Nottingham Forest's European Cup-winning team recreated in Lego

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Nottingham Forest Lego teamImage source, Nigel Daws
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Nigel Daws said he made the set to mark Nottingham Forest's 150th anniversary

A Nottingham Forest fan has recreated the double European Cup-winning team of 1979/80 in Lego.

Lifelong fan Nigel Daws said he created the figures, which include Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, to mark the club's 150th anniversary.

He said he has tried to make the players' facial expressions and hair look as realistic as possible.

Mr Daws said Peter Shilton's perm and Garry Birtles' quiff were among the most challenging parts of the project.

The designer, who is originally from Ilkeston but now lives in Manchester, said a friend had seen the England Lego team he had created for his son and asked if he could do one of the Reds.

Mr Daws said: "I tried to make the facial expressions as close to the real thing as I could - including Kenny Burns with his little snarl."

"Shilton was another interesting one to make - with his tight permed hair," he said.

"Lego don't do perms - so the only thing available was like an afro style - which I bought, but it looked ridiculous, so I had to find another one."

Mr Daws said Garry Birtles was also difficult to get right.

"There were a lot of mullets back then," he added.

Mr Daws has no plans to exhibit the 1.57in (4cm) figures, but added "it would be fantastic" if the club wanted to use them in some way to mark its anniversary, external.

Image source, Getty/Nigel Daws
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John McGovern was given a pleasant face for being a "mild-mannered man", Mr Daws said. Pictured here in 1979 in Munich after Forest beat Malmo 1-0 in the European Cup final

Image source, Nigel Daws/Getty
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The designer said he originally bought afro hair for Peter Shilton, but decided not to use it as it looked "ridiculous". Peter Shilton pictured at the 1980 European Cup final

Image source, Getty/Nigel Daws
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Garry Birtles was one of the hardest characters to get right due to his curly hair and moustache, Mr Daws said

Image source, Nigel Daws/Getty
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He added one of the most enjoyable figures to recreate in Lego was Kenny Burns because of his "cheeky face and long locks"

Image source, Getty/Nigel Daws
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Trevor Francis, England's first £1m player, scored the only goal in Forest's win over Malmo in the 1979 European Cup final - it was reported that Clough would only pay £999,999 for the player so the record price tag did not go to his head

A number of other tributes are also being paid to Nottingham Forest to mark the club's anniversary.

A documentary film - called I Believe in Miracles - tells the story of the club's rise under Brian Clough, from second division strugglers to European champions in 1979 and 1980, and is due to be premiered at the City Ground in October.

Nottingham Contemporary will also hold a short exhibition, alongside the release.

Image source, Getty Images
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Nottingham Forest went on to beat Hamburg 1-0 in 1980 in Madrid to retain the European Cup

Image source, Getty Images
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Brian Clough, pictured here at the final in Madrid, is quoted as saying about John Robertson (pictured below) who scored the winning goal: "He was a very unattractive young man. If one day, I felt a bit off colour, I would sit next to him."

Image source, Getty Images
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"But give him a ball and a yard of grass, and he was an artist, the Picasso of our game," Clough said

Image source, Nigel Daws
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Both Brian Clough and Peter Taylor are included in the set

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