From time to time a game takes place that changes the future of a club even though you don’t realise at the time. One of these such games took place towards the end of the 1984/85 season when Coventry City visited the City Ground. There was very little remaining from the European Cup winning years with many players either retiring or moving n to pastures new. This meant Forest were beginning the process of rebuilding the team  Initially big money was spent to repeat the successes with Ian Wallace, Peter Ward, Justin Fashanu and Mark Procter all making the move Trentside with limited success.

With funds now more limited a number of younger players were introduced into the team with the likes of Des Walker, Nigel Clough and Steve Hodge all making debuts. Kenny Swain and Paul Hart were both approaching the end of their careers manager Brian Clough was looking round for younger options to replace them in the Forest defensive line up.

Clough believed he had identified a couple of potential targets that he thought were perfect for next season’s team and both were included in the Coventry line up that afternoon. The players were centre half Ian Butterworth and left back Stuart Pearce. Coventry were in the middle of what was becoming their traditional battle against relegation entering the game in the drop zone in 20^th place.

The game would not be the most memorable as two first half goals sealed a comfortable 2-0 victory but one incident during the game would stand out as during the second half two Coventry players were down injured Forest physio Graham Lyas ran on to assist his Coventry counterpart and approached Pearce and whilst treating the injured left back asked him his age.

Pearce thinking nothing of it carried on as normal until a few weeks later when he stopped by a stranger when arriving for a crucial Coventry game against Liverpool. The stranger asked him for his phone number as Brian Clough wished to talk to him. Pearce probably stunned by the request handed over the number to the man who later turned out to be Alan Hill who was part of Clough’s back room staff as chief scout.

That summer Pearce and Butterworth left Coventry to join Forest and even though Butterworth at that time was considered the major signing out of the deal it would be Pearce that would go on to become one of the most if not the most popular players ever to wear a Forest shirt.

Saturday 20 April 1985

CANON LEAGUE DIVISION ONE

NOTTINGHAM FOREST (2) 2 v COVENTRY CITY (0) 0

1-0          Kenny Hibbitt own goal (NFFC)

2-0          Gary Mills (NFFC)

NFFC

Hans Segers, Gary Fleming, Kenny Swain (Garry Birtles), Chris Fairclough, Paul Hart, Ian Bowyer, Steve Wigley, Johnny Metgod, Nigel Clough, Peter Davenport, Gary Mills

COVENTRY

Steve Ogrizovic, Kirk Stephens, Stuart Pearce, Kenny Hibbitt, Ian Butterworth, Trevor Peake, David Bennett (Micky Gynn), Lloyd McGrath, Cyrille Regis, Bob Latchford, Peter Barnes

Referee :                J.Lovatt

Attendance :        12,990