Christopher Stephen Forrester (born 17 December 1992) is an Irish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Lúthchleas Phádraig Naofa) is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the Irish Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played origin ...

in the

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Premier Division ( ga, Príomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland f ...

. He has also previously played for

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

and the Republic of Ireland under-21's. In March 2016 he was called up to the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

senior squad but has yet to be capped.

Career

Youth career

Forrester started his schoolboy career with his local team, Smithfield, where he stayed for three seasons. He played for

for three seasons before he moved on to

Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa *Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco *Belvedere, Harare, Zim ...

and was a member of the successful Belvedere side who won the FAI Under–17 Cup in 2010 by beating Carragaline United. After moving to the senior ranks, he rejoined

where he was a regular in their under 20s and

A Championship The A Championship, also known as the Newstalk A Championship, was an association football league featuring League of Ireland reserve teams and emerging senior teams. It was a third level league in the Republic of Ireland football league system. ...

team that reached the

2010 A Championship Cup The 2010 A Championship Cup was a one-off cup competition featuring teams that played in the 2010 A Championship. It was also referred to as the Newstalk Cup for sponsorship reasons. It was won by Sporting Fingal A, who defeated Bohem ...

final and the Dr. Tony O'Neill Cup final. Unfortunately for Forrester and Bohs, they would be defeated in both.

Bohemians

With the financial uncertainty at

during the off season, Forrester found himself in the first team squad alongside some of ex Belvedere teammates such as Craig Sexton and

Keith Buckley Keith Buckley (born November 19, 1979) is an American singer, best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the now defunct hardcore punk band Every Time I Die and the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things. He is also a published author. Earl ...

. He made his first team debut for the Gypsies on 7 March 2011 against

Portadown Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...

Shamrock Park Shamrock Park is a football (soccer), football stadium in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Portadown F.C. Shamrock Park was previously used for stock-car racing, but this has since been discontinued. The stad ...

. Having been on the bench for the opening league games, Forrester made his league debut for Bohs against UCD on 8 April 2011 in a 2–0 win at the

UCD Bowl UCD can refer to: Education *University College Dublin, Irish university **University College Dublin A.F.C., the university's association football club **University College Dublin RFC, the university's rugby union club **UCD GAA, the university G ...

. He scored his first goal for the club against

Bray Wanderers Bray Wanderers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Fánaithe Bhré) are an Irish association football club playing in the League of Ireland First Division. The club in its present form was founded in 1942 in Bray, and was known until 2010 as ''B ...

on 2 May 2011, netting the equaliser in a 1–1 draw. His performances on the wing impressed many as he became a regular in the first team including featuring in Bohs

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

tie against Olimpija Ljubljana. Forrester capped the off the season by being awarded the club's Young Player of the Year award for 2011. During the season, Chris also spent time on trial at

Mick McCarthy Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional football manager, pundit, and former player. He was last in charge of EFL Championship club Cardiff City. McCarthy began his playing career at Barnsley in 1977, and he later had ...

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

and

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

St Patrick's Athletic

2012 season

Forrester joined St Patrick's Athletic on 12 January 2012 on a 2-year contract. He started the season off well, his impressive form in pre-season earned him a start in the league opener against

. Forrester scored two excellent goals in a 4–0 twin over

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

in the Leinster Senior Cup at

Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks, and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, C ...

. The young winger provided an excellent assist for his old Bohs teammate

Christy Fagan Christopher Joseph Fagan (born 11 May 1989), known as Chris or Christy Fagan, is a retired Irish footballer who played as a forward. He last played for St Patrick's Athletic in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Club career Born in Dubli ...

to score in the

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

derby against Shelbourne at

Tolka Park Tolka Park ( ga, Páirc na Tulchann) is an Irish football ground located in the north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra, on the northern banks of the River Tolka. It is currently the home ground of League of Ireland club Shelbourne. The stadium fo ...

