On this day: Nottingham Forest hammer Ipswich Town in Charity Shield

By Liam Apicella, Features Editor | 12 August 2015

Thirty-seven years ago today, Nottingham Forest lifted the Charity Shield after they had beaten Ipswich Town by the biggest winning margin in the game's history.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, there were few better sides in Europe than Nottingham Forest.

Under the guidance of Brian Clough, the Tricky Trees were crowned champions of England once and won the European Cup twice. Not only that, Clough's men also lifted the League Cup on two occasions.

What is often overlooked is Forest's outing in the Charity Shield 37 years ago today when they hammered FA Cup holders Ipswich Town in front of 64,438 spectators at Wembley.

With the start of the new season in close proximity, these encounters can be tight and cagey affairs, but from the moment that Martin O'Neill gave Forest the lead, there was only ever going to be one winner.

O'Neill's goal came courtesy of a mistake from Ipswich defender Mick Mills, who inexplicably played a pass across the face of his own goal.

The lead was then doubled before the break by Forest centre-forward Peter Withe, who looped a header out of the reach of Ipswich goalkeeper Paul Cooper.

Then, just a minute after the restart defender Larry Lloyd got in on the act when he swept in a John Robertson cross, before O'Neill claimed his second goal of the contest when he converted his half-volley effort from 12 yards out.

The champions were not done there, either, because as the match drew to a close Robertson skipped away from a challenge, which presented him with enough space to fire a shot past Cooper from distance.

At 5-0, the scoreline was the biggest winning margin in the history of the Charity Shield and that remains the case to this day.

Forest: Shilton; Anderson, Barrett, Lloyd, Burns; O'Neill (Needham), McGovern, Gemmill, Robertson; Withe, Woodcock

Ipswich: Cooper; Burley, Mills, Osman, Parkin; Wark, Talbot, Gates, Woods; Mariner, Whymark (Turner)