Ian Bowyer

Forest retained the League Cup the season after beating Southampton 3–2 with Bowyer an unused substitute in the final. They were drawn against Liverpool in the first round of the 1978-79 European Cup progressing 2–0 on aggregate. In the semi final Bowyer scored the decisive goal against FC Köln in the 1–0 win in Germany after a 3–3 draw in Nottingham. Bowyer played in the 1–0 1979 European Cup Final win against Malmo just as he did the following season against Hamburger SV.

He returned to Forest as coach in 2002, and stayed for three years. In 2006, he was appointed assistant manager to Paul Hart at Rushden & Diamonds, and he later scouted for Portsmouth.

In 1994, he became assistant manager to Peter Shilton at Plymouth Argyle, and he later moved to Rotherham United until September 1996. He later became a coach at Birmingham City.

He joined Hereford United as a player-manager in July 1987, succeeding John Newman as manager three months later. He led Hereford to Welsh Cup glory in 1990 before leaving the club. He finished his playing career at Grantham Town.

He left Forest in January 1981 to join Sunderland, debuting for them on 28 January 1981 against Manchester United.

In their first season back in the top flight Forest were Football League champions finishing seven points above Liverpool (at a time when two points were awarded for a win). Forest beat Liverpool in a replay in that season's 1978 Football League Cup Final.

In 1973 Bowyer moved to Nottingham Forest in the second tier of the Football League. Brian Clough took over as manager in 1975 bringing in Peter Taylor as his assistant the year after. Bowyer and Forest were promoted back to the top tier at the end of the 1976-77 Football League first season Clough and Taylor were in charge at Forest.

His last game for City was on 1 May 1971, against Tottenham Hotspur. In total he scored 13 goals in his 57 City first team appearances.

He started his professional career at Manchester City winning Football League Cup and European Cup Winner's Cup Finals both in 1970. He then played for two seasons at Orient before his lengthy career at Forest. His playing days at Forest were interrupted with a season at Sunderland. After Forest he went to Hereford United who he player managed winning the 1989-90 Welsh Cup. He has also been involved after playing at Plymouth Argyle, Rotherham United, Birmingham City, Forest and Rushden and Diamonds.

The following March he came on as a substitute for Mike Summerbee in the 1970 Football League Cup Final beating West Bromwich Albion 2–1. A month later he was a substitute in another Cup Final success when he replaced Mike Doyle after 23 minutes in the 1970 European Cup Winners' Cup Final against Górnik Zabrze in Vienna.

He started his career at Manchester City, debuting for the first team at Newcastle United on 16 November 1968. City won the 1969 FA Cup Final but Bowyer did not feature in the final.

Ian Bowyer (born 6 June 1951 in Little Sutton, Cheshire) is an English former footballer who played mostly as a midfielder, best known for many honours in his career at Nottingham Forest. At Nottingham Forest he won the 1977–78 Football League and 1977–78 Football League Cup. The following season he won the 1979 European Cup Final and 1978–79 Football League Cup. He was part of Forest's successful retaining of the European Cup the season after. Other honours at Forest included the 1976-77 Anglo-Scottish Cup, 1976 promotion from the English second tier to the top flight, the 1978 FA Charity Shield and the 1979 UEFA Super Cup. At all clubs, in the league alone he played 599 first team games scoring 102 goals in a playing career spanning four decades.