, he called for a long ball from

Ian Bermingham Ian Bermingham (born 6 June 1989 in Dublin) is an Irish former professional footballer that played 13 seasons with League of Ireland Premier Division club, St Patricks Athletic, where he was club captain and is the all-time appearance record ...

, made a superb run and flicked on a header to

Fagan Fagan or Phagan is also a Norman-Irish surname, derived from the Latin word 'paganus' meaning ‘rural’ or ‘rustic’. Variants of the name Fagan include Fegan and Fagen. It was brought to Ireland during the Anglo-Norman invasion in the twelfth ...

who slotted it home in the 43rd minute of the game. Forrester became a fans' favourite after he played brilliantly in the Saints' 5–1 thrashing of rivals

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...

, he scored the opening goal of the game after just 3 minutes when he smashed a left footed shot into the top left corner, he then set up John Russell on a tee who tapped in from 5 yards to make it 2–0, then came one of the goals of the season by the 19-year-old as he collected Chris Fagan's backheel and scooped the ball over

Oscar Jansson Oscar Jansson (born 23 December 1990) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for IFK Norrköping. Career Jansson was born and raised in Örebro where he played for lower division locals Karlslunds IF HFK before joining ...

in the Rovers goal for 3–0 on 40 minutes. Unfortunately he picked up a back injury which hindered his performance in the second half but he was taken off for Dean Kelly in the 68th minute to an amazing reception by the Pats fans after a memorable performance by the winger. Forrester's scooped goal in the

derby went viral on the internet and was shown on the 'Showboat' section of the hugely popular football TV show

Soccer AM ''Soccer AM'' is a British football-based comedy/talk show, produced by Sky Sports. First broadcast in 1995, the programme currently airs on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football at 10.30am on Saturdays during the fo ...

, earning him great recognition around the world. Greg Bolger benefited from a Forrester assist late on to make it 2–0 against UCD after a fine performance by the young winger. Forrester won the

Airtricity SSE Airtricity (previously Eirtricity) is an energy company founded in Ireland in 1997, and now a subsidiary SSE plc. SSE Airtricity supplies and distributes electricity and gas to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. History The compa ...

/SWAI Player of the Month Award for April 2012 for his brilliant performances including the famous performance that made him a fan favourite against

. Forrester scored a header from a

Ger O'Brien Gerard O'Brien (born 2 July 1984) is an Irish former professional footballer who played in the League of Ireland as a defender. He is the current Director of Football of St Patrick's Athletic, who he spent 5 seasons playing with. His former cl ...

corner after 43 minutes at home to

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

in the Saints first loss of the season. He impressed many with excellent and mature performances in the Saints 2012 Europa League campaign, playing in five of their six games against ÍBV from

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

NK Široki Brijeg Nogometni klub Široki Brijeg ( en, Široki Brijeg Football Club) is a professional association football club from the city of Široki Brijeg, that is situated in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Currently, Široki Brijeg plays in the Premier League of ...

from

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

and German

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

side

Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...

at their 49,000 seater stadium, the Niedersachsenstadion (temporarily called

AWD-Arena Niedersachsenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, which is home to football club Hannover 96. The original 86,000-capacity stadium was completed in 1954 and has since been rebuilt several times for various ...

). During the European run, Pats league form dropped but he did score away to U.C.D in a disappointing 1–1 draw. Arguably Forrester's best form of the season was in the last two months, as he set up Jake Kelly and

Vinny Faherty Vincent Faherty (born 13 June 1987) is an Irish former professional footballer. Career Early career Born in Galway, Faherty began his career as a youngster with Salthill Devon. While playing for the Galway representative team, he broke Kevin ...

's goals vs Derry City from the bench in a 3–0 win, scored away to his former club

as his side won 3–2, yet again setting up Jake Kelly and

in a 5–0 win over U.C.D and scoring in the last two away games of the season away to

Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí Shligigh) is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 ...

and Derry City. The last game of the season was a bad way to end a magnificent season for Forrester, as he played the full 120 minutes of Pats 2012 FAI Cup Final loss to Derry City at the

Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium (also known as Lansdowne Road) is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and r ...

