The Dutch striker signed for the Reds 20 years ago on the 9th March.
Nottingham Forest fans
It was 20 years to the day on the 9th March that Nottingham Forest broke their transfer record to sign Pierre van Hooijdonk from Celtic for £4.5m, as reported by The Independent, in what proved to be an interesting signing to say the least.
Van Hooijdonk is regarded as one of the finest strikers to play for the club, with 41 goals in 77 matches, but his relationship with fans soured after he went on strike in 1998. Since his departure, while Forest haven’t had a striker as good as van Hooijdonk, they have had a few very good frontmen on their books – here are five of them.
David Johnson
Life at The City Ground didn’t get off to the best of starts for David Johnson, who scored just five league goals in 41 appearances spread across two seasons after arriving in 2001, but that all changed in the 2002/03 season when he plundered in an incredible 25 goals in 42 games as Forest reached the play-offs. Injuries then curtailed his form, but when Johnson departed the Reds in 2007, he left having scored 50 in 165.
Robert Earnshaw celebrates scoring the first goal for Nottingham Forest against Derby County
Robert Earnshaw
The Welshman was signed as a marquee signing ahead of the 2008/09 season, from rivals Derby County no less, but it didn’t take Earnshaw long to take to Forest fans’ hearts. ‘Super Rob’ was lethal for Forest, and spearheaded a successful survival campaign as well as two play-off finishes, leaving in 2011 with figures of 45 goals in 113 games. Earnshaw also had a tendency to score against Derby for the Reds, hitting five goals in seven matches against the Rams.
Marlon Harewood
The perfect foil for Johnson in that 2002/03 season was academy graduate Marlon Harewood, whose size and strength made for the ideal strike partner for the diminutive Johnson. Harewood was similarly brilliant in front of goal in that 2002/03 season, with 20 in 46, but would leave later in 2003 for West Ham United having scored 56 goals in 204 games. He later returned to Forest towards the end of his career in 2012, playing five times without finding the net.
Nottingham Forest’s Britt Assombalonga celebrates scoring his sides first goal against Derby County
Britt Assombalonga
While it may seem strange to include someone who only signed for Forest as recently as 2014, Assombalonga was a superb addition to the squad by then manager Stuart Pearce. The 24-year-old is similar to Earnshaw in the sense you won’t see him busting a lung to track back 70 yards to win a tackle, but give him the ball in front of goal and he will deliver. At time of writing, Assombalonga has nine goals in 23 appearances in all competitions, with his overall tally for Forest standing at 25 in 60.
Dexter Blackstock
In the same way Harewood was perfect for Johnson, Blackstock was perfect for Earnshaw with the duo forming the best strike partnership Forest have had this decade. But for injuries and who knows what highs Blackstock could have reached, as he was so crucial to the club staying up in 2009 and then finishing 3rd in the Championship in 2010. Blackstock departed for Rotherham United earlier this season, but in 189 matches for Forest, the former Southampton man hit 45 goals.
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