Seven decades of Cardiff City v Nottingham Forest matches.

Seven more questions on upcoming opponents, I’ll put the answers on here tomorrow.

60s. Possessor of a name which suggested a more exotic location for his birthplace than Wiltshire, this winger made his first team debut in an away win for Forest at Cardiff. He did well enough over the next four years to be part of a swap deal involving an England international which saw him move to another midlands team which, at the time, had a more illustrious history although they were about to enter something of a fallow period. Serious illness meant that he never established himself at his new home and he was on the move again a year later to a northern ground that was used in the 1966 World Cup. However, his career was in decline now and he played even less matches for his third team than he did for his second and, again was on the move within a year, this time to a nomadic team from London who by then had settled at the venue they still use today. After two years in which he barely made it into double figures with his league appearances, he called it a day, thus bringing to an end a career in which his only international recognition had come in an under 23 match in which the Netherlands were thrashed 5-2 – can you name the player being described?

70s. Norfolk born, this centreback played most of his football for Forest in a period where they were on the slide after being a respected First Division side in the late sixties. He played over fifty times for them and was in the side for a notorious cup tie in the north east. However, he was soon deemed surplus to requirements and was transferred to a team which, seemingly, played at a men only ground at the time. After nearly a decade’s service with his second club, his final move saw him turning out for seaside Lancastrians for a couple of seasons. In later life, he stood as a candidate in council elections and, at sixty five, was diagnosed with a form of dementia called chronic traumatic encephalopathy which he believes was caused by repeatedly heading the ball during his career, but who is he?

80s. Wet draper helps provide a few goals?

90s. Pack rock at sea?

00s. He played against us for Forest during this decade, but can you identify him from this list of some of his previous clubs – West Ham, Leicester, Forest, Coventry and Millwall?

10s. One of the players in the foreground of this picture is a Welsh international who played for Forest against City during this decade – who is he and who did he make his international debut against?

20s. These two played against us for Forest at Cardiff City Stadium in the noughties and they both turned out for another side against us at the same ground during this decade, who am I talking about?

Answers.

60s. Dick LeFlem played for Forest for the first time in a 3-1 win at Ninian Park in September 1960 and a year later won his only England under 23 cap in a 5-2 win over the Netherlands in Rotterdam. He scored eighteen times while playing over one hundred and thirty times for Forest and made enough of an impact to be involved in a straight swap deal with Wolves for their England winger Alan Hinton. LeFlem’s parents were from Guernsey and he contracted jaundice on a visit to the island shortly after his transfer, Judging by the way his career went into a decline which saw him retire from the game at 25, you can only presume that he never fully recovered from this as he only played thirty nine matches over the next four years as he followed his time at Wolves with unsuccessful spells at Middlesbrough and Leyton Orient.

70s. David Serella made his first appearances for Forest in a team on its way to relegation from the old First division and played most of his football for them in the second tier. Probably the most famous match he played in for them was an FA Cup tie against Newcastle at St James Park in 1974 which saw a crowd invasion where Serella and another Forest player were attacked by home fans – although the game was completed, the authorities ordered that it be scrubbed for the records and replayed at neutral Goodison Park. Serella signed for Walsall later that year and played over two hundred and fifty times for them before having a spell at Blackpool prior to his retirement.

80s. Peter Ward.

90s. Steve Stone.

00s. Andy Impey was in the Forest side when we drew 0-0 at the City Ground in September 2004.

10s. Sunderland’s Joel Lynch who won his only Welsh cap when he came on as a sub against Bosnia and Herzegovenia in August 2012.

20s. Chris Gunter and Garath McLeary were in the Forest side which draw 1-1 here in November 2009 and featured in the Reading sides that came here recently.

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