Nottingham Forest had the stars align for them on Sunday afternoon as they won their first home game on their return to the Premier League
It took 23 years for The Reds to get back to the top level and it would be one of the historic moments in their history as a club.
As fans chanted the club’s song and made The City Ground a hallowed atmosphere, club owner Evangelos Marinakis looked on as the club made history.
Signed from Union Berlin earlier in the transfer window for a then club record fee of £17.5m, Taiwo Awoniyi represented a statement of intent for the club.
While he started from the bench against Newcastle on their Premier League opening day, he started in Nottingham Forest’s first top flight home game in 23 years and what a performance he had.
His radiant smile was the highlight of commentaries during the game and to see a player perform with a smile on his face spoke details of his state of mind.
Although his goal was more fortuitous than planned, history hardly ever remembers such details as Awoniyi scored the first goal at The City Ground in 23 years.
The Nigeria international forward however said the plaudits should be reserved for the fans who made the atmosphere memorable and good for the team.
”To be honest, I think they won the game for us because they’re there from the beginning and that’s why it’s called The City Ground and we have to hold the ground always,” Awoniyi told the Nottingham Forest media.
He added that the win is expected to give the team more confidence and look forward to the next game while it also helps the team prepare for the next game.
“It (winning a game at The City Ground) will give us more confidence to look forward to the next game. It will also help the team get ready for the next game as well and we are very happy about it.”