Derby County’s longest serving player Craig Forsyth will celebrate his long-standing association with the club when he hosts his Testimonial Match at Pride Park Stadium this weekend.
The experienced 34-year-old defender signed a fresh one-year deal, which will run until the end of the 2023/24 season, in May to take him to ten unbroken years at the club.
In extending his stay with Derby for another year, Forsyth requested and was granted a Testimonial for his long service after joining the club, initially on loan, just over ten years ago from Watford and the Rams will host Stoke City at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday 22nd July (3pm kick-off) to celebrate his time with the Rams.
He arrived on a temporary basis from the Hornets in March 2013, before going on to sign on a permanent basis at the beginning of July in the lead-up to the 2013/14 season.
He has since gone on to record 308 appearances for the Rams, scoring seven times, and is one of only 30 players to make 300 or more appearances for Derby. In fact, he is only the second since the 1990s to achieve such a feat.
A special, special moment for the Forsyth family 🖤🤍#DCFC pic.twitter.com/VJeb9WGkIl
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) March 20, 2023
Forsyth made 52 appearances for Derby during the 2022/23 season and the vast majority came as a central defender, having spent most of his Rams career at left-back.
To celebrate such an impressive achievement, dcfc.co.uk has taken a trip down memory lane to look back on each of Forsyth’s seasons with Derby through the years.
2012/13 - A Fresh Start
Forsyth’s Derby County journey began on Monday 4th March 2013 when he arrived on a month’s loan from fellow Championship side Watford. He had been out of favour at Vicarage Road at the time of his arrival and had enjoyed a loan stint at League Two outfit Bradford City earlier in the campaign.
He joined Nigel Clough’s side as a left-sided midfielder and made his debut in that position in a 1-1 draw at Cardiff City the day after putting pen-to-paper. Conor Sammon had put Derby ahead against the promotion-chasers midway through the second period, but Craig Noone equalised late on.
Forsyth moved to left-back in his first home appearance for the Rams, a 2-1 home win over Leicester City, and he made his mark in front of the Pride Park Stadium faithful by delivering the cross which Chris Martin headed home to make it 2-0 just before half-time. He went on to appear ten times in a Rams shirt before being recalled by Watford as cover ahead of their Play-Off campaign.
Season Stats: 10 Appearances
2013/14 - A Magnificent Season
Derby played 53 games in all competitions during the 2013/14 season and Forsyth featured in every single one of them after signing on a permanent basis from Watford in the summer.
After a steady start to the season under Clough, there was a managerial change with Steve McClaren installed as Head Coach and Forsyth’s game went from strength-to-strength as the Rams went from being a mid-table side to promotion chasers in the blink of an eye.
His performances in a consistent back four were impressive and he also weighed in with two goals: in a 3-3 draw at Birmingham City and in a 4-2 home win over his former club Watford. He also contributed with four assists in the league campaign as Derby finished in third place in the Championship standings.
The season, however, ended in heartbreak as Derby were beaten 1-0 in the Play-Off Final against Queens Park Rangers after brushing aside Brighton & Hove Albion 6-2 on aggregate in the Semi-Finals. Forsyth played a key role in both legs as he won a penalty which Chris Martin converted in the First Leg at the Amex Stadium to make it 1-1 while he delivered the cross for Will Hughes’ superb opener at Pride Park in the Second Leg.
Despite the gut-wrenching end to the season, there was a positive to take into the summer. Forsyth made his international bow for Scotland as a second half substitute in a friendly against Nigeria.
Season Stats: 53 Appearances, 2 Goals
2014/15 - A Missed Opportunity
After penning a new contract during the close-season, Forsyth remained an integral member of the Derby side as they pushed for promotion once again under McClaren.
He was a regular in the side in the first half of the season and found the net in a 4-0 win at Birmingham City on Boxing Day to score at St Andrews for the second season in succession. He once again chipped in with an impressive return of assists by achieving six in all competitions.
The second half of the campaign saw new signing Stephen Warnock push Forsyth for a place in the side and he also had a spell at centre-back as the season edged towards its conclusion.
Derby, unfortunately, went from being top of the table in February to missing out on a place in the Play-Offs altogether on the final day of the season as they failed to grasp the opportunity to reach to the top-flight. A run of two wins in 13 from the end of February until the start of May proved to be their undoing.
Forsyth remained on the international radar during the season and made three appearances for Scotland during the season. He appeared in friendlies against Northern Ireland and Qatar and made his competitive debut a 1-1 draw against the Republic of Ireland in a 2016 UEFA European Championships qualifier.
Season Stats: 51 Appearances, 1 Goal
2015/16 - Injury Blow
Big things were expected of Derby going into the 2015/16 season after former Real Madrid assistant Paul Clement was appointed as Head Coach and a raft of new signings were made.
Forsyth and Warnock competed for the left-back berth in the opening months of the season and Clement regularly alternated between the duo during three-game weeks.
Disaster struck for Forsyth in the 1-0 home win over Queens Park Rangers in November. He sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the first half of the contest and was immediately ruled out of action for the remainder of the season after undoing surgery.
Derby would go on to reach the Play-Offs without Forsyth, with Academy Director Darren Wassall taking charge following Clement’s departure in February, but a 3-2 aggregate defeat against the Tigers inflicted another narrow promotion miss on the side.
Season Stats: 13 Appearances
2016/17 – Another Setback
Forsyth was raring to go by the time pre-season began in July and with another new manager to impress, former Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson this time, he was ready to hit the ground running.
Three games into his comeback, he headed home a dramatic late winner in a 1-0 victory at Preston North End to hand Derby their first league win of the Championship campaign.
