The City Ground paid a moving tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ahead of Nottingham Forest’s match against Fulham.
The club had requested all fans be in place early, to allow for respects to be paid prior to the game. And shortly before the 8pm kick-off, Reds head coach Steve Cooper and opposite number Marco Silva led their respective teams out on to the pitch and into the centre circle, where they each laid a wreath.
A hush descended on the stadium when referee Jared Gillett blew his whistle for a minute's silence, which ended with applause from the stands. That was followed by a rendition of the National Anthem.
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Forest had dedicated the front cover of their match programme to Her Majesty. A black and white image showed her handing the FA Cup to former Reds captain Jack Burkitt after the 1959 final.
Inside were the words: “Everyone at Nottingham Forest shares the sympathy of the nation following the passing of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The club sends its condolences to all members of the Royal Family at this deeply sad time.
Cooper paid his own tribute, writing: “It has obviously been a terribly sad period for the entire nation and beyond. On behalf of everyone at Nottingham Forest, I want to say how deeply saddened we all were at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and send our condolences to the Royal Family.
“We have seen all the tributes being paid from across the world. She was an incredible figurehead and one we should be extremely proud to call our Queen.”
All players and match officials wore black armbands. And the club were also requesting the crowd join in with a minute’s applause in the 70th minute to mark the length of the Queen’s reign.
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