Play-off final: Nottingham Forest fans' joy at return to Wembley

An ever-present in top-flight football from the late 1970s to the early 90s, with some unforgettable successes to their name, Nottingham Forest have nevertheless been out of the Premier League for more than two decades.

But they could finally be on the cusp of a comeback many had not anticipated at the start of the season.

Ahead of the Championship play-off final against Huddersfield on Sunday, the BBC asks Forest fans how they are feeling.

As is the case with many Forest fans, Wembley looked very different the last time Neil Heath was there.

"This will be my fifth time with Forest at Wembley, but my first at the new Wembley," said Mr Heath, from Arnold, a City Ground regular for many years.

For years, he said, the stadium was like his team's second home.

"We were there six times between 1989 and 1992 and I remember saying to my dad: 'We get to Wembley every year, don't we?'

"And he said 'just make the most of it' and he was right," he said.

"There's been a 30-year gap. I never thought that would happen when I was a kid.

"They were one of the best English teams; they regularly used to finish third. Nowadays, that would be a Champions League place."

Mr Heath, 44, said the return to Wembley was particularly special for fans of around his age, who remember those glory years but have not seen them for some time.

"To return to the top flight would be incredible, particularly for somebody of my generation," he said.

"For people younger than me, there's an excitement because they have never experienced anything like this before."

This season, he said, has seen fans unite behind manager Steve Cooper, who took over the helm in September after a seemingly endless succession of hirings and firings.

"In many ways, Steve Cooper has got something Cloughie had - he has united the players, their families and the fans," he said.

"It's been an incredible achievement, no matter what happens on Sunday.

"In recent years, being a Forest fan has been like being trapped in a bad marriage.

"You love them to bits so you can't leave them.

"It's hurt a lot the past few years, but now fans can really get behind the team - and a club like Forest needs its fans."

Max Hayes, who has just turned 18, is one of those fans who has never seen his team in the Premier League.

"I wasn't even born the last time they were up there," he said. "This season has been my best ever as a Forest supporter.

"It's always nice to hear about history and the remarkable things we achieved but, for young fans, we need to create our own success. This is why this is so huge."

Mr Hayes, who lives in Staffordshire but whose family are originally from Nottinghamshire, runs a podcast on his YouTube channel and has 8,000 followers.

"I set it up when I was 13," he said. "I interview fans and get their opinions."

He will be travelling to Wembley together with the rest of his family, including his 72-year-old grandmother Kathy.

The whole family are Forest season ticket holders.

"This is huge for us. We are one step away from the Premier League and anything could happen," he said.

"It's going to be a nervous 90 minutes."

Season ticket holder Ben Neil has always stuck by his team in the bad times - and they also stuck by him.

When Mr Neil, who has Type 1 diabetes, had two below-knee amputations in quick succession after suffering years of health problems, he aimed to walk to his seat in the Forest ground on his prosthetics on the first home match of the 2018-19 season.

"[The story] went viral," he said. "Forest got in touch and asked me if I would like to walk on to the pitch for the first home game of the season against West Brom.

"I did it in front of 20,000 people, with my wife Kirsty at my side. Apart from getting married, it was one of the greatest days of my life.

"Now Kirsty will be coming to Wembley with me. It will be as if things have come full circle and hopefully she will see us getting promoted."

Mr Neil, a children's author and illustrator, said he had felt inspired by Forest this season.

"It's not been that great the past few seasons but this year is something special," said Mr Neil, originally from Newark.

"It's almost as if the stars have aligned. It's almost caught people off-guard.

"It was always going to work out one of these times, with the amount of managers we've gone through.

"It would just mean so much after years of heartbreak. A club the size of Forest should be in the Premier League."

Season ticket holder Sam Perkins is heading to Wembley with friends, family and his two full-time carers.

"They have been with me to all of the home matches - I have some lucky carers," he said.

Mr Perkins, now 40, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) at the age of 37.

While he once followed Forest home and away, he now focuses on the more straightforward journey from his East Leake home to the City Ground, with his electric wheelchair, cough assist and ventilator, which he uses 24 hours a day.

"I was told 50% of people diagnosed pass away two years after diagnosis and I am already past that. I just try to make the most of every day," he said.

To that end, Mr Perkins and his wife Emma have set up a charity Stand Against MND, which has raised almost £100,000 for MND research and palliative care.

"It's really nice of Forest to give me something positive," he said. "It's hugely meaningful, given my diagnosis. I never thought at the start of this season we would be off to Wembley and, maybe, the Premier League.

"It's a huge surprise. Forest have taken me to Crewe, Yeovil and Carlisle but never to Wembley."

Bal Bansal has already planned his route to Wembley and said he would be driving down with his son.

"I've planned my route, I know where I'm going," he said.

"I'm just about managing to sleep but I think the nerves will probably kick in at 16:30 BST on Sunday."

Mr Bansal, an IT worker from West Bridgford, travelled to watch Forest play Spurs at the previous Wembley stadium but said recent visits had been sparse.

"I remember the late 80s and 90s but the only time I've been to Wembley in recent years was to watch Eminem - I'm expecting the same kind of high-octane performance on Sunday," he said.

"For me, it's going to be a great day out.

"If we win and we are promoted, I would love that. It will be fun to be back up in the Premier League, playing the big teams.

"We wanted Leeds to stay up so we could play them - Forest and Leeds have a lot of history."

In the years since Forest were last in the Premier League, Mr Bansal, who is Sikh, said he felt the game had become more diverse.

"If you go back to the late 80s and 90s, you wouldn't have many black and Asian people and women going to the matches," he said.

"Nowadays, you have all these different supporter groups and fans travelling to games from around the world, which is brilliant. It encourages more people to go along."

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