A few days later, though, Forsyth was dealt another blow. He picked up a knee injury in a hard-fought 0-0 draw at home to Aston Villa and, despite walking off the pitch and seemingly being in little pain, scans revealed he had damaged his anterior cruciate ligament and would be sidelined for another lengthy period of time.
Derby had three managers over the course of the season, with the return of McClaren later followed by the appointment of Gary Rowett, and they ended the season in the top half but shy of the Championship’s top six.
Season Stats: 4 Appearances, 1 Goal
2017/18 – Back In The Groove
Forsyth was back in time for pre-season ahead of Rowett’s first and what would later be only full season in charge and, after by his own admission a slow start to the campaign, he was a regular in the side’s backline.
Derby established themselves in the promotion hunt for most of the campaign and Forsyth played his part whilst competing for the left-back berth alongside both Marcus Olsson and Chris Baird.
Rowett’s side reached the Play-Offs and Forsyth contributed with a delightful cross in the Semi-Final First Leg at Pride Park for Cameron Jerome to head home in a 1-0 win over Fulham, but a 2-0 loss in the Second Leg at Craven Cottage saw the Rams miss out on a place in the Final.
Season Stats: 35 Appearances
2018/19 – Another Challenge To Overcome
Another new season and another new boss to impress; this time it was Frank Lampard in the hotseat.
Forsyth had more competition too with Scott Malone drafted in from Huddersfield Town but, as always, he proved his worth in the squad.
In fact, he was in a fine run of form and had recorded four assists from 13 league outings until a third anterior cruciate ligament injury in four seasons in November curtailed his season. He was injured whilst competing for the ball in a 3-0 home loss to Aston Villa and he was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with another bout of surgery required.
Derby reached the Play-offs in Forsyth’s absence, with ex-England international full-back Ashley Cole drafted in on a short-term deal as cover, but after overcoming Leeds United in the Semi-Finals a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa in the Final at Wembley Stadium saw them miss out on promotion once more.
Season Stats: 15 Appearances
2019/20 – The Comeback King
Forsyth was afforded time and no pressure on his shoulders when making his third comeback from a long lay-off to ensure he was in the best place possible when stepping back onto the pitch.
Dutchman Phillip Cocu was by now in charge after Lampard took charge at Chelsea in the summer and the defender’s comeback came in a 1-0 home win over Preston North End after just over a year on the sidelines. As ever, he produced a solid and dependable performance.
Forsyth remained an important member of the squad throughout the season and made his 200th appearance in Derby colours in a 3-2 win at Millwall in June 2020 in the first game back in action following the outbreak of COVID-19. He marked the occasion with an assist too, setting up Louie Sibley to complete his hat-trick on a memorable afternoon at The Den.
Derby finished the season in the top half of the table and they even had a brief flirtation with the top six before hitting a sticky run of form in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Season Stats: 25 Appearances
2020/21 – Behind Closed Doors
The entire 2020/21 season was played behind-closed-doors owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and it was a year to forget on the pitch for Derby.
A poor start to the season saw Cocu leave his post in November and, after a spell in temporary charge, skipper Wayne Rooney hung up his boots to take over as manager.
Youngster Lee Buchanan and Forsyth shared the left-back duties during the season and Derby narrowly avoid relegation on the final day with a heart-stopping 3-3 draw against Sheffield Wednesday at Pride Park Stadium.
Season Stats: 21 Appearances
2021/22 – Fighting Until The End
The 2021/22 season saw Derby fighting against the odds for long spells as off-field issued had a big impact on the pitch.
The club was placed into administration in September, resulting in a 12-point deduction, while a further nine followed for a historical breach of the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules.
Having 21 points chalked off left Derby with a mountain to climb and into minus points on two occasions but, in Forsyth’s spirit for the challenges he has faced owing to injury over the years, the whole club united and stood up against them admirably.
Forsyth played his part, again sharing the full-back duties with Buchanan, and chipped in with three goals, all headers, over the season.
He scored in the crucial 1-0 win over Reading on home turf to take Derby off minus points less than two weeks after entering administration, while he also powered home the opener in a 3-1 success against Hull City at Pride Park to take the Rams to within four points of safety in early February.
While the Rams’ fighting spirit wasn’t rewarded as relegation was confirmed in April, the efforts of everyone involved in fighting against the odds will always be remembered.
Season Stats: 29 Appearances, 3 Goals
2022/23 – Centre-Back Evolution
Forsyth took his association with Derby into a tenth year when he signed a new one-year deal shortly after the club exited administration.
Interim Manager Liam Rosenior handed the Scotsman his new contract as the Rams prepared to ply their trade in the third tier of English football for the first time since the 1980s during a hectic July as a squad was quickly assembled.
Forsyth went on to be a key player throughout the season, initially under Rosenior and then later under Paul Warne after his arrival from Rotherham United in September.
Craig Forsyth appreciation post 😍#DCFC pic.twitter.com/Gk1M8kEoCN
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) November 12, 2022
Warne switched him to centre-back soon after his arrival, with injuries forcing his hand initially, and his excellent and consistent performances saw him firmly establish himself in that role as Derby pushed for a top-six spot.
He wore the captain’s armband on several occasions and also surpassed 300 appearances for the club during the campaign to become only the second player since the 1990s to achieve such a feat. In addition, he was handed a Long Service Achievement Award at Derby’s End of Season Awards Night.
Craig Forsyth's been handed a Long Service Achievement award this evening! 🖤🤍#DCFC pic.twitter.com/EhKlpJat8q
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) May 2, 2023
His performances also saw him handed a new deal in May 2023 and, upon request, he was granted a Testimonial for his long-standing commitment to the cause.
Season Stats: 52 Appearances
