- The story of how three young working-class lads from Nottingham went on to become unlikely heroes and reach the pinnacle of professional football when unfashionable Nottingham Forest, under the mercurial Brian Clough, won the European Cup not just once, but twice, in 1979 and 1980. Viv Anderson, (the first black footballer to play for England), former carpet fitter, Gary Birtles, and Tony Woodcock, who later played for FC Cologne and Arsenal, return to Nottingham to take us back to where it all began as we uncover how three working class lads, against all the odds, became 'Local Heroes'.
- Viv Anderson, Garry Birtles and Tony Woodcock are the three Nottingham born players who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest in 1979 and 1980 just two years after the club was promoted to the top-flight of English football.
In 1978 they won the league title at their first attempt as well as the league cup which they successfully defended a year later - a football fairy tale which will never come close to being repeated.
Local Heroes is set against the cultural, economic, and social backdrop of Britain in the 1970's and is a deeply personal film in which the three recount their climb to the top of the professional game during a period of austerity and economic turmoil. Anderson, the son of Jamaican immigrants went on to become the first black player to represent England in a full international. Birtles the carpet fitter who didn't become a professional footballer until the age of 20 and Woodcock, who dreamed of being the next Denis Law when he was growing up in the mining town of Eastwood at a time when the pits were starting to close. Their triumphs were not just on the football field but also off it, as they overcame hardship and discrimination to reach the pinnacle of the game. The determined attitude to succeed against all odds is a characteristic which they have all had to rely on since retiring from football. Illness, tragedy, and a shocking family discovery have touched the lives of Anderson, Birtles and Woodcock in recent times.
Narrated by former Minder star, Gary Webster, Local Heroes also includes contributions from former England manager, Kevin Keegan, ex Ireland manager, Martin O' Neill and one of the last surviving members of Brian Clough's backroom team, Alan Hill.
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