Nottingham Forest academy graduate saved the Reds forking out big money: View | OneFootball

Lewis McGugan spent seven years as a first-team player at Nottingham Forest after coming through their academy

Nottingham Forest may be enjoying life as a Premier League side nowadays, but it wasn't too long ago that the Reds were a struggling Championship side, and even dropped down to League One.

There were some difficult days at the City Ground in the not so distant past, and plenty of players came and went, with a fair share of those failing to live up to expectations.

However, there were some good days too, and one man in particular played a key role in helping Forest back to the second tier and ensuring they became a solid Championship side.

Lewis McGugan was a local lad who came through the club's academy before being handed his first-team debut in 2006, and he became a mainstay in the club's starting XI over the next couple of seasons, becoming a cult-hero at the City Ground.

Lewis McGugan saved Nottingham Forest from forking out big money

After making his debut as a 17-year-old during Forest's 2006/07 League One campaign, the midfielder became a mainstay in the middle of the park for the Reds over the next couple of seasons.

Having a reliable, talented midfielder on their books from the academy meant that Forest didn't need to fork out big money on a central midfielder, meaning that McGugan saved the club a considerable fee.

McGugan made his debut during the 2006/07 season, but it was the following season where he became a first-team regular, and he played 33 league games, helping the Reds finish second and earn automatic promotion to the Championship.

Football fans always enjoy seeing homegrown players thrive playing for the first-team of the club they were developed at, and the City Ground faithful were no different, and it was fitting to see an academy graduate playing such an important role in helping them win promotion.

Despite the jump in division, McGugan continued to thrive in the Championship, and he scored five goals and registered four assists as he helped the club avoid relegation, finishing 19th.

The 2009/10 season saw the midfielder struggle for playing time as Forest finished 3rd, but the following season really showed what he was capable of, and he was the club's top scorer for the 10/11 campaign after scoring 13 goals and registering 15 assists in 40 league games, a very impressive return which helped the club reach the play-offs.

28 goal involvements in 40 appearances was a seriously impressive return which arguably warranted a Premier League move, but he remained at the City Ground for the 2011/12 campaign.

That 10/11 season was to be his best campaign in a Forest shirt, and the 2011/12 and 2012/13 campaigns saw him register five and eight goals respectively, before leaving on a free transfer in the summer of 2013.

His time at Forest was certainly the best years of his career, and after 229 appearances for his boyhood club, McGugan is still fondly remembered at the City Ground, and his presence in midfield ensured the club didn't have to spend big money on a quality midfielder.

Lewis McGugan's career after leaving the City Ground

McGugan joined Watford on a free transfer in the summer of 2013, but would spend just one season at Vicarage Road before joining Sheffield Wednesday, initially on loan, before joining permanently in 2015.

Despite a bright start to life at Hillsborough, McGugan would see his contract terminated in the summer of 2017 after failing to make a single appearance during the 2016/17 season,

It was a sad end to McGugan's professional career, and after 17 months without playing, he joined Northampton Town on a short-term deal, but left in January 2018 after just 14 games, and that brought the curtain down on his days as a professional, despite being just 29 years old.

However, he did come out of retirement in 2021, playing for non-league side Loughborough Dynamo, but it was a far cry from his days as a top Championship player.