The 10 greatest underdog teams in football history

#5 Nottingham Forest, 1977/78 Division One

Brian Clough pulled off a miracle with Nottingham Forest in 1977/78

The craziest thing about Nottingham Forest’s Division One league title win in 1977/78 – England’s top prize in the pre-Premier League era – wasn’t so much that they used just seventeen players across the entire season, nor was it that they brought in players on a largely tight budget – some of them journeymen like Kenny Burns. The most shocking thing was that they’d only been promoted in the previous season.

It’d essentially be the same as a side like Brighton or Huddersfield winning the Premier League today. If anything, that’d be an even bigger shock than Leicester’s 2015/16 title win. The victory was masterminded by the legendary manager Brian Clough, backed by his assistant Peter Taylor – the two men who had seen success at Derby County on an equally tight budget.

Forest won their first three games of the season before a loss to Arsenal; they would only lose another two times in the entire season. Along the way, they beat the likes of Everton, Manchester City and Manchester United, and kept Liverpool – who won the European Cup that season – firmly in second place, scoring 69 and conceding just 24.

And Kenny Burns went on to be named Footballer of the Year. Talk about a miracle season!