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Owner Evangelos Marinakis has hailed Nottingham Forest’s Miracle Men as the club prepare to mark the anniversary of their first European Cup triumph.

Forty years ago tomorrow, on May 30 1979, the Reds beat Malmo 1-0 to lift the trophy in Munich, as manager Brian Clough and assistant Peter Taylor oversaw one of the most “remarkable” stories in football.

It was a tale which caught the eye of a young Marinakis even back then – and the Greek says it must continue to inspire Forest to “keep dreaming that we will return to that level”.

A special event to honour the Reds’ achievement will be held at the City Ground tomorrow night, with players from that historic night in attendance.

Ahead of the celebration, Marinakis has released a message to Forest fans.

“I want to write to all Nottingham Forest supporters about this week and the 40th anniversary of our European Cup win,” he said.

“At the time, I was young and I remembered our great team.

“We all know that it is a unique story in European football which is still admired to this day across the football world. For a team to rise and conquer Europe the way they did was truly remarkable.

“I am pleased we have managed to bring all the Miracle Men together again to celebrate those achievements.

“Obviously the absence of Mr Clough and Mr Taylor will be a great shame, however we will be honoured to have members of their family here on the night.

“They were winners who defied all odds to become the greatest team in Europe.

“When I saw Mr Clough being interviewed you could tell he was confident, a winner, a man who believed in his dreams and encouraged others to follow him to the heights of Europe's elite. This group changed the status of the club forever.”

(Image: Getty Images)

Forest have one of those Miracle Men at the helm in Martin O’Neill, as they head into a summer in which they will look to put together a squad capable of mounting a promotion charge next term.

And Marinakis adds the Reds should “learn from the mentality” Clough’s team showed all those years ago as they look to progress.

He continued: “These values and visions are what form our DNA of today. It's not just about the history and what was achieved, it's about learning from that mentality and applying it now.

“However far away it may seem we must keep dreaming that we will return to that level. We should never stop trying until the moment we take this club to where it deserves to be.

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“This anniversary is also an opportunity for us to inspire a new generation of Forest fans.

“Our plan of the celebration is to focus on the children of Nottingham. We need to show them that everything is possible in their life if they dream big.

“Education and sport is the way for them to become better people in their life.

“In the next period we will announce a series of initiatives, which we have been planning for many months, to support these priorities.

“We are always thinking forward but this week I want us to come together as Nottingham Forest and honour our glorious past. No one can ever take that away from us. It is ours to celebrate.

“Evangelos Marinakis.”