Derby County were laughing after controversial Nottingham Forest transfer | OneFootball

The controversial move from Derby County to Nottingham Forest didn't work for Jamie Ward

Derby County’s East Midlands rivalry with Nottingham Forest is one of the fiercest in English football, despite a number of players crossing the divide over the years.

The two clubs have not faced each other in over four years, with the Reds coming out on top 2-1 at the City Ground on their way to promotion to the Premier League in their most recent meeting.

The two-time European Cup champions have fared better than their rivals in the time since, but the Rams are on the up and have reason to be optimistic that things can swing in their favour.

Supporters will be hoping that the two teams can meet next season, whether through John Eustace’s side gaining promotion or if Forest suffer relegation to the Championship.

But one thing is certain is that there’s unlikely to be any transfer business between the two clubs in the upcoming transfer window.

It's not uncommon for players to make the divide from one to the other, with Tyrese Fornah being the most recent in 2023, and the midfielder struggled to make much of an impact at Pride Park, but Derby have had their own recent transfer success involving their great rivals.

Derby had the last laugh in 2015 Nottingham Forest deal

Derby may have been unable to make the most of Fornah’s signing, but in 2015 they had the last laugh on Nottingham Forest when Jamie Ward signed for the Reds.

The Northern Ireland international spent four-and-a-half seasons at Pride Park, and was a consistent presence in the side in that time.

He made 138 league appearances, helping the Rams finish 19th, 12th, 10th, third and eighth in the Championship table.

But the expiration of Ward’s contract led to him making the controversial and surprising switch to the City Ground, joining Dougie Freedman’s side after they finished 14th in the second division.

At the age of 29, it was a real shock that he made the switch to the City Ground given the provocative role he had played in previous meetings between the two clubs.

However, he dismissed the significance of that when he joined, suggesting that his full focus was on helping Nottingham Forest improve.

"I think quite a few people will be surprised but I am delighted to be here and Nottingham Forest is the only thing that counts now," said Ward, via the BBC.

"[The controversy] was to spice up the local rivalry and it got me a bit more stick than I wanted. I enjoyed it at the time but hopefully the fans can see past that and get behind me."

The forward regularly stoked the flames of Reds supporters prior to derby clashes, and he was often a target of abuse from the crowd in those fixtures as a result, but it didn't stop him crossing the divide over a decade ago.

And while he did play 31 times in the league in his first season with the club, he started on only 20 occasions and Forest went backwards as Freedman was sacked midway through the term.

The appointment of Philippe Montaniere led to Ward falling down the pecking order, and he was loaned to Burton Albion in the 2017 January window.

He made just eight more league appearances for the club after his return from Albion before eventually moving on to Cardiff City.

Ward struggled to make any kind of impact, and Derby were left with the relief of getting him out of the squad at the right time.

Derby County dodged contract extension bullet

Ward opened up on his decision to make the move to Nottingham Forest following the expiration of his Derby contract back in 2020.

While the forward had made a name for himself with his performances against the Rams’ great rival during his time at Pride Park, he revealed that he would’ve opted to stay with the club instead of moving had he been offered the option to renew his deal.

"(Steve) McClaren was sacked three weeks after the season but I’d already received my letter from the club to tell me they weren’t taking the option of the contract,” said Ward, via Derbyshire Live.

"We spoke to clubs and I’d already decided I’d sign a four-year deal at Forest when I was on holiday in Thailand.

“But when I was away I got the message saying he’d been sacked.

"It got a bit strange for me because someone at the club I know well said people had been asking about me and one day, I had three calls from people involved around the club.

“I thought it was leading to them wanting me back. If it was, I’d have not signed the deal at Forest and walked straight back in.

“But unfortunately that call didn’t come."

Ward’s first goal for Derby was against Forest in a 2-1 win, and it was the first of 36 in the league during his time for the club.

Meanwhile, he scored on just three occasions in the Championship for Forest, as he massively underwhelmed.

Derby will be glad they made that decision to not extend Ward’s contract back in 2015.