The following year Forest was founded by bandy players (bandy being a stick and ball game). James Catton, who spent some time living in Nottingham, states that initially County were considered more of an upper crust outfit, with Forest being more associated with the city people, workers and small businessmen.
Here's a timeline of the early years:
The 1878 FA Cup match:
If the reporter got the formations right it looks like Notts (County) were playing a good old fashioned 1-3-6, whereas Forest must surely have been the first team in the history of the game to line up in a 4-2-4!
Notts. County
|
Nottingham Forest
|
||
1862
|
Formed on 28 November, playing at Park Hollow (Nottingham Castle).
|
||
1864
|
December- decide to play against outside opposition.
|
||
1865
|
Foundation
|
||
1866
|
22 March: First meeting of the 2 clubs- Forest’s first game. 11 of
County drew 0-0 with 17 of Forest at Forest Recreation Ground;
19 April: rematch also finishes 0-0
|
||
1869
|
Join FA
|
||
1872
|
Ernest Greenhalgh plays for England v Scotland in international #1
|
||
1877
|
03.11.77- first FA cup tie
|
||
1878
|
County are knocked out of the FA Cup by Forest (see below for details of this, the first competitive match between
the two)
|
1878-79
|
Join FA
Enter the FA cup for the first time and reach the semi-final.
|
1883
|
Move to Trent Bridge Cricket ground
|
||
1888
|
Founder members of Football League
|
||
1889
|
Founding members of Alliance
|
||
1891
|
Move to Town Ground
|
||
1892
|
Join Football League
|
||
1894
|
FA Cup Winners
|
||
1898
|
FA Cup Winners
Move to City Ground
|
||
1910
|
Move to Meadow Lane
|
Supplement to the Nottinghamshire Guardian 22.11.78
Notts
(County)
|
||||||
Goal
|
H. Greenhalgh
|
|||||
Backs
|
Dobson*
|
|||||
Halves
|
E.H Greenhalgh(c)*
|
Seals
|
Morse*
|
|||
Forwards
|
A.W Cursham*
|
R. Greenhalgh
|
C. Cursham
|
Owen*
|
H.Cursham*
|
Oliver
|
Forwards
|
Earp
|
Turner
|
Goodyer*
|
Smith
|
||
Halves
|
Holroyd
|
Bates
|
||||
Backs
|
Widdowson (c)*
|
E. Luntley*
|
W. Luntley
|
Caborn
|
||
Goal
|
Sands*
|
|||||
Forest
|
Here's a look at how the 2 clubs progressed and how the bragging rights in the city changed hands down the years:
Notts. County
|
Nottingham Forest
|
|||||
season
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
||
1877-78
|
R1
|
|||||
1878-79
|
R1
|
SF
|
||||
1879-80
|
R1
|
SF
|
||||
1880-81
|
R3
|
R2
|
||||
1881-82
|
R3
|
R1
|
||||
1882-83
|
SF
|
R3
|
||||
1883-84
|
SF
|
R2
|
||||
1884-85
|
QF
|
SF
|
||||
1885-86
|
R5
|
R3
|
||||
1886-87
|
QF
|
R3
|
||||
1887-88
|
R3
|
R5
|
||||
1888-89
|
11th
|
R2
|
R2
|
|||
1889-90
|
10th
|
QF
|
R1
|
|||
1890-91
|
3rd
|
finalists
|
R3
|
|||
1891-92
|
8th
|
R1
|
SF
|
|||
1892-93
|
14th
|
R2
|
10th
|
R2
|
||
1893-94
|
Div 2. 3rd
|
winners
|
Div 1. 7th
|
R3
|
||
1894-95
|
Div 2. 2nd
|
R1
|
Div 1. 7th
|
R3
|
||
1895-96
|
Div 2. 10th
|
R1
|
Div 1. 13th
|
R1
|
||
1896-97
|
Div 2. winners
|
R2
|
Div 1. 11th
|
R3
|
||
1897-98
|
Div 1. 13th
|
R1
|
Div 1. 8th
|
winners
|
||
1898-99
|
Div 1. 5th
|
R2
|
Div 1.11th
