Patrick Bamford did something unbelievably classy as he played against Nottingham Forest for Leeds United on Sunday. The former Forest star made a gesture that suggests the Reds will stay in his heart forever.
On the pitch, it wasn’t a good afternoon for Bamford. He fluffed a decent chance in the first half and was substituted in the 67th minute with Leeds chasing the game.
Off it, Bamford typified why he’s a respected character in the world of football and is often viewed as an intelligent man as well as a decent striker.
Earlier this month it was the 11th anniversary of Nigel Doughty’s passing. At the time he was the Forest chairman and it rocked the football club considerably.
Bamford was the godson of Doughty and to this day his best mate is Michael, the late chairman’s son who previously played for QPR and Stevenage.
Ahead of kick-off, the former Forest academy graduate made his classy gesture. He carried a bouquet of flowers out onto the field in an act that initially went unnoticed amid the start of a big Premier League clash.
Bamford has been with Leeds since 2018. He was under consideration by Aitor Karanka at Forest before they signed Lewis Grabban; with the ex-Forest gem signing for Leeds for £10 million.
Bamford did something classy ahead of Forest meeting
This was a nice touch. Footballers sometimes get themselves a bad reputation but it would appear that Bamford is one of the game’s good guys.
He was pelted with abuse as he trudged around the pitch after he was subbed on Sunday. Having turned out for Leeds and Derby, that is perhaps expected; although some of it did overstep the mark.
Bamford isn’t enjoying a brilliant campaign at Leeds. He’s scored just once in the Premier League, featuring for 530 minutes with injuries striking once again.
This classy gesture goes above and beyond any form he might be in, however. It highlights the class of the man and suggests that Forest are still a club very close to his heart.