February 2017. It was the moment Ben Brereton really announced himself onto the Championship stage with Nottingham Forest.
Who can forget that last-minute City Ground winner against Aston Villa, after he came off the bench for only his third appearance in the Garibaldi.
Another goal followed in his next runout - a 3-2 Valentine’s Day defeat at Fulham - this time from the starting XI.
Brereton was the talk of the town.
Fans had been clamouring for him to get his chance, having already been on fire for the Under-23s for some time.
He went on to become something of a regular; hailed as another rising star to have come out of the Nigel Doughty Academy.
It didn’t pan out like that, of course. But from Forest’s perspective, it seems to have worked out for the best.
Brereton wasn’t able to make an impact for long on the pitch for the Reds, but he’s certainly done so off it.
Financial Fair Play. Profitability and Sustainability. Keeping within those rules have been a central theme at the City Ground since Evangelos Marinakis took charge.
And player sales have played an important part in that.
In the most recent set of accounts, released earlier this month, the board reiterated they are prepared “to take tough decisions regarding player sales in order to ensure compliance”.
The English Football League permits a £39m level of losses across a three-year rolling period - an attempt to prevent clubs spending more than they earn.
The Reds posted a £25m pre-tax operating loss for 2018/19; significantly up from the £5.6m the year before.
But across the last three-year period, Forest are estimated to be within almost £10m of the permitted level of losses. In no small part thanks to some excellent bits of business in the transfer market.
Brereton’s sale included.
The latest accounts show a profit of about £11m from players sales.
The 20-year-old’s switch to Blackburn Rovers in January 2019, on a loan deal which turned permanent, contributed a substantial portion of that - about £7m.
He had fallen down the pecking order under then-boss Aitor Karanka at the start of that season, as the club had strengthened their attacking ranks, and said he felt “I wasn’t going to get an opportunity there”.
It perhaps hasn’t gone how he would have hoped at Ewood Park, however.
Largely used as a substitute, he has also had to play a wide-right role at times and has scored just once for Rovers in 40 appearances.
This term he has featured 12 times.
And while some Reds fans argue Sabri Lamouchi’s men have been short in the firepower stakes, they are nevertheless fighting at the top end of the Championship - with Lewis Grabban’s goals playing a key part.
Brereton is still young and Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray has previously said he expects the club to one day be “fighting off bids” for him.
Whether that comes to pass or not, in both the short and long-term, Forest will no doubt feel they got a good deal as they aim to stay on the right side of the rules.
