Forest's Greatest Ever Goalscorers: From Woodward to Grabban

Goals are the currency of football, and Nottingham Forest have been blessed with some truly prolific strikers over their 160-year history. From the Edwardian sharpshooters who filled the net in the days of heavy leather balls and mud-caked pitches, to the modern marksmen who fired the club back to the Premier League, the City Ground has always had a special relationship with its goalscorers.

Here are the ten greatest goalscorers in Nottingham Forest history — the men who found the net more often than anyone else to wear the Garibaldi Red.

1 Grenville Morris — 217 Goals (1898–1913)

No player in Forest's history has scored more goals than Grenville Morris. The Welsh international striker arrived at the City Ground in 1898 and proceeded to plunder 217 goals in 461 appearances over fifteen seasons. He was the club's top scorer for nine consecutive seasons between 1899 and 1908, a record that will almost certainly never be beaten.

Morris was a classic inside-forward of the Edwardian era — quick, clever with the ball, and lethal in front of goal. He won 21 caps for Wales, scoring on his international debut, and was the focal point of Forest's attack during a period when the club established itself in the First Division. His tally of 217 goals puts him comfortably clear of every other striker in the club's history.

2 Wally Ardron — 144 Goals (1949–1955)

Wally Ardron was a goal machine. Signed from Rotherham United in 1949, he scored 144 goals in just 179 appearances for Forest — an astonishing strike rate of better than a goal every 1.25 games. In the 1950-51 season alone, Ardron netted 36 goals in 42 league matches, a single-season record that still stands today.

Ardron was a powerful, no-nonsense centre-forward who thrived on crosses and was virtually impossible to knock off the ball. He left Forest in 1955 but his legacy as one of the most efficient goalscorers the club has ever seen is beyond question. That goals-per-game ratio remains the benchmark that all Forest strikers are measured against.

3 Johnny Dent — 141 Goals (1925–1937)

Johnny Dent served Forest for twelve years from 1925 to 1937 and scored 141 goals in 362 appearances. He was the club's leading scorer during a period when Forest were largely a Second Division side, but Dent's consistency was remarkable. He hit double figures in goals in almost every season he played and was the kind of dependable centre-forward every manager dreams of having.

Dent's loyalty to the club through some lean years makes his tally all the more impressive. He never had the luxury of playing in a dominant side, yet he kept scoring season after season.

4 Nigel Clough — 131 Goals (1984–1993)

The son of the greatest manager in the club's history, Nigel Clough was far more than just his father's boy. A supremely intelligent striker who dropped deep, linked play, and scored goals with both feet, Nigel netted 131 times in 401 appearances for Forest. He was the club's top scorer in three consecutive seasons and earned 14 England caps while at the City Ground.

Nigel Clough scored twice in the 1989 League Cup final victory over Luton Town and was instrumental in Forest's two consecutive League Cup triumphs in 1989 and 1990. His relationship with his father on the touchline was a unique dynamic in English football, but on the pitch, Nigel proved his quality entirely on his own merits. He joined Liverpool in 1993 for £2.275 million.

5 Tom Peacock — 128 Goals (1912–1927)

Tom Peacock bridged the gap between the Edwardian era and the inter-war period, scoring 128 goals in 267 appearances across two stints at the club. His career was interrupted by the First World War, but he returned to the City Ground afterwards and continued to find the net with remarkable regularity. Peacock was quick, direct, and clinical — the kind of striker who could turn half-chances into goals.

6 Garry Birtles — 97 Goals (1976–1981, 1982–1987)

Few Forest stories are as extraordinary as that of Garry Birtles. Signed from non-league Long Eaton United in 1976, Birtles went from playing in front of a few hundred spectators to scoring in a European Cup semi-final within two years. He scored 97 goals across two spells at the club, including crucial strikes in Forest's European campaigns.

Birtles scored in both legs of the 1979 European Cup semi-final against FC Köln and was a constant menace to defences across Europe. A £1.25 million move to Manchester United in 1980 did not work out — he infamously went 25 league games without scoring — but he returned to Forest in 1982 and rediscovered his best form. His rise from non-league obscurity to European Cup winner remains one of football's greatest rags-to-riches tales.

7 Tony Woodcock — 96 Goals (1974–1979, 1986–1988)

Tony Woodcock was one of the most naturally gifted strikers Forest have ever produced. A product of the youth system, Woodcock was promoted to the first team by Brian Clough and became a key part of the title-winning and European Cup-winning sides. He scored 96 goals across two spells at the club, combining pace, movement, and clinical finishing.

Woodcock left for FC Köln in 1979 and then Arsenal, where he scored freely in the First Division. He earned 42 England caps and scored 16 international goals, including a famous hat-trick against Northern Ireland. He returned to Forest briefly in 1986. His partnership with Peter Withe during the 1977-78 title season was one of the most effective striker pairings in the club's history.

8 Ian Storey-Moore — 118 Goals (1962–1972)

Ian Storey-Moore was an explosive left winger who could beat defenders and score goals in equal measure. He netted 118 goals in around 236 appearances for Forest between 1962 and 1972, making him one of the most prolific wide players in the club's history. His direct running and powerful left foot made him a crowd favourite at the City Ground.

Storey-Moore won a single England cap against the Netherlands in 1970 and was the subject of one of football's most bizarre transfer sagas in 1972, when both Derby County and Manchester United believed they had signed him. He eventually moved to Old Trafford for £200,000. In terms of pure excitement, few Forest players have matched his ability to get fans out of their seats.

9 John Robertson — 83 Goals (1970–1983, 1985–1986)

While John Robertson is rightly remembered as the provider — the man whose crosses and passes created countless goals for others — he was no slouch in front of goal himself. Robertson scored 83 goals in 514 appearances, including the winner in the 1980 European Cup final against Hamburg. For a winger, that is an exceptional tally.

Robertson's goal in Madrid — a calm, composed finish after cutting inside from the left — was the defining moment of his career and one of the most important goals in the club's history. Brian Clough called him "the best player I ever worked with" and, goals or no goals, Robertson would have a place on any list of Forest's greatest ever players.

10 Lewis Grabban — 48 Goals (2018–2022)

In the modern era, Lewis Grabban stands out as the striker who led the line during one of the most significant periods in Forest's recent history. Signed on a permanent deal in 2018 after a loan spell, Grabban scored 48 goals across four seasons, captaining the side during parts of their journey back to the Premier League.

While his tally may seem modest compared to the historic sharpshooters on this list, Grabban's contribution to the promotion campaign of 2021-22 was significant. He scored 12 league goals that season and provided the experience and leadership that Steve Cooper's young squad needed. His goals came in a far more competitive era, and his place in modern Forest folklore is secure.