John Robertson: Former Scotland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest winger dies aged 72

Born in the Viewpark area of ​​North Lanarkshire, Robertson played for the Drumchapel Amateurs and Scotland at youth level before joining Forest in May 1970, making his senior debut later that year.

Transfer-listed before Clough’s arrival in 1975, he became a key player under the iconic manager, making 243 consecutive appearances between December 1976 and December 1980.

Robertson scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 1978 League Cup final against Liverpool.

He was sold to Derby for a controversial transfer fee in 1983, a move that soured the relationship between Clough and his former assistant Peter Taylor.

An early injury hindered Robertson’s progress at County and although he rejoined Forest in 1985, he never found the same form again and moved on to non-league Corby Town, Stamford and then Grantham Town.

At Forest he also won the First and Second Division titles, the UEFA Super Cup, two Football League Cups, the 1978 FA Charity Shield and the Anglo-Scottish Cup.

And in 2015 Robertson topped the Nottingham Post’s poll of the favorite Forest players of all time.

As O’Neill’s assistant, Robertson helped Wycombe gain promotion from the Football Conference and the Third Division, as well as promotion to the top tier alongside Leicester in the League Cup.

An even more successful spell with Celtic followed.

In Glasgow, they won the Scottish Premier League three times, the Scottish Cup three times and the League Cup once and reached the final of the UEFA Cup.

Then, in Robertson’s final season as manager in 2010, Villa finished runners-up in the League Cup final.