Founded 1865

Justinus Soni Fashanu

NAT:

POS: Striker

Previous Clubs: Norwich

Joined Forest: 1981

Signing fee: £1.000.000 from Norwich City

Left Forest: 1982, £100.000 to Notts County

Fashanu was brought to the club in August 1981 costing one million from Norwich and it seems incredible today when you remember that Trevor Francis was sold to make way for him.

Justin was six months short of his twenty first birthday when he arrived in Nottingham. The pressure he found at Forest got to him right away and he never scored a goal until October, in 31 appearances that season he scored only 3 goals, abysmal form and total lack of confidence. Fashanu actually became worse the harder he tried.

This is what led to him being a substitute as Clough lost patience with him, not just with his football prowress, but also his dress sense and flamboyance. It was rumours about his sexuality that became the final straw for his Forest career. Fashanu came out as openly gay, remaining to this day the only footballer in England to have done so. On one occasion after Justin had pulled out of a game three quarters of an hour before kick off, Fashanu was escorted out of the City Ground by two uniformed Policeman who Clough called up in his fury. He was sold to Notts County a short time later much to Clough's relief. Though in Clough's autobiography some years later he expressed his regret at the way he treated Fashanu.

Sadly, Justin who was universally liked by all that knew him committed suicide in a lock up garage in 1988 leaving a note which read 'I hope the Jesus I love welcomes me, I will at last find peace.'