, but he did win the free-kick that Sean O'Connor opened the scoring with as the Saints lost their 7th

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...

final in a row and failed to end their 51-year drought in the

. After his first season at Pats ended, at the club's Player of the Year Awards night on 9 November 2012, he received the Supporters Young Player of the Year Award and the Goal of the Season Award for his famous lob against

. The following night, he won the

PFAI Young Player of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland Players' Young Player of the Year (often called the PFAI Players' Young Player of the Year, the PFAI Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) award is given to the footb ...

Award, as voted by his fellow

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

players. He also received more exposure in the World's media when he was included in the hugely popular football website 101 Great Goals' list of the top 101 Youngsters in the World in 2012.

2013 season

Having just been called into the Republic of Ireland under 21 squad, Forrester was watched by Republic of Ireland senior team manager

Giovanni Trappatoni Giovanni Trapattoni (; born 17 March 1939), sometimes popularly known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Italian football. A former defensive midfielder, as a p ...

in Pats' league opener, a 1–0 win against

Drogheda United Drogheda United Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Dhroichead Átha Aontaithe) is a semi-professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches ...

. Forrester made his 50th career league appearance on 2 April 2013 in a 2–1 loss at home to

. His first goal of the season came on 5 April 2013 when he scored the winner against

at The Carlisle Grounds, controlling a Kenny Browne pass with his chest, then placing a wonderful volleyed lob over Darren Quigley from a tight angle. He followed this up by scoring his first career hat-trick and also setting up

Conan Byrne Conan Byrne (born 10 July 1985) is a retired Irish footballer who last played for NIFL Premiership club Glenavon, having spent six seasons with St Patrick's Athletic, three seasons with Sporting Fingal, three seasons with Shelbourne and thre ...

's goal in a 4–0 win for Pats at home to Shelbourne on 15 April 2013. Shelbourne would suffer further, on 17 May 2013 at

when Forrester scored a header from a

Killian Brennan Killian Brennan (born 31 January 1984) is an Irish retired footballer who played as a midfielder in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Career Early career Noted for his wing play and ability to fire in accurate crosses, Brennan was signe ...

corner, Pats third goal in a 3–0 win. Forrester scored his 6th of the season when he scored a beautiful chip to put Pats 3–0 up in a 5–0 win over UCD on 28 May 2013. Although he continued to assist his teammates' goals, Forrester wen through a goal drought until he headed in the opening goal at home to title rivals

in a vital 2–0 win for Pats. He continued this form into the Saints title charge in the last month of the season, performing well away to

and scoring and assisting away to UCD a week later in a 3–1 coming from behind.

beat

2–0 on 13 October 2013 to win the

2013 League of Ireland The 2013 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 29th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division featured 12 teams. St. Patrick's Athletic were champions, winning their eighth top level League of Ireland title. Dundalk f ...

, with Forrester coming in from the bench in the second half. A week later he picked up the first winners medal in professional football as the Saints lifted the league trophy following a 1–1 draw with Derry City. Forrester finished the season with a goal in a 4–2 loss against

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...

at Turners Cross in front of

assistant manager

Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during ...

. Forrester was voted the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

Young Player of the Season by supporters, his third club Young Player of the Year award in three years.

2014 season

During the off season in the

, Forrester trained with

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

. Unfortunately for Forrester, just before he looked to be offered a contract after impressing the coaching staff, then Bristol City manager

Sean O'Driscoll Sean Michael O'Driscoll (born 1 July 1957) is a former professional footballer and manager. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, Doncaster Rovers, Crawley Town, Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Walsall. He was known by the nickname "N ...

was sacked. Before he went to train with

, he had agreed with

Liam Buckley Liam Buckley (born 14 April 1960), is an Irish former professional footballer. He made two appearances for the Republic of Ireland national football team. He was most recently the manager of League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rover ...

to sign back with

for the 2014 season. It was announced that Forrester signed a new contract with the Saints on 14 December 2013, turning down

rivals

. Forrester started the season off well, scoring in a 1–0 Setanta Cup win against

Ballinamallard United Ballinamallard United Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club, re-formed in 1975 after being dormant since the 1960s, hails from Ballinamallard, near Enniskillen, County Ferma ...

