Fred Forman
Encyclopedia
Frederick Ralph Forman was an English
professional footballer, who was one of three members of the same family who started his professional career with Derby County
before joining Nottingham Forest
and going on to play for England
, for whom he made three appearances (scoring twice).
, Derbyshire
, the elder brother of Frank Forman
and uncle to Harry Linacre
and all three followed a similar career path. Forman played youth football for the local village side before moving up to Beeston Town, where he was spotted by Derby County
. County signed him in January 1892 but, after only making only four appearances, he was transferred to East Midlands
rivals Nottingham Forest
in 1894, where he was soon joined by his brother.
He soon became an established player on the wings for Forest, putting in the crosses for centre-forwards Tom McInnes
and Charlie Richards
, contributing a handful of goals each season as Forest finished each season in mid-table. Illness and injury restricted his appearances in 1897–98
and he played no part in Forest's FA Cup
success in which they defeated Forman's former club, Derby County in the final
3–1.
By the end of he following season, he was restored to fitness and was selected for all three England
matches in the 1899 British Home Championship
, in all of which he played at outside right with his brother Frank
at wing half
. He made his international debut in the match against Ireland, played at Roker Park
, Sunderland on 2 March 1899 when he and Frank became the first brothers from the same professional club to represent England at the same time, a record that stood until Manchester United's
Neville
brothers repeated the feat in 1996, nearly a century later. England totally dominated the Irish team and the England forwards "scored at will" with four from Gilbert Smith, three from Jimmy Settle
and two each from Fred Forman and Steve Bloomer
. Frank Forman also got on the score-sheet with the opening goal as England ran out victors by a 13–2 margin. This is still the record number of goals scored by England in a single match and the highest aggregate goals (15) in a game involving England. Forman retained his place for the next match against Wales
, played at Ashton Gate
, Bristol
on 20 March when he scored the third goal in a 4–0 victory, with two from Bloomer. In his third and final appearance, England defeated Scotland
2–1, and thus England retained the Championship.
Forman continued to appear regularly for Forest over the next few seasons, until he retired in 1903, after making a total of 181 appearances, scoring forty goals.
on 14 June 1910, aged 36.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional footballer, who was one of three members of the same family who started his professional career with Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
before joining Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
and going on to play for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, for whom he made three appearances (scoring twice).
Playing career
Forman was born in Aston-on-TrentAston-on-Trent
Aston-on-Trent is a Derbyshire village, situated in the English East Midlands, near Derby. It is adjacent to Weston-on-Trent and is near to Chellaston. It is very close to the border with Leicestershire....
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, the elder brother of Frank Forman
Frank Forman
Frank Forman was an English professional footballer, who was one of three members of the same family who started his professional career with Derby County before joining Nottingham Forest and going on to play for England, for whom he made nine appearances...
and uncle to Harry Linacre
Harry Linacre
James Henry "Harry" Linacre was an English professional footballer, who was one of three members of the same family who started his professional career with Derby County before joining Nottingham Forest and going on to play for England...
and all three followed a similar career path. Forman played youth football for the local village side before moving up to Beeston Town, where he was spotted by Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. County signed him in January 1892 but, after only making only four appearances, he was transferred to East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
rivals Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
in 1894, where he was soon joined by his brother.
He soon became an established player on the wings for Forest, putting in the crosses for centre-forwards Tom McInnes
Tom McInnes (footballer born August 1870)
Thomas "Tom" McInnes was a Scottish professional footballer who scored 65 goals from 246 appearances in the Football League playing as an forward for Nottingham Forest and Lincoln City...
and Charlie Richards
Charlie Richards
Charles Henry "Charlie" Richards was a professional footballer most notable for playing almost 100 matches for Grimsby Town....
, contributing a handful of goals each season as Forest finished each season in mid-table. Illness and injury restricted his appearances in 1897–98
1897-98 in English football
The 1897–98 season was the 27th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
and he played no part in Forest's FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
success in which they defeated Forman's former club, Derby County in the final
1898 FA Cup Final
The 1898 FA Cup Final was contested by Nottingham Forest and Derby County at Crystal Palace. Forest won 3–1, with goals from Arthur Capes and John McPherson. Steve Bloomer scored Derby's effort.-Summary:...
3–1.
By the end of he following season, he was restored to fitness and was selected for all three England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
matches in the 1899 British Home Championship
1899 British Home Championship
The 1899 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. A very high scoring affair, the competition featured the highest scoreline ever achieved in the Home Championships when England defeated Ireland 13–2 in Sunderland...
, in all of which he played at outside right with his brother Frank
Frank Forman
Frank Forman was an English professional footballer, who was one of three members of the same family who started his professional career with Derby County before joining Nottingham Forest and going on to play for England, for whom he made nine appearances...
at wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
. He made his international debut in the match against Ireland, played at Roker Park
Roker Park
Roker Park was an English football stadium situated in Roker, Sunderland. The stadium was the home of the English football club Sunderland A.F.C. from 1897 to 1997 before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Near the end of the stadium's history, its capacity was around 22,500 with only a small...
, Sunderland on 2 March 1899 when he and Frank became the first brothers from the same professional club to represent England at the same time, a record that stood until Manchester United's
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
Neville
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....
brothers repeated the feat in 1996, nearly a century later. England totally dominated the Irish team and the England forwards "scored at will" with four from Gilbert Smith, three from Jimmy Settle
Jimmy Settle
Jimmy Settle was an English professional footballer. A fast-paced inside or outside right, he could have chosen sprinting if he had not taken up football.Settle played for Bolton and Bury before joining Everton in 1899, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1906...
and two each from Fred Forman and Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer was an English footballer and manager who played for Derby County, Middlesbrough and England during the 1890s and 1900s. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin', is played before every home game...
. Frank Forman also got on the score-sheet with the opening goal as England ran out victors by a 13–2 margin. This is still the record number of goals scored by England in a single match and the highest aggregate goals (15) in a game involving England. Forman retained his place for the next match against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
, played at Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate Stadium is a stadium in Ashton Gate, Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol City F.C. Located in the south-west of the city, just south of the River Avon, it has an all-seated capacity of 21,497, with an effective capacity for football matches of around 19,500, with an average...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
on 20 March when he scored the third goal in a 4–0 victory, with two from Bloomer. In his third and final appearance, England defeated Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
2–1, and thus England retained the Championship.
Forman continued to appear regularly for Forest over the next few seasons, until he retired in 1903, after making a total of 181 appearances, scoring forty goals.
Career after football
After retiring from playing, he pursued his profession as a railway draughtsman. He died at SkegnessSkegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
on 14 June 1910, aged 36.