Ben is so proud to be record breaker
HERO OR ZERO WITH FANS, OSBORN JUST WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CLUB
AS he sat in the dugout at the Riverside, Ben Osborn was delighted with what was unfolding in front of him but felt a sharp pang of disappointment nevertheless.
With Nottingham Forest leading 2-0 against Middlesbrough, Aitor Karanka was about to make his third and final substitution, with Matty Cash being prepped to replace Gil Dias.
For most among the 1,400 Reds fans who had already tentatively started their celebrations, with 10 minutes left to play, it would have been a moment of little significance as they edged towards a memorable victory.
For Osborn, it would have been the end of something hugely personally significant.
At that point, the 24-year-old had either started or come off the bench in 132 consecutive games for the Reds.
And it looked as though there would be no 133.
But then a reckless moment from Jack Robinson changed the dynamic in an instant. The defender – who had previously been harshly booked for complaining about an awful decision from referee John Brooks – picked up a foolish yellow card for a needless dive in the penalty area.
And the paperwork for the planned change was torn up, Cash was told to get back in his seat and Osborn, instead, was introduced to fill the void at left-back, as Forest looked to hold out for three points against one of the division’s promotion favourites.
“That is the one (record) that I have been more impressed with, to be honest,” said Osborn.
“Making my 200th appearance against Millwall was great but, since I became aware of the consecutive run of games thing, that is the one I have been really proud of. I want to keep that one going now.
“Saturday was going to be the end of it but, luckily for me, Robbo got sent off, so I had to come on... I am joking, of course. But that was the time that it was going to come to an end.
“I more or less knew that it was over because Matty was going to come on for Gil. Then Robbo helped me out...
“It would be great to carry it on. But I do realise that there are bigger things at stake, at the same time.
“Perhaps being able to play in a couple of positions does have advantages for me, I guess.”
The 200th appearance for Osborn had not passed without notice for the midfielder. But it was only when he talked to a few senior figures in the dressing room that he realised the significance of being in the starting line-up against Millwall.
Having played for the club since the age of nine, Osborn has a lengthy connection with Forest - and it is one that he hopes continues for a few more years just yet.
“If I could make another 200 appearances for Forest I would be very happy,” he said.
“With the way the club is going, it is in a positive place at the minute. It is only going in one direction; we are looking to move forward.
“So it would be amazing if I could play another 200 games.
“It (reaching the 200 mark) was something that I had not given too much thought to, beforehand. But then when it came around I was speaking to one or two of the older players and they were saying what a great achievement it was and it started to sink in.
“I am proud and honoured to play that many games for Forest. It is something I thought I would never really do, particularly when I was younger. Now my goal is just to keep going, really.”
Asked what his career high point at Forest had been so far, Osborn’s answer was one that might surprise.
“On a one-game level, staying up on the last day of the season (in 2017, with a 3-0 win over Ipswich) was a high point. Yes, I know that season was a failure. But just avoiding relegation under that kind of pressure - I really learnt a lot about myself and my teammates that day.”
“We had to go out and win on the last day, to stay up. And the feeling of pure relief has been the highlight.
“That goal against Derby? I was just a little bit too young to enjoy it all, at the time. If I could relive that situation now or recreate something similar, I am sure that would overtake everything else.
“Just scoring and winning a game, there is no better feeling at any time.”
“That goal” against Derby, at Pride Park in January 2015, may be something that Osborn plays down. But it is one that will live long in the memories of Forest fans.
A rapier counter-attack, a driven, emphatic finish and a late goal that prompted celebrations from Osborn and Robert Tesche in front of the delirious Reds faithful – and from Stuart Pearce in the away dugout, as his side secured a result that kept him in a job for a few weeks longer, as well as getting one over on the old enemy on their own turf.
It should have been a moment that earned Osborn cult hero status among the entire Forest faithful.
But, instead, Osborn remains a curious anomaly.
Held in high regard by every one of the six Forest managers he has played for, by seemingly almost every one of the players he has played alongside and by most of us in the media who are fortunate enough to be paid to watch the team every week, Osborn’s contribution is still not universally appreciated by
everyone. But he has given up trying to figure it out.
“I used to pay attention to what people said on Twitter, but I do not anymore,” he said. “I normally find myself getting tagged into arguments where one person will be saying that I am decent and somebody else will be saying that I am the worst player ever...
“That was all I saw on Twitter, so I do not go on there that much. Joe Lolley has taken on my Twitter role, I think. “I have had it for a while now... it is just a game of opinions, isn’t it?”