What happened on this day in football history? Today, we look back at the first team to be relegated from the newly-formed Premier League back in 1992-93: Nottingham Forest’s relegation on 1 May 1993.
On this day in 1993, Nottingham Forest suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield United to become the first-ever team to be relegated from the newly formed English Premier League.
This loss, thanks to goals from Blades’ pair Glyn Hodges and Brian Gayle, alongside other results going against them, ultimately saw Forest finish bottom of the first-ever Premier League table and ended 16 successive seasons in the top-flight under manager Brian Clough.
This is one of three relegations from the Premier League for Nottingham Forest, alongside those in 1996-97 and 1998-99, while they could join a group of six teams to have been relegated from the top-flight since 1992-93 on four or more occasions should they suffer the same feat this season.
Norwich City hold the title as the Premier League’s most relegated side, with six of their 10 campaigns in the competition ending in relegation, including the most recent in 2021-22.
West Bromwich Albion have been relegated five times from the Premier League overall, including their last two seasons in 2017-18 and 2020-21.
Watford were relegated in their first two (1999-00 and 2006-07) and last two (2019-20 and 2021-22) Premier League seasons, with half of their campaigns in the competition ending with the drop to the second tier. Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Sunderland make up the other clubs with four or more relegations from the Premier League.
As well as Forest, Leicester City could well join the club of teams to be relegated from the Premier League on four occasions. The 2022-23 season is their ninth successive Premier League campaign and it’s only been seven years since they won the title against all the odds.
Cardiff City are the only side to have played in the Premier League in more than one season and be relegated in all of them (two seasons in 2013-14 and 2018-19), while Barnsley (1997-98), Blackpool (2010-11) and Swindon Town (1993-93) have all been relegated in their only campaign as a Premier League club.
Of teams to have played in more than two Premier League seasons, Reading have been relegated in the highest proportion of their campaigns in the top-flight. They survived their first season in the Premier League by finishing an excellent eighth in 2006-07 but suffered relegation in both 2007-08 and 2012-13.
Overall, 42 different clubs have suffered relegation from the Premier League since 1992-93. With arguably the most unfortunate of those joining Forest in dropping a division in the first season. No relegated side has averaged more points in a Premier League season than Crystal Palace did in 1992-93 (1.17), as they ended the campaign in the final relegation spot on goal difference, with Oldham Athletic staying up courtesy of two goals.
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