Derby County hit the jackpot with £350k signing that embarrassed Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

Craig Bryson joined the Rams ahead of the 2011/12 season, becoming a club legend across his eight years in DE24.

In July 2011, a midfielder that was relatively unknown to many in the EFL was signed by Derby County, as Nigel Clough looked to continue his side's progression in the Championship.

The Rams signed Craig Bryson for £350k from Scottish club Kilmarnock, with the then-24-year-old finally making the move to the East Midlands after being on trial at Pride Park four years earlier.

Waiting for the move was a decision that paid off, as the now-retired footballer was able to avoid being a part of the dismal side that were relegated from the Premier League with just 11 points in 2007/08.

He quickly got to work in black-and-white, and became a crucial player for Derby in his first couple of seasons, scoring 11 goals and registering 11 assists in 81 Championship appearances during those years. However, the 2013/14 campaign would prove to be his very best in DE24, as he made history along the way.

Bryson plagued Nottingham Forest with an unbelievable performance at Pride Park

While the Rams did not get off to an awful start in Bryson's third season at the club, they were lacking invention and a defeat to bitter rivals Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in September 2013 saw Nigel Clough lose his job.

He was replaced by Steve McClaren, who helped inspire his team to a 4-4 draw against Ipswich Town after being 4-1 down at half-time, before he had even officially taken on the role of manager.

By this point, Derby's number four had already scored an incredible hat-trick, firing in three times during a 5-1 victory away to Millwall while Clough was still in charge.

However, it was under his new boss when the Scottish midfielder finally showed off his talents, and his ability to arrive late into the box became a feature of the Rams' attacks throughout the course of the season.

Five goals and two assists in six games over the course of December 2013 was further proof of Bryson's importance to the team, but just three months later, he would write himself into the history books.

McClaren's side went into the second East Midlands derby of the season out of form, having not found the back of the net in their last four matches before they welcomed Nottingham Forest to Pride Park.

But they put their rivals to the sword in a 5-0 victory, as Bryson netted another hat-trick, becoming the first player to do so in the fixture since Steve Bloomer in 1898.

Bryson continued to be a fan favourite at Pride Park

Derby's win over Forest is still perhaps their finest day at their stadium since moving from the Baseball Ground in 1997, and those who were in DE24 will never forget the moment that Bryson fired home to complete the rout.

While he never exactly hit the same heights after the 2013/14 campaign in terms of his goalscoring ability, he continued to be a handful in the Rams' midfield as they pushed for promotion to the Premier League throughout the 2010s.

Ironically, it was not with Derby who he won that elusive promotion with, as he helped take Cardiff City to the top flight in 2018 while out on loan in South Wales.

Nevertheless, he will never be forgotten for his exploits in March 2014, and Bryson's name will forever be written in the history books at Pride Park as just the second player to ever score a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest.