Under the “Champions of Europe 1980” billboard on the Peter Taylor Stand there is a glorious suntrap where some Nottingham Forest fans choose to gather, chatter and chug.
This concrete patch sandwiched between the press room and the stand is no bigger than a tennis court, and when the sun shines – as it was on Saturday – you cannot swing a racket there without knocking over a few pints.
Before kick-off and at half-time, this space is among the many gathering spots around the City Ground housing the great divide, where older generations recount tales about those heady days to those too young remember.
For those under a certain age, the stories have become tiresome. For those who were there, they are a reminder of better times. And either way, it only hammers home the decades since spent in the doldrums.
But now, suddenly, there is a sense of unity, and those stories are perhaps more welcome because of the promise of what’s to come, for the gripes and grimaces that were a fixture in these crowded spaces have been replaced by smiles as this shared memory plays out in real time – to sheer disbelief.
“We often get told by other fans, ‘you weren’t even born’ when referring to our European success, so returning to the competition would give the Forest fans who were there the chance to pass the torch onto my generation,” season-ticket holder Max Chapman tells The i Paper.
“It would be something we wouldn’t have considered we’d ever be able to do! An amazing way for my Dad to pass the baton over.”
Forest are on course to secure European football for the first time since 1995-96, with Saturday’s win over Manchester City boosting their Champions League prospects.
They currently sit third, four points clear of City in fifth, and the promise of an extra Champions League place for England has given them a buffer.
As a result, the ground and the city is rocking with belief. The Boot Room, on the corner of Pavillion Road, is the bar closest to the ground. After City it was bouncing, blaring out music as delighted supporters – pints raised, sunglasses on – debriefed and celebrated with a whole afternoon and evening to do so.
It is just one of the many local businesses thriving, profiting on joy and relishing the prospect of what’s around the corner.
“The vibe when people walking to the ground, you can see the excitement. They believe. It’s bizarre, and the feel-good factor is there,” Mark James, The Boot Room owner, says.
After a few years of losses, the bar is in the green thanks to Premier League football, and James believes “next year is going to be massive”, when fans travelling in from Europe will not visit merely for the afternoon or evening, but will likely spend days in Nottingham spending their hard-earned cash around town.
It will also be the case for Forest fans dreaming of away trips on the continent either once more or for the very first time.
For John Harrison, it will be a full-circle moment, from the days of 33p pints to now looking ahead to trips with his granddaughter.
“May 1979, I was 17, got my first passport, then my Dad and me paid £60 each to Forest for our match tickets to the European Cup final in Munich, which included coach and ferry transport. All in 48 hours. Nobody cared,” he recalls.
“We just sang all the way there, drinking the odd bottle of Heineken for some strange reason, at 33p a pint. My spending money for the trip was £10, which you had to get noted by the bank in your passport. How times have changed.
“Now retired, I still go to the games, taking my five-year-old granddaughter Aoife with me. We will both travel away in next year’s Champions League if we get there, as me and my Dad did back in the day.”
It has been 29 years since Forest last played in Europe, when a quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich ended their Uefa Cup adventure. The away leg was an occasion Harrison remembers well because he sprained his ankle celebrating Steve Chettle’s equaliser – “I didn’t care one jot” – with Forest going on to lose 7-2 on aggregate after losing 5-1 at the City Ground.
That was a heavy way to end their Euro adventure, but next season, whatever European competition they get to, there is a confidence Forest can hold their own – especially at home.
On top of beating City, Forest have drawn with leaders Liverpool and Arsenal at home this season, and thumped Brighton 7-0.
They’ve beaten Aston Villa and Tottenham there, too, meaning they’ve taken points at home against every Premier League side in Europe this season bar Chelsea, whom they host on the final day, which could yet be the day they seal Champions League football.
“It’ll give us the chance to show the rest of Europe the atmosphere at The City Ground and the passion from the fans whilst hosting some of the best teams and players in the world. For the city of Nottingham, it would cement it as one of the key sporting cities in the country,” Champman adds.
“I’d fancy Forest to get a result at The City Ground against anyone in the world, which we’ve proven this season.
“With the new Champions League format, four home wins would give us a good chance of progressing through the league phase, while facing Real Madrid and Barcelona are the obvious choices. The chance to test ourselves against either of those is too hard to pass up.”