Forest travel to face Birmingham in pre-season
Match in memory of former Red and Blue, Trevor Francis
Game set for Saturday 2 August
Nottingham Forest can confirm it will face Birmingham City in a pre-season fixture this summer to honour the late Trevor Francis.
As part of the preparations for the new campaign, Forest’s pre-season will include a short trip to St. Andrew's on Saturday 2 August to face the newly-promoted Blues.
The Trevor Francis Memorial Match aptly involves the two teams that agreed a transfer fee that will be forever remembered, with the Englishman becoming Britain’s first ‘million-pound player’ following his move to the Reds.
Before heading to the East Midlands, Francis scored 113 goals in 330 games for Birmingham having joined at the age of 15. Making his Blues debut aged just 16, Francis spent nine years at the club, with his form earning him his full England debut in 1977.
Trevor Francis scores his winning goal in the 1979 European Cup final
He would go on to make over 50 appearances for the Three Lions, scoring 12 times. Two years after his first international cap, Francis caught the attention of reigning domestic champions Nottingham Forest, with Brian Clough looking to add firepower to his frontline.
Cup tied for the European Cup run until the final, Francis wrote his name into Forest folklore in May 1979, with his header from a John Robertson cross the only goal of the game against Swedish side Malmö that saw Forest become European champions.
After two years on Trentside, Francis went on to win the Coppa Italia for Sampdoria, the Scottish League Cup with Rangers, and the League Cup with Sheffield Wednesday, in what was a stellar career.
Two years after his passing, the day in August will start with a series of celebrations from 1pm to commemorate his life, which will include the unveiling of a statue in his honour at St. Andrew's.
The game will kick-off at 3pm, with the Championship side going head-to-head with Nuno’s Forest just a few weeks before the league campaign gets underway.
Details on ticketing and streaming will be released in due course.