|
R3
|
||
1899-00
|
Div 1. 15th
|
R2
|
Div 1. 8th
|
SF
|
||
1900-01
|
Div 1. 3rd
|
R2
|
Div 1. 4th
|
R2
|
||
1901-02
|
Div 1. 13th
|
R1
|
Div 1. 5th
|
SF
|
||
1902-03
|
Div 1. 15th
|
R3
|
Div 1.10th
|
R2
|
||
1903-04
|
Div 1. 13th
|
R1
|
Div 1. 9th
|
R2
|
||
1904-05
|
Div 1. 18th
|
R1
|
Div 1.16th
|
R2
|
||
1905-06
|
Div 1.16th
|
R1
|
Div 1. 19th(r)
|
R3
|
||
1906-07
|
Div 1. 18th
|
R4
|
Div 2. winners
|
R1
|
||
1907-08
|
Div 1. 18th
|
R2
|
Div 1. 9th
|
R1
|
||
1908-09
|
Div 1. 15th
|
R1
|
Div 1. 14th
|
R4
|
||
1909-10
|
Div 1. 9th
|
R1
|
Div 1. 14th
|
R3
|
||
1910-11
|
Div 1. 11th
|
R1
|
Div 1. 20th (r)
|
R1
|
||
1911-12
|
Div 1.16th
|
R2
|
Div 2. 15th
|
R1
|
||
1912-13
|
Div 1. 19th(r)
|
R1
|
Div 2. 17th
|
R2
|
||
1913-14
|
Div 2. winners
|
R1
|
Div 2. 20th
|
R1
|
||
1914-15
|
Div 1.16th
|
R1
|
Div 2. 18th
|
R1
|
||
1919-20
|
Div 1. 21st(r)
|
R3
|
Div 2. 18th
|
R1
|
||
1920-21
|
Div 2. 6th
|
R2
|
Div 2. 18th
|
R1
|
||
1921-22
|
Div 2. 13th
|
SF
|
Div 2. winners
|
R3
|
||
1922-23
|
Div 2. winners
|
R1
|
Div 1. 20th
|
R1
|
||
1923-24
|
Div 1.10th
|
R2
|
Div 1. 20th
|
R1
|
||
1924-25
|
Div 1. 9th
|
R3
|
Div 1. 22nd(r)
|
R2
|
||
1925-26
|
Div 1. 22nd(r)
|
R5
|
Div 2. 17th
|
QF
|
||
1926-27
|
Div 2.16th
|
R3
|
Div 2. 5th
|
R4
|
||
1927-28
|
Div 2. 15th
|
R3
|
Div 2.10th
|
QF
|
||
1928-29
|
Div 2. 5th
|
R3
|
Div 2.11th
|
R3
|
||
1929-30
|
Div 2. 22nd(r)
|
R3
|
Div 2.10th
|
QF
|
||
1930-31
|
Div 3s winners
|
R4
|
Div 2. 17th
|
R3
|
||
1931-32
|
Div 2.16th
|
R3
|
Div 2.11th
|
R3
|
||
1932-33
|
Div 2. 15th
|
R3
|
Div 2. 5th
|
R3
|
||
1933-34
|
Div 2. 18th
|
R3
|
Div 2. 17th
|
R4
|
||
1934-35
|
Div 2. 22nd(r)
|
R3
|
Div 2. 9th
|
R5
|
||
1935-36
|
Div 3s. 9th
|
R3
|
Div 2. 19th
|
R4
|
||
1936-37
|
Div 3s. 2nd
|
R1
|
Div 2. 18th
|
R3
|
And here's a head to head record of League and FA Cup matches:
Date
|
Home
|
Visitors
|
|||||
16.11.78
|
County
|
1
|
3
|
Forest
|
FAC
|
||
08.11.79
|
Forest
|
4
|
0
|
County
|
FAC
|
||
01.12.83
|
County
|
3
|
0
|
Forest
|
FAC
|
||
26.11.87
|
Forest
|
2
|
1
|
County
|
FAC
|
||
08.10.92
|
County
|
3
|
0
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
25.02.93
|
Forest
|
3
|
1
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
24.02.94
|
Forest
|
1
|
1
|
County
|
FAC
|
||
03.03.94
|
County
|
4
|
1
|
Forest
|
FAC
|
||
04.09.97
|
Forest
|
1
|
1
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
09.10.97
|
County
|
1
|
3
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
08.10.98
|
County
|
2
|
2
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
04.02.99
|
Forest
|
0
|
0
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
11.11.99
|
County
|
1
|
2
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
17.03.00
|
Forest
|
0
|
3
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
24.11.00
|
Forest
|
5
|
0
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
26.12.00
|
County
|
1
|
0
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
16.11.01
|
County
|
3
|
0
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
26.12.01
|
Forest
|
1
