|
With a huge void to fill following the £250, 000 departure from the City
Ground of one of the World's great goalkeepers, Peter Shilton, Brian
Clough turned to Hans Van Breukelen, paying his hometown club Utrecht a
fee of £200, 000 in September 1982. The Dutchman came with a fine
pedigree, having already represented his country at full International
level, and during his all to short stay in the East Midlands he proved
himself a worthy successor to the legendary 'Shilts'. The Dutchman's
debut in the Forest goal was certainly a memorable one as the Reds
brushed aside Brighton & Hove Albion by four goals to nil. Hans then
played in each of the next thirteen league games, keeping six clean
sheets, before suffering an injury that was to rule him out of action
for the best part of four months.
Van Breukelen finally returned to the
side in late March against Ipswich Town and he more than played his part
in Forest's splendid finish to the season which saw them win seven and
draw two of their final nine league games, thus clinching a return to
Europe after a season away for a club that enjoyed such remarkable
success in the European Cup in 1979 and '80. The following campaign saw
the blonde haired Dutchman play in all but six of Forest's forty-two
League games, keeping 11 clean sheets, as the Reds battled to a third
place finish, just six points back on champions Liverpool. In the UEFA
Cup there was heartbreak as Forest were beaten in highly controversial
circumstances by Anderlect at the semi-final stage. Thus, Hans was to
finish his time at Forest without a medal as this proved to be his
second and last season at the City Ground.
He returned to his native
Holland with a move to PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 1984, just a
matter of months after helping Forest to a 2-1 victory in Eindhoven in
the UEFA Cup second round. During his time in Nottingham Hans won a
further eight international caps and in later years he would remind
Forest fans of just what a fine 'keeper he was when helping Holland to
success at the 1988 European Championships. (David Scranage)
|