division club. So to now be challenging for Europe and playing in Europe next season is just really phenomenal. It really is."
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Whatever happens, past nine months 'will live long in the memory'
The fact that Nottingham Forest are even close to qualifying for the Champions League seems like some kind of wild gained promotion to the Premier League in 2022 - after a long, long absence - we have battled relegation for two seasons and, for many, a solid mid-table finish was really all we could hope we have been that close to qualifying for the Champions League for so long that it feels a) incredible that we're still here and b) incredible that we have not actually done it already. Having won the European Cup two years in succession with Brian Clough in 1979 and 1980, and returned to continental competition with Frank Clark 30 years ago, it would mean everything to once again welcome the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona to the City course, a lot has changed since those days, and for a club - hopefully - on the up, it is not make or break for us. The team has outperformed everyone's expectations and to make the top five - in the year that the Premier League gained five places in the Champions League - would be an amazing end to an amazing season. Regardless of what happens, the past nine months will live long in the football is already a given, having secured a place in the top seven, and competing with clubs bankrolled by petro-states and billionaires is the kind of underdog status that Forest really thrive upon. We are not dependent on Champions League football for our bank balance and renewing our passports is, in many ways, exciting enough. That said, we are not just in it for the the manager and the players, they have given everything this season and Sunday is a time to celebrate and know that the pressure really is on our opponents. If we stick to our gameplan and play as we have all season, then the fans are with them no matter more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external
