Forward provided unforgettable East Midlands derby moment before Nottingham Forest, Derby County shock: View | OneFootball

The striker celebrated in front of Rams fans with a Forest corner flag, before making the move down the A52 just two years later.

The East Midlands derby is always one that raises eyebrows, yet in 2009 a Nottingham Forest striker sent Derby County fans raging with one simple act, before a huge twist just two years later.

Nathan Tyson joined Forest originally on loan from Wycombe Wanderers in November 2005, before making the switch permanent just two months later.

The forward, who made his career debut for Reading, spent five years at the City Ground, making 208 appearances and scoring 40 goals.

However, it was not the entirety of his Forest career that is truly remembered by supporters of the Reds, but instead his antics in the first East Midlands derby against the Rams of the 2009/10 season.

The two sides had been in the same league just once in the last four seasons, with Forest spending 2005-2008 in the third tier, while Derby had a torrid season in the Premier League in 2007/08. The season prior had brought tension and excitement to the clashes, but it boiled over in August 2009.

Beating Derby and flying the flag

The Rams had started the season the better of the two bitter rivals, with Forest failing to record a win in their first four Championship games before the two sides met at the City Ground.

The season prior, there had been four meetings between Derby and Forest, with the two needing a replay to decide the outcome of their FA Cup fourth round tie. The Rams came from two goals down to eliminate the Reds, with former-Forest star Kris Commons netting the winner with less than 20 minutes to go, leading to Robbie Savage celebrating with a black-and-white scarf across the City Ground pitch.

However, the hosts had closed the gap to Derby this season, and it showed in their first meeting when Forest raced into a 3-0 lead before half-time, with Tyson scoring the third.

The visitors fought back, scoring twice to cut Forest's lead to one, yet it was too little too late as the Red half of the East Midlands took both the bragging rights and the Brian Clough Trophy with them.

With tempers high following a closely-fought affair, Tyson picked up a corner flag before waving it in front of Derby's travelling support, prompting huge reactions from players, coaches and those in the stands.

Tyson was charged by the FA, and apologised for his actions, after causing the on-pitch melee between both sets of players.

Speaking on EFL Rivalries: East Midlands Derby on Sky Sports in 2017, the now 42-year-old said: "I regret doing it. That just shows how much passion is running through your veins in that game. You want to go out there and enjoy it but hopefully nothing like that will happen again.

"The following game, we had to go and play them at their place and Billy Davies (then-Forest boss) said ‘no, it’s a security risk’. I regret doing it, to be fair. I let my emotions run way too high."

A controversial and disappointing move to Derby

Despite his actions, just two years later, Tyson was donning the Ram on his shirt. The forward joined on a three-year deal as a free agent, after Forest failed to offer him a competitive contract.

However, his time at Pride Park was a struggle, with a groin injury disrupting much of his first season, as he made just 23 appearances, including 13 starts.

Ironically, he made his debut from the bench for the Rams at the City Ground, as once again tempers flared with Derby coming from a goal down with 10 players to win 2-1.

Tyson struggled for consistency in the 2012/13 season, scoring four times in 16 appearances before being sent out on loan to Millwall for the remainder of the season.

He left the Rams before the start of the 2013/14 campaign, joining fellow Championship side Blackpool.

Tyson's relationship is fraught with both clubs now. His antics during his time at Forest can be seen as a huge negative to Derby supporters, but moving to the club from their rivals may balance out his previous actions. For fans of the Reds, it is still a transfer that is hard to stomach all these years later.