Qualla: Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest: The East Midlands Derby

Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest: The East Midlands Derby: Introduction

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit The original uploader was Dawkeye at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5. Twelve to nothing. That is the scoreline that still hangs over Leicester City whenever they play Nottingham Forest, a humiliation so total that the Football League itself launched an inquiry. The verdict, when it came, was almost worse than the defeat: several Leicester Fosse players, the inquiry found, had been hungover from a teammate's wedding the night before. It was 21 April 1909. Leicester had already been relegated. They turned up to the City Ground anyway, and Forest scored a goal every seven and a half minutes. More than a century later, no team has ever beaten Leicester by a wider margin, and Forest have never won a league match by more.

Image: The original uploader was Dawkeye at English Wikipedia. | CC BY-SA 2.5

Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest: The East Midlands Derby: Two Cities, One Quarrel

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Chemical Engineer, Public domain. The East Midlands derby is, geographically speaking, an odd thing to argue about. Forest's closest neighbours are Notts County, just across the Trent, and Derby County, twenty minutes up the road. Leicester's nearest rival by distance is Coventry City. Yet on the maps that matter...

Image: Chemical Engineer | Public domain

Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest: The East Midlands Derby: The Free Goal and the Collapsed Striker

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Andrew Abbott, CC BY-SA 2.0. Some derby stories are too strange to be invented. On 28 August 2007, Leicester were losing 1-0 at the City Ground when their midfielder Clive Clarke collapsed in the dressing room at half-time. The match was abandoned. When it was replayed three weeks later, Leicester let Forest...

Image: Andrew Abbott | CC BY-SA 2.0

Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest: The East Midlands Derby: Crossing the Divide

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Peter Woodentop, CC BY-SA 2.0. Some loyalties travel. Peter Shilton, perhaps the greatest English goalkeeper of his generation, built his reputation at Leicester before winning two European Cups with Forest. Martin O'Neill played for Forest under Brian Clough, then managed Leicester, then managed Forest. Steve...

Image: Peter Woodentop | CC BY-SA 2.0

Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest: The East Midlands Derby: Flight Context

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Robert Eva, CC BY-SA 2.0. Centred on Leicester (52.62 N, 1.14 W) at low altitude. The two stadiums sit roughly 28 miles apart along the A46/M1 corridor: King Power Stadium on the south side of Leicester city centre beside the River Soar, and the City Ground in West Bridgford on the south bank of the Trent in Nottingham. East Midlands Airport (EGNX) lies almost exactly between them and serves both cities. Best viewed from 3,000-5,000 feet AGL on a clear day; the floodlights of both grounds are visible from the air on midweek evenings.

Image: Robert Eva | CC BY-SA 2.0

Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest: The East Midlands Derby: The Trouble in the Stands

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit NotFromUtrecht, CC BY-SA 3.0. Not all of the derby's history belongs on the pitch. Eighteen people were arrested after a match in 1977. Six Forest fans were arrested after a 91st-minute Leicester winner in May 2013 sent their rivals to a play-off place. A Forest supporter was arrested in 2014 for racist abuse...

Image: NotFromUtrecht | CC BY-SA 3.0