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Nottingham Post

Sport

Bruna Reis

Nottingham Forest chairman delivers 'exciting' message as City Ground prepares for Premier League return with West Ham clash

Nottingham Forest EPL Forest West Ham City Ground Marinakis

Nottingham Forest chairman Nicholas Randall QC has sent supporters a heartfelt message ahead of their first Premier League home game in 23 years.

Forest will host West Ham at the City Ground from 2pm on Sunday following their return to the top-flight of English football via the play-offs last season. It is set to be a historic day for fans and club.

Randall QC said: "It is with great pleasure that I am able to write to you today as we prepare to play the first Premier League game at the City Ground in 23 years. I am sure that you will make it a wonderful occasion.

"It is now five years since the club was acquired by Mr Marinakis and Mr Kominakis and I was given the great honour of becoming chairman. I hope you will agree that significant progress has been made during that period. To a certain extent the fact of promotion speaks for itself. I am sure that none of us will forget the events of last season, the wonderful journey to Wembley and the incredible celebration in Market Square which followed. It is also a matter of pride that promotion was achieved without the benefit of parachute payments and after full compliance with all FFP rules in the Championship.

"It is also clear that significant progress has been made in many other areas of the club. We have achieved Category One Academy status which is so important to our future development. This has been accompanied by significant success on the pitch, including the wonderful achievement of the under-18s in reaching the FA Youth Cup final at Old Trafford – the first time this landmark has been achieved in the history of the club. Forest Women were taken back into the club and given full time support and managerial input.

"We have recently received the important boost of the decision of the Rushcliffe Borough Council Planning Committee to recommend that our application for planning permission to redevelop the City Ground be granted. It has always been our desire to remain at the City Ground site, even though this decision has led to significant challenges and complexity in the planning process. We are delighted that all the hard work and efforts of people within the club and our advisers and partners has finally come to fruition. We can now begin to plan for the next stages of the development in our quest to establish a stadium that is suitable for the modern era.

"The path to progress is rarely smooth but I hope you will appreciate that the owners and board are committed to the long term development of the club. We are now at a new and exciting stage. Membership of the Premier League brings its own challenges. We are now required to pit ourselves against the very best in the best league in the world. I can assure you that we will all be doing what we can to make this season a success. We do not simply want to be there to make up the numbers.

"All of the above could not have been achieved without the support of Mr Marinakis. He has been a model owner and has always supported us with the necessary resources and more to achieve our goals. The board is extremely grateful for this.

"I also want to thank all of the staff at the club for everything that they have done over these past five years. And, of course, to thank Steve Cooper and the staff in the football department and the Academy for their efforts in building for success. And finally I want to thank you all. You have been nothing short of incredible in your support for the club. You have supported us in huge numbers from the start. Not just in the good times but also in the bad. For this we thank you.

"Through our collective efforts we have been able to deliver for you the highs of a wonderful cup run, Wembley and promotion. I promise you that from the owners downwards we will strive to make your club a continued success and to create more wonderful memories. I hope you have a wonderful season."

Forest will be keen to match the special occasion by securing all three points and their first of the season.