Former Nottingham Forest striker Robert Earnshaw has been talking about a special moment in his career.
The Welshman notched a hat-trick as the Reds smashed the Foxes 5-1 at the City Ground in December 2009.
Paul Anderson and Dele Adebola made up the rest of the goal tally, which ensured that they moved up to third in the Championship table and Forest scored nine goals in two games. We thrashed Doncaster Rovers 4-1 before this game before this and were fired up for the contest against our local rivals.
Earnshaw described the afternoon’s proceedings and could feel the energy in the stadium while he warmed up.
Is Robert Earnshaw a Forest legend?
Yes
No
“Getting two goals in the first half just set the game up for us and to seal a hat-trick just after half-time was incredible,” Earnshaw recalled.
“I knew after the first goal went in that we’d get more chances and as soon as it did, I was chasing the second and the third. It was never a case of instinct, it was about allowing what I’d practised so hard every day to come out. The third goal was almost slow-motion for me because I felt like I had so much time to pick a finish and claim a hat-trick.”
Earnshaw, now 38, was described as a “hat-trick specialist“, due to becoming the first man to score a treble in all four English divisions, plus the FA Cup, League Cup and on the international stage.
He went on to score 43 goals and provided five assists in 110 appearances for Forest over the course of three seasons at the City Ground.
Unfortunately, that season ended in despair after losing in the Play-off semi-finals to Blackpool, in one of a number of seasons since 1999 that the question remained of what might have been.
Hopefully, when the campaign resumes, this year will finally be the year that we return to the Premier League.
