IT was an afternoon when Forest strike partners Peter Withe and Tony Woodcock proved unplayable against Blackpool.

The pair had destroyed Southampton a week earlier but, despite that warning, Blackpool could not stop them adding new purpose to Forest's promotion drive.

Forest FA Cup legend, Stewart Imlach, who was then a coach of Blackpool, said: "I thought we played Withe and Woodcock better than Southampton did, but they were still outstanding.

"I don't think any other strikers have given our central defenders so many problems. They complement each other so well. Withe is unrecognisable from the player he was with Birmingham and Wolves and Woodcock has a rare talent. He runs at defenders and goes past them.

"We should also have been much tighter on John Robertson. He had too much room at times and if you give him space he will destroy you with skill."

Allan Brown, back at the City Ground for the first time since losing the manager's job two years earlier, also heaped praise on Forest's front runners.

It was Brown who gave Woodcock his first League chance against Aston Villa and, after seeing him score one and help create two for Withe, he waxed lyrical. Withe broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute after Blackpool's defence began to look capable of absorbing Forest's pressure.

But it was the second goal that killed them off. Woodcock looked offside but the clinical way he rounded George Wood and screwed the ball back merited reward.

Woodcock, punishing a defensive slip, again rounded Wood, kept his cool and supplied the cross from which White headed powerfully in for the third.

Blackpool built up their attacks promisingly at times, but the only real threat came when Micky Walsh lifted a straight forward chance over the top with Forest already three goals to the good.

Forest's defence, with Larry Lloyd commanding in the air and Sammy Chapman mopping up, kept John Middleton's work to a premium.

Full backs Viv Anderson and Frank Clark got through some useful work in both halves and, if the midfield display was not as impressive as against Southampton, Blackpool were unable to dominate in that department either.

It was a victory on the way to promotion to the top flight, the spark to the most special years in the club's history.