Take a look back at the squad from the first Nottingham Forest game back in the Premier League and you’d never believe your eyes.
So much has changed in such a short time frame that it’s unthinkable just how far the Reds have come.
Evangelos Marinakis has upgraded the training ground this summer and the backing he’s given the club has been nothing short of superb.
The Forest owner signed several players since returning to the Premier League and this summer saw a more meticulous approach in the market.
The Forest squad during that 2-0 defeat to Newcastle on the opening day of 2022/23 was littered with youngsters and players who weren’t at the required level.
Lyle Taylor, Alex Mighten and Oliver Hammond were all on the bench, whilst Sam Surridge started that game in attack.
He was soon replaced by Taiwo Awoniyi in the team and after just one season in the Premier League, Surridge jetted off to sign for Nashville in the MLS.
It’s fair to say that he’s not looked back for a single second…
Sam Surridge producing the goods for Nashville after Forest exit
The 26-year-old perhaps wasn’t given a fair crack of the whip during that maiden campaign in the Premier League for Forest.
His one and only start came on the opening day of the 2022/23 campaign and as far as the Premier League went he was forced to make an impact from the bench.
This season he’s been in fine form for Nashville and he’s continued his reputation of being a top quality finisher when the opportunities arise.
In 32 appearances for the MLS outfit, he’s scored 15 goals and registered three assists, showcasing his quality across the campaign.
Surridge’s ability to stick the ball in the net has never been in question and he’s showcasing to Forest what might have been had he been given more of a chance in the Premier League.
Cooper was a huge fan of Surridge and called him ‘excellent’ during a period when he wasn’t always the first name on the team-sheet at Forest.
Surridge will forever be remembered at Forest for Championship form
The talented striker was courted by Steve Cooper who had given the striker a chance firstly when he worked at Swansea.
Surridge was enduring a rotten time at Stoke and Cooper rescued him from that experience and gave him a chance to prove himself at Forest.
He did that with aplomb and bagged eight goals for the club as Forest reached the Premier League for the first time in 23 years.
For that, Surridge will forever be remembered on Trentside but ultimately, he fell a little bit short when it came to the Premier League.
Okay, he didn’t play too much football in the top flight for Forest but it was hard to imagine him scoring too many goals in the Premier League.
Still, Surridge was a likeable player during the promotion-winning campaign and it’s great to see him banging them in for Nashville.
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