Ferney Park Ferney Park is a football stadium in Ballinamallard, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the home stadium of Ballinamallard United. It was first used by Ballinamallard United in 1975, when the club was founded. History Since 2006, Ferne ...

on 24 February 2014. On 2 March 2014, he was part of the starting 11 as his side beat

1–0 to win the 2014 President of Ireland's Cup, the inaugural year of the tournament. His first league goal of the season came on 4 April 2014 when he opened the scoring against

. On 9 May 2014, he was named

League of Ireland Player of the Month The League of Ireland Player of the Month is awarded monthly to the best player in the League of Ireland. The winners are selected by Soccer Writers' Ireland, commonly known as the SWI (formerly known as Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland). Win ...

for the second time in his career, for the month of April. On 2 November 2014, he was part of the side that won the 2014 FAI Cup Final, the club's first

win in 53 years. He scored 12 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions over the season.

2015 season

Forrester's first goal of the 2015 season was on 28 February 2015 in the 2015 President of Ireland's Cup, a 2–1 loss to

Oriel Park Oriel Park is a UEFA Category 2 football stadium located on the Carrickmacross Road in Dundalk, Ireland. The stadium is the home ground of Dundalk Football Club and is owned and operated by the club on land that has been leased from the Casey F ...

. He scored a brace on 26 June 2015 in a 3–0 win over

Longford Town Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

. On 7 August 2015, Forrester opened the scoring in a 2–0 win over

Tallaght Stadium Tallaght Stadium ( ga, Staid Thamhlachta) is an association football stadium in the Republic of Ireland based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club Shamrock Rovers originally announced details of the stadium in July, 1996. The stadium is now ow ...

to equal a club record of 8 straight league wins. His last game for the club was on 23 August 2015 in a 4–0

loss to

at Turners Cross. Forrester scored 12 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions during the season before departing the club.

Peterborough United

On 29 August 2015, Forrester signed a 3-year deal with

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

club

for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 September 2015 in a 2–0 win away to

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

. In January 2016, Peterborough chairman

Darragh MacAnthony Darragh MacAnthony (born 24 March 1976) is an Irish football chairman, author and entrepreneur. Early life and education MacAnthony, the son of Austin MacAnthony, a nightclub owner, MacAnthony was educated at St Mary's College, Dublin. He moved ...

stated that it would take a bid of 'way way over £3 million' for him to sell Forrester. In 2016, he came to prominence in Britain during a televised

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

tie with

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

side

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

, earning praise from

Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker (; born 30 November 1960) is an English former professional footballer and current sports broadcaster. He is regarded as having been one of the greatest English strikers. His media career began with the BBC, where he has p ...

and

Alan Shearer Alan Shearer CBE DL (born 13 August 1970) is an English football pundit and retired football player and manager who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premie ...

. After an impressive debut campaign, which saw him earn comparisons to

Michael Carrick Michael Carrick (born 28 July 1981) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently head coach of Middlesbrough. He is one of the most decorated English footballers of all time and is best known for his 12-year p ...

, he was named club captain and rewarded with a new 3-year contract with the club, with the option of another year. He was subject to an array of bids from

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...

QPR Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus R ...

, and

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

on the opening day of the January 2017 transfer window. On 8 January 2017, Forrester captained the side against

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...

in the

Third Round. Forrester was removed as club captain in June 2017. On 6 January 2018, he played the full 90 minutes as his side beat

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

3–1 at

Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations ...

in the

Third Round. During the 2017–18 season he fell out of favour, and was transfer listed by manager Steve Evans.

Aberdeen

Forrester signed a three-year contract with

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

club

in June 2018, with a reported transfer fee of £200,000 being paid. In June 2018, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 win over

Cobh Ramblers