During summer chairman BJ Appleby appointed Brighton & Hove Albion manager Peter Taylor as new assistant for Clough, now in his third season with the club. The 1972 First Division Champion Duo was reunited again after two campaigns now in Second Division.[1] The club reinforced the squad with several players, for the offensive line arriving striker Garry Birtles from Long Eaton United,[2] forward Peter Withe was bought from Birmingham City.[3] and Taylor asked for the return of Tony Woodcock[4] after a loan spell from Lincoln City F.C. The defensive line had a poor performance through September, Middleton replaced Wells as Goalkeeper starter and Taylor asked for the transfer in of central-back defender Larry Lloyd arriving from Coventry City during October allowing McGovern came back as midfielder.[5] Forest ended their season by beating Millwall 1–0, thanks to an own goal by Moore netting the winner, leaving them on 52 points with Bolton Wanderers (who draw Luton Town 1–1 on the same day) on 48 with three more games to play. Forest's destiny was not in their own hands, on 10 May Bolton won 2-1 to Cardiff City netting 50 and needed only two points in two more matches to overtake Forest.
On 14 May, Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Bolton Wanderers 1–0 at Burnden Park. In their final match Bolton only draw 2-2 to Bristol Rovers. The promotion was unusually close throughout the campaign and the final table saw Forest clinching the last 3rd spot just one point ahead of the teams in 4th (Bolton) and 5th (Blackpool). Therefore, the club was promoted to the Division One for the first time since being relegated in the 1971–72 season.
Also, the squad clinched the Anglo-Scottish Cup on December 1976, their first piece of silverware since the FA Cup in 1959 after defeated Leyton Orient in the Finals with a massive 5–1 aggregate score.
Meanwhile, in League Cup the club advanced to the third round being defeated by Coventry City. In FA Cup the squad was eliminated in fourth round after a replay against Southampton F.C.
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The statistics for the following players are for their time during 1976–77 season playing for Nottingham Forest. Any stats from a different club during 1976–77 are not included. Includes all competitive matches.
^Smales, Ken (1991). Forest – The First 125 Years. Nottingham: Temple Printing. ISBN978-1870010092.
^Attaway, Pete (2010). Nottingham Forest: Brian Clough and His Legacy - A Complete Record 1975 - 2010. Southend-on-Sea: Desert Island Book. ISBN978-1905328833.
