Nottingham Forest Women
Nottingham Forest Women had a result for the ages on Sunday, with Georgia Hewitt (pictured) one of the history makers. (Credit: Will Hugall)

Nottingham Forest Women are on a high after their remarkable 12-1 win against AFC Fylde at Kellamergh Park on Sunday.  

Forest went goal-mad in Lancashire, doubling their away goal tally in the league this season and giving a real statement of intent to their rivals for the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division. 

The win was not only Forest’s biggest this season, but also one of the best in the club’s entire history – on both the women’s and men’s sides. 

After such a memorable victory margin, we thought we’d have a look back through the history books and reveal where it sits. 

Prepare yourself for an absolute deluge of goals… 

Biggest Wins in Europe: 4-0 vs Eintracht Frankfurt (1967-68) and 5-1 vs AEK Athens (1978-79) 

We’ll kick things off with the heady days of European football, and two famous results that announced Forest to the continent. 

The first saw Johnny Carey’s side, fresh off finishing as Division One runners-up to Manchester United, competing in the 1967-68 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.  

Having won the first leg in West Germany 1-0 courtesy of a Joe Baker goal, Forest then spanked Eintracht 4-0 at a bouncing City Ground. 

Records of the game are scarce, but it was a memorable one for those present, with it being the penultimate European fixture in the city for over a decade.  

The next time it returned, in the 1978-79 season, Forest were at the height of their powers. 

Brian Clough’s side beat Liverpool in the first round of the European Cup and welcomed Greek champions AEK Athens. 

They won the first leg 2-1 in Greece but saved their best for the second leg in front of 38,000 Forest fans, with Garry Birtles’ brace and goals from David Needham, Tony Woodcock and Viv Anderson putting AEK to the sword. 

Of course, that win was en route to a first European title so will forever be brought up in a conversation of greatest Forest matches. 

The 7-0s: Increasing in regularity  

7-0 has been a momentous scoreline for Forest over the years, with the men achieving the feat three times.  

The first was a home win against Burnley in September 1957, with Tommy Wilson and Stewart Imlach both bagging doubles. 

Fellow Lancastrians Bury also succumbed in the 1980-81 League Cup, with a Birtles hat-trick, a brace from cult hero Raimondo Ponte and Anderson and Gary Mills goals ensuring very safe passage for Forest. 

The most momentous win of this margin, though, was probably a thrashing of Chelsea in the 1990-91 First Division.  

A host of familiar names were on the scoresheet in this one, with Roy Keane and Stuart Pearce scoring twice, and Garry Parker, Ian Woan and Nigel Clough each registering once.

Forest Women have been much more active at this scoreline, though. 

They’ve had five 7-0 victories since 2009 alone, against Rotherham United, Crewe Alexandra (both 2009-10), Loughborough Foxes (2020-21), Middlesbrough and Notts County (2021-22).  

The 8-0s: A Modern Record 

Forest’s men have achieved one 8-0 in their history, achieving this against Doncaster Rovers in the 1997-98 League Cup. 

It was the first leg of a round one fixture at the Keepmoat Stadium and just the second fixture of Forest’s season, but they showed no mercy as Dean Saunders, Jon Olav Hjelde and Pierre van Hooijdonk grabbed braces, and Geoff Thomas and Chris Allen also scored.  

This remains Forest men’s highest post-war score, to boot. 

The women have also won 8-0 twice, against Rise Park Ladies in 2014-15 and against Leafield Athletic in 2015-16, and ran out 9-1 winners against Mansfield Town in 2013-14 too. 

The Big Numbers 

Due to the rarity of scores beyond eight, let’s group the massive thrashings together. 

To begin with, the women’s side won 9-0 against Ollerton Town in 2014-15, and 10-0 against Clifton All Whites in 2015-16.  

Their joy in the Nottinghamshire FA Women’s Senior Cup has been crucial to racking up such scores, as 11-0 victories have also been recorded against Real United in 2013-14 and against Nottingham Forest Reserves, no less, in 2017-18.  

12-0 has been done once, by the men against Leicester Fosse in the 1908-09 Football League Division One. 

Leicester, who were already relegated, had downed tools and were reported to be celebrating the wedding of one of their forwards a little too much, partying until the small hours of the morning pre-match. 

It remains the joint-highest score in English top-flight history. 

Forest’s women have achieved two 13-0 wins in their history, both against Newark Town. 

The first came in the 2013-14 season, and the next in the 2019-20 season, with the derby fixture proving to be rather one-sided. 

We come to 14-0 next, which is the men’s highest-ever score. 

The women did it too, against Clifton All Whites in the 2018-19 Notts FA Women’s County Cup, but the men’s feat has been more widely lauded in the 1890-91 FA Cup against Clapton FC. 

Though that result in Victorian London was emphatic, it wasn’t even the biggest win in FA Cup history; that belongs to a 26-0 win for Preston North End against Hyde in 1887. 

We finally arrive at the biggest score in Forest history, however, with a mauling for the women’s side in 2012-13. 

It came against the biggest rivals of all, too, with Notts County Women the recipients of this smacking in the Notts FA Women’s Senior Cup Final. 

That said, the thrashing at Fylde this weekend now takes its place as the biggest league win in the women’s team history. 

The likes of hat-trick hero Yasmin Mosby, brace scorers Rebecca Anderson and Amy West and fellow scorers Sophie Domingo and Gianna Mitchell will have their names etched alongside the result. 

They will mainly hope, though, that it is in a winning league effort this season.