Steve HODGE

 Local lad Steve Hodge joined the Reds as an apprentice in October 1980. After making his first League appearance on the last day of the 1981/82 season in a 3-1 win at Ipswich Town he became a regular in the Forest line-up for the following campaign. Indeed, the 19 year old midfielder was to feature in all but three of Forest's League games and contributed an impressive eight goals to the cause. His first goals for the club came when grabbing a brace in a 4-3 defeat at Liverpool with his other strikes that season all single efforts. Hodge's second season at the City Ground once more marked him out as a midfielder who could score on a regular basis. He hit the target 10 times in 39 League games, including a double in a 5-0 romp against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the City Ground.

Hodge also scored on four occasions in Forest's run to the UEFA Cup semi-finals, including two late goals to give them a 2-0 victory in the first leg of the semi-final against Anderlecht. The return leg, however, saw Forest beaten 3-0 in Belgium in highly dubious circumstances. The following season was the busy little midfielder's most impressive yet at the City Ground. He was an ever-present and weighed in with the fine return of 12 League goals but, sadly for the Forest faithful, Hodge was sold to Midland rivals Aston Villa in the summer for a fee of £450,000. He made his final appearance in this first spell at the City Ground in a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the season with his last goal coming in a 2-1 win at Luton Town on 24th April. (David Scranage)

When things turned sour for Steve Hodge at Tottenham Hotspur, Brian Clough stepped in to take the diminuitive midfielder back home to the City Ground. Clough shelled out £550, 000 for Hodge in the summer of 1988 and it was not long before he was repaying his manager's faith with some fine performances in the Forest midfield. Steve scored his first goals since his return to the club when bagging a brace in a 2-2 draw against Millwall at The Den and also scored a couple of goals en route to Wembley in the Littlewoods Cup. In the final itself it was Hodge who was brought down in the box after a typical surge from midfield early in the second half, Nigel Clough scoring the resulting penalty to level matters.

From then on it was all Forest as Luton Town were swept aside 3-1. The Reds finished in a highly creditable third place in the League and also reached the FA Cup semi-finals before losing to Liverpool in a replayed game that was overshadowed by the terrible tragedy at Hillsborough. The following season saw Hodge top the Forest scoring charts with 10 League goals and he also scored four times as Forest returned to Wembley and retained the Littlewoods Cup with a 1-0 win over Oldham Athletic. The 1990/91 campaign was Hodge's last at the City Ground and it must surely go down as his most disappointing. He was troubled by niggling injuries all season and featured in just 14 League games, scoring three times.

The emergence of a certain Roy Keane in the Forest midfield signalled the end for 'Harry' Hodge and after the young Irishman had kept him out of the starting line-up in a 2-1 F.A. Cup Final defeat against Tottenham Hotspur he moved on to Leeds United in a £900,000 deal. (David Scranage)