Nottingham Forest are as close to a return to the Premier League as they have been since their relegation in 1999 after finally getting over the semi-final hump with a penalty shootout win against Sheffield United.
With Wembley Stadium and Huddersfield Town awaiting, a whole generation of Forest fans are potentially just 90 minutes away from seeing their side return to the top flight. It was May 16, 1999, the last time the Reds could call themselves that.
On that afternoon at the City Ground, in front of some 25,000 supporters, Forest were winners against East Midlands rivals Leicester City to end the season on a high with three straight victories. Below is a rundown of the twelve players that featured in the final Premiership hurrah and where they are now...
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Mark Crossley
The Forest fan's favourite made almost 400 appearances in total for the Reds after staying for the club's first season back in the First Division after relegation before returning to the top-flight with Middlesbrough and Fulham over the next six seasons. Dropped down the leagues in the second half of the 00s with short stints on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and Oldham Athletic before hanging up the gloves at Chesterfield in League Two. Now a coach, Crossley has worked back at Wednesday as well as Barnsley and Notts County in between spending three stints with the Spireites.
Matthieu Louis-Jean
The full-back made more than 200 appearances for Forest after originally arriving on loan before eventually departing for Norwich City in 2005. Injury problems curtailed that move and the defender's playing career after just two appearances in East Anglia. Louis-Jean has though gone on to have an even more successful career as a scout, returning to the Reds for four seasons following a stint at Liverpool and has gone on to spend two spells at Manchester United before spells as chief scout at OGC Nice and now Marseille.
Steve Chettle
After over 400 appearances for the Reds, the defender left the City Ground during the December after their relegation and joined Barnsley before also representing Walsall on loan as well as Grimsby Town, Burton Albion and Ilkeston, with whom Chettle retired in 2005. Now a coach, the 53-year-old is currently head of academy at Basford United after previously working with Forest's academy as well as a couple of stints with Notts County in between coaching nearby non-league sides Nuneaton Town and two spells back at Ilkeston.
Chris Bart-Williams
The defender scored Forest's last Premier League goal and went on to make more than 200 appearances before moving on in 2002 to represent Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town as well as ending their playing career abroad at Cypriot giants APOEL and Marsaxlokk in Malta. Bart-Williams move to the United States of America, working at Boston Breakers and SoccerPlus Connecticut before venturing into college soccer at Quinnipiac University. Now leads a college recruiting service which describes the former player as a " college recruiting expert and Premier League legend".
Alan Rogers
After originally leaving in 2001, the defender went on to spend another stint at the City Ground between 2004 and 2006 before short spells at Hull City, Bradford City and Accrington Stanley rounded out a 12-year professional career. Now a coach, Rogers returned to Tranmere Rovers, who Forest signed the defender from for £2 million as well as more recent short stints at Sligo Rovers, in Burnley's academy and at Skelmersdale United.
Steve Melton
The midfielder was handed a professional debut during this match, but only went on to make a further two appearances for Forest before leaving in 2000. A nomadic career took in stops at Stoke City, Brighton and Hove Albion, Hull City and Boston United before dropping into non-league to turn out for Tamworth, King's Lynn, Boston again, Lincoln United, Lincoln Moorlands Railway, Grantham Town, Worksop Town before returning to Lincoln United to retire. Keeping a low profile after since hanging up the boots in 2013, aside from a 2017 interview with The Set Pieces about how it feels to have made one appearance in the Premier League.
Carlton Palmer
After a single year at Forest, the former England international wound down their playing career at Coventry City, Watford, Sheffield Wednesday and Stockport County as a player-manager followed by a final three-game stint at Dublin City before focusing on management. Palmer joined Mansfield Town first as temporary manager and then signed a permanent contract before resigning just under a year after arriving. Most recently spent seven months as Grantham Town manager before resigning alongside chairman Darren Ashton.
Thierry Bonalair
The Parisian made 80 appearances for the Reds after becoming their first French player upon signing in 1997 on a free transfer. Would stay until 2000 before playing on for a further year at FC Zurich before retiring. Like countryperson Louis-Jean, Bonalair moved into scouting away from the pitch and has worked back in France for Bordeaux, Stade Brestois and Lille.
Hugo Porfirio
The three-time Portugal international didn't make many more appearances during a five-month loan spell at the City Ground. Porfirio made just nine appearances, scoring a single goal, before returning home to Maritimo and Benfica before also dropping down to play for their B team. Two spells in the lower leagues followed before retiring after a season in Saudi Arabia at Al Nassr. Most recently worked at Sporting back in the former player's native Lisbon for just over a year.
Dougie Freedman
After two full seasons at Forest, Freedman returned to Crystal Palace to make another 200 appearances before shorter stints on loan at Leeds United and with Southend United before retirement. The former Scotland international soon returned to Palace after entering management before swapping them for Bolton Wanderers and eventually ending up back at the City Ground as Stuart Pearce 's replacement, lasting just over a year. A further return to Croydon followed a year later, where Freedman remains their sporting director.
Marlon Harewood
As a Forest academy graduate, the centre-forward broke into the first team during that season in the Premier League and went on to make 200 appearances after staying in the First Division. After spells at West Ham United, Aston Villa and Blackpool back in the top-flight, Harewood returned to Forest via Guangzhou in China to make a further five appearances in the Championship before moving on for short stints at Barnsley, Bristol City, Hartlepool United and Nuneaton Town before retirement. Harewood has his coaching badges, working with the Reds' academy as a coach, and has expressed an interest in entering management, but most recently featured on last week's episode of the Garibaldi Red podcast.
Christian Edwards
The sole substitute on the afternoon, the one-time Wales international remained a Red after relegation and made just over 50 appearances in between five loan spells out before joining Bristol Rovers permanently in 2003 as well as taking in short stints at Swansea City, Forest Green Rovers and Aberystwyth Town. It was with the latter where Edwards entered management initially as a caretaker boss before becoming an assistant manager and then their director of football. The former defender is now the manager of Cardiff Metropolitan University in the Cymru Premier.
