New 25/26 Third Kit
New 25/26 Third Kit
Crossley discusses Europa League draw
Forest pitted against Malmö
Clash will be our third meeting in European competition
Former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley says facing Malmö once more in European competition will bring back many special memories for supporters and former players alike.
Forest were drawn against the Swedish side in the Europa League league phase draw earlier, pitting the two sides against each other for the third time on the European stage.
For those that aren’t aware, the Reds were victorious against Malmö in the 1979 European Cup Final, the first of our two successes in the competition.
In 1995/96, our last entry into Europe, Forest knocked the Swedish side out of the UEFA Cup on away goals, games Crossley played in.
Speaking after the draw was made earlier today, the former Reds ‘keeper says the whole competition is one to be excited for.
“There’s some fantastic games there, I’ll definitely be hoping to get to a few of them! There’s some really interesting teams that we’ll face in that draw.
Trevor Francis scores his winning goal in the 1979 European Cup final
“The European Cup Final is always the one people remember when you think about Forest and Malmö, but 30 years ago when we were in the UEFA Cup. Malmö were the first team that we knocked out.
“We lost away 2-1 but won 1-0 at home with Bryan Roy scoring and we went through on the away goals rule so there are plenty of special memories of Malmö across the Club.
“There’s so much history behind the match and history never goes away. We all know what happened the first time we beat Malmö and I’m sure they’ll be aware of that too when they look back in time.
“It’s a special fixture and it’s really unbelievable that 30 years ago it was our first game, Forest won the European Cup against them for the first time and here we are again in the Europa League. Let’s hope it’s a hat-trick.
“The atmosphere is going to be electric, it’s amazing down at the City Ground, but I think this will go to a different level, especially playing teams like Porto.
“The fans will certainly be there in their numbers and you can imagine the atmosphere and the scenes now, you can paint a picture of what it’s going to be like.”
Mark Crossley
Mark Crossley
Crossley was part of the Forest side that reached the quarter final of the UEFA Cup in 1995/96. He not only speaks highly of the adventure into Europe, but considers the achievement one of the most special of his career.
“When people ask me about my time at Forest, I always say the little adventure we had into Europe was the best. Not only for the supporters but every player, it’s a very special occasion.
“You get totally different styles of football, different atmospheres. We played Malmö, then we went to Auxerre who were the French champions, we played Lyon, beat them before we fell short again Bayern Munich who had players like Jurgen Klinsmann, Oliver Kahn and Lothar Matheus.
“That’s what the players and supporters have to look forward to, competing against the elites of Europe.
“The support we had was mind blowing, we had people driving over to France. It’s so special running out in another stadium and seeing your fans with you and getting behind you.
“It was my most special time as a player.”