'He was one of the finest talents Britain has produced in the last 60 years'

FOOTBALL MOURNING THE LOSS OF A HISTORY-MAKER

- MIKE WALTERS

DIVING headlong to meet John Robertson’s cross beyond the far post, Trevor Francis crashlanded in the shot put circle at Munich’s Olympic stadium. 

His brave, tumbling header turned out to be Nottingham Forest’s winner in the 1979 European Cup final against Malmo.

Francis, Britain’s first £1m footballer, became the big shot in an orb normally reserved for giants who toss 16lb cannonballs – and the big shot who grabbed the glory for Brian Clough’s side.

It came just 110 days after Old Big ’Ead unveiled his historic transfer market coup, wafting a squash racket like a carpet beater.

In an otherwise dreary spectacle, Francis’s goal was like finding a priceless painting at a car boot sale, and he expected Clough to be full of the joys after conquering Europe.

“I thought he would be incredibly happy after winning the European Cup for the first time,” mused Francis five years ago.

“But he wasn’t particularly happy at all.

“He saw it as an opportunity to show the world just how good his team was.

“But we didn’t play great and didn’t perform to our potential, so it was a rather subdued Brian Clough in the dressing room afterwards.”