|
When Nigel Jemson arrived from Preston North End in March 1988, for a
fee of £150,000, it was, reportedly, on the advice of Brian Clough's
local greengrocer! Jemson had to wait patiently for his opportunity at
Forest, due to the form of Nigel Clough and Lee Chapman up front, and it
was not until Boxing Day 1989 that he got his first League start in a
Forest shirt. Nigel scored his first goal for the Reds in a 2-0 win at
arch rivals Derby County and went on to score a further three League
goals that season.
Such was Jemson's impact that manager Clough sold
Chapman to Leeds United in a £450, 000 deal. Besides his league goals
Jemson also hit the target in Forest's memorable 3-2 Littlewoods Cup
quarter-final replay win at Spurs and then scored the only goal in the
Final victory over Second Division Oldham Athletic. Jemson was in
irresistible form at the start of the 1990/91 campaign, notching five
goals in the first four games, including doubles against Coventry City
and Southampton in consecutive games. Sadly for the young hitman he was
troubled by injuries towards the end of the season and missed out on
Forest's FA Cup final defeat against Spurs.
He did, however, score a
superb hat-trick in a 3-1 replay win over Southampton on the road to
Wembley. Jemson played the first six games of the following season
before Sheffield Wednesday boss Trevor Francis stepped in with an £800,000 bid to take the stocky striker to Hillsborough. He made his final
appearance in Forest colours in a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City on 4th
September 1991, with his last goal for the Reds coming in a 2-1 home win
over Everton on the opening day of the season. (David Scranage)
|