NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Premier League, City Ground, Sunday 14 August 2022, 2pm BST
West Ham United will contest a Premier League fixture at the City Ground for the first time in nearly 24 years on Sunday afternoon.
Nottingham Forest’s promotion means the Hammers will travel to the home of legendary heroic outlaw Robin Hood hoping to put an end to the merriment the Reds and their supporters have been enjoying since winning the EFL Championship Play-Off final in May.
A lot of water has flowed down the River Trent since that last top-flight meeting in September 1998. Nottingham Forest have suffered two relegations, won two promotions and gone through no fewer than 20 permanent managers, along with almost as many caretakers, since Dave Bassett’s departure in January 1999.
The current incumbent, Steve Cooper, has been by far the most successful, winning 27 of his 45 matches in all competitions at time of writing and guiding Forest from the roots of the Championship to (almost) the top of the tree, with a fourth-place finish followed by a Wembley win over Huddersfield Town.
Now, after 24 seasons away, Cooper’s job is to prevent the Tricky Trees from falling down a division again immediately.
Tickets...
The first 90% of our allocation of 2,957 standard tickets sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 22+ Points. The remaining 10% (295 tickets) were then made available via a ballot to Season Ticket Holders who had yet to purchase for this fixture. The ballot closed at 12pm on Wednesday 27 July.
A limited number of Accessibility Tickets are still available, priced at £30 for Adults, £25 for O65s, £17 for 18-23s and £15 for U18s. For both Wheelchair Viewing Spaces and Accessible (AEA), tickets are charged at the relevant price band. Please call our Ticket Office team on 0333 030 0174 or email [email protected]. Personal Assistants are issued free of charge.
How to get there…
The address for your sat nav is City Ground, Nottingham, NG2 5FJ. However, there is not much by way of street parking to be had in the streets around the stadium.
From the south, that means you’ll leave the M1 at Junction 24 and follow the signs for Nottingham and then for football traffic.
There are a number of car parks within a mile of the City Ground, including those at Meadow Lane (Notts County’s home ground), Nottingham railway station, County Hall, the Cattle Market, Lady Bay Sports Ground and Victoria Embankment.
For those travelling by train, Nottingham is on the East Midlands Railway line from London St Pancras.
Direct trains leave St Pancras at 09.00 and 10.00, arriving at Nottingham at 11.15 and 12.14 respectively. It’s a 20-minute walk along Queens Road, London Road and along the River Trent.
West Ham United fans will be situated in the lower tier of the Bridgford Stand.
Where to stay…
As a city of over 300,000 inhabitants and a tourist destination, Nottingham has a full range of accommodation options to suit all budgets.
The easiest option is probably to stay in the city centre, which is situated around 1.5 miles north of the City Ground, and then either walk or take a bus or taxi to the stadium.
What to do…
Nottingham is about more than just Robin Hood. There are a lot of things to do in and around the city.
If you have some time, visit Old Market Square, The Lace Market, Nottingham Castle (notable for its bronze statues of Robin Hood and his Merry Men), The City of Caves or the National Justice Museum.
If you are staying for the weekend, get yourself a… Robin Hood Card to get unlimited travel on any bus, tram or train within Greater Nottingham.
If you want to have a drink before the game, there are numerous pubs and bars on the walk from the railway station, with the ‘Olde Trip To Jerusalem’ recommended.
What’s happened there before…
Our most recent visit was instantly forgettable – a 5-0 FA Cup third-round defeat in January 2014 – but our last league game at the City Ground was more memorable.
Having been relegated the previous season, Sam Allardyce’s Hammers defeated Nottingham Forest 4-1 in the Championship in August 2011, with current first-team coach Kevin Nolan and Academy coach Carlton Cole among the scorers. That result remains our biggest-ever win at the City Ground.
Our most-recent Premier League victory at the City Ground was in September 1996, when Mark Bowen and Michael Hughes got the goals in a 2-1 success.
