Nottingham Forest have only played at the new Wembley on one occasion and the Championship Play-Off Final of 2021/22 will live long in the memory.
It might not feel like it but it’s two years today since the Reds went to the national stadium and returned to the Premier League.
Prior to the 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town, it’d been 23 years since Forest dined at the top table in English football.
Supporters had been fed a diet of mediocre football, bang-average managers and players who simply didn’t care one bit.
Steve Cooper and his class of 2021/22 changed all of that.
On the anniversary of a day that will forever live in the memory of Forest supporters, we’ve looked back at the squad that day and asked the question: Where are they now?
Nottingham Forest squad v Huddersfield in 2022 Championship Play-Off Final
Steve Cooper was able to count on his full-strength team for the game against Huddersfield – despite some fitness question marks in the build-up.
Keinan Davis was fit to take his place in attack, with Sam Surridge settling for a place on the bench.
Forest managed to win the game 1-0 courtesy of a Levi Colwill own goal and when you look at the Forest team, the Reds did go into it with a seriously strong team.
Where are they now…
Brice Samba: Was remarkably allowed to leave when Forest got promoted and during 2022/23 he helped Lens qualify for the Champions League.
Has now been called up for France for their Euro 2024 campaign and is very much one that got away from a Forest perspective.
Joe Worrall: The captain on that amazing day made 37 appearances in the Premier League but Worrall did fall out with Cooper reportedly.
Spent the second half of last season on loan with Besiktas and it’s not clear what the future holds for the 27-year-old.
Steve Cook: The central defender was an inspired signing made by Cooper during the January 2022 transfer window.
He made 34 appearances for Forest including 12 in the Premier League but joined QPR on a free last summer.
Scott McKenna: The Scotland international was instrumental in this campaign, winning Player of the Match in the final and winning Player of the Year during 2021/22.
Last season he began the campaign as a regular but a contract dispute saw him loaned to FC Copenhagen and he’s now out of contract at the City Ground.
Djed Spence: The right-sided wing-back chose to sign for Tottenham on a permanent basis instead of signing for Forest permanently.
During 2023/24 he spent time on loan with Genoa and looks likely to leave Tottenham again this summer.
Ryan Yates: The one member of the squad from the Championship Play-Off Final who remains integral at Forest.
He scored his first Premier League goal in a 3-1 win over Sheffield United and following the departure of Worrall, he’s taken on the captain’s armband.
James Garner: A midfielder who ended up signing permanently for Everton after Manchester United played some rather unsavoury games with Forest over Garner.
The loanee was tremendous during the promotion-winning campaign and is now striving to become a regular in the Toffees’ team.
Jack Colback: The versatile performer was largely deployed as a left-back during the promotion-winning season and he thrived in the role.
Along with Steve Cook, Colback also signed for QPR and he remains a regular for the second-tier outfit.
Philip Zinckernagel: One of the most underrated players in the Forest promotion-winning team, Zinckernagel has now been making waves in Belgium with Club Brugge.
He helped the team win the league title this season, scoring seven goals and claiming nine assists.
Keinan Davis: The striker was one player who fans weren’t sure about when he first signed after a less-than-impressive scoring record with Aston Villa.
However, his brute strength was a real positive and these days he’s playing for Serie A outfit Udinese, scoring the goal that kept them up at the weekend.
Brennan Johnson: Johnson remained at Forest for their maiden campaign back in the Premier League, scoring eight vitally important goals.
However, last summer he was sold to Tottenham for £47.5 million and has just ended his first season in North London with five goals and 10 assists.
Forest substitutes
Ethan Horvath: Was forced to come on in the closing stages when Samba got injured and actually won promotion at Wembley with Luton in 2022/23 too.
Last season he spent the second half of the campaign with Cardiff City.
Max Lowe: Has just been released by Sheffield United where he had played 10 games in the Premier League during 2023/24.
Lowe is still struggling with the groin problem that saw him miss plenty of games during his time at Forest.
Sam Surridge: Moved to Nashville after failing to get regular game time in the Premier League with Forest.
The talented striker is doing well over in the United States and has scored 12 goals in 29 appearances for his new club.
Tobias Figueiredo: Moved to Hull after Forest had won promotion and is now playing for Brazilian outfit Criciuma.
Alex Mighten: Spent time on loan with Sheffield Wednesday during 2022/23 and in 2023/24 he had short spells with Belgian outfit Kortrijk and Port Vale.
Cafu: Was relegated with Rotherham United last season but played regular football.
Joe Lolley: Is now settled in the A-League with Sydney FC and was recently named in the Team of the Year for his performances.
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