|
0
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
15.11.02
|
Forest
|
0
|
0
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
26.12.02
|
County
|
1
|
1
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
28.11.03
|
County
|
1
|
3
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
25.12.03
|
Forest
|
0
|
1
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
26.11.04
|
Forest
|
2
|
1
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
25.03.05
|
County
|
1
|
2
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
04.11.05
|
County
|
1
|
1
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
25.12.05
|
Forest
|
1
|
2
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
07.12.07
|
Forest
|
2
|
0
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
04.04.08
|
County
|
2
|
0
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
21.11.08
|
County
|
3
|
0
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
27.03.09
|
Forest
|
1
|
0
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
04.09.09
|
Forest
|
2
|
1
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
08.01.10
|
County
|
4
|
1
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
03.09.10
|
County
|
1
|
1
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
31.12.10
|
Forest
|
0
|
2
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
25.12.13
|
County
|
2
|
2
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
26.12.13
|
Forest
|
1
|
0
|
County
|
Div.2
|
||
11.09.20
|
Forest
|
1
|
0
|
County
|
Div.2
|
||
18.09.20
|
County
|
2
|
0
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
05.11.21
|
County
|
1
|
1
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
14.11.21
|
Forest
|
0
|
0
|
County
|
Div.2
|
||
22.09.23
|
County
|
2
|
1
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
29.09.23
|
Forest
|
1
|
0
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
20.09.24
|
County
|
0
|
0
|
Forest
|
Div.1
|
||
24.01.25
|
Forest
|
0
|
0
|
County
|
Div.1
|
||
18.09.26
|
County
|
1
|
2
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
05.02.27
|
Forest
|
2
|
0
|
County
|
Div.2
|
||
17.09.27
|
Forest
|
2
|
1
|
County
|
Div.2
|
||
22.02.28
|
County
|
1
|
2
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
20.10.28
|
County
|
1
|
1
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
02.03.29
|
Forest
|
1
|
2
|
County
|
Div.2
|
||
07.09.29
|
Forest
|
1
|
1
|
County
|
Div.2
|
||
04.01.30
|
County
|
0
|
0
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
03.10.31
|
Forest
|
2
|
1
|
County
|
Div.2
|
||
13.02.32
|
County
|
2
|
6
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
08.10.32
|
County
|
2
|
4
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
18.02.33
|
Forest
|
3
|
0
|
County
|
Div.2
|
||
07.10.33
|
Forest
|
2
|
0
|
County
|
Div.2
|
||
17.02.34
|
County
|
1
|
0
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
29.09.34
|
County
|
3
|
5
|
Forest
|
Div.2
|
||
09.02.35
|
Forest
|
2
|
3
|
County
|
Div.2
|
W
|
G
|
|
County
|
17
|
73
|
Forest
|
27
|
87
|
Draws
|
16
|