Founded 1865

Garry Birtles

NAT: England

POS: Striker

Previous Clubs: Long Eaton

Joined Forest: 1979 and 1982

Signing fee: 1979: £2000 from Long Eaton. 1982: £300.000 from Man Utd

Left Forest: £1.250.000 to Man Utd

After arriving at Forest at the age of 21 from Long Eaton FC, the former carpet fitter was faced with the task of ousting Tony Woodcock and Peter Withe from the first team. His first debut substitution appearance was in March 1977 against Hull City where he appeared in midfield. He had to bide his time and Birtles' first 3 games for Forest were Arsenal, Man Utd and a clash with Liverpool in the European Cup, where he scored the first goal for Forest in their European Cup run, not bad for a man who had been laying carpets only months previously.

Garry had a special relationship with the manager Brian Clough as they would share a game of squash together often

A great striker for the Reds who stepped up to the higher level of football with ease and wasn't ever daunted by the better calibre of player around him or the big arenas he played upon. He would run at defenders with his long legs unpicking them with ease. In the European Cup Final Vrs Hamburg Birtles started the game due to Francis being injured and he ran his legs off for 90 minutes up and down the Bernabeau stadium to the point of utter exhaustion.

Garry left for Man United in 1981 and had a torrid time at Old Trafford where he couldn't score a goal no matter how hard he tried. Clough brought him back to the City Ground in 1982 and instantly he was back in the goals again, as if he had never been away

After retiring Garry worked with Century Radio in the early noughties commentating on Forest games before leaving for a media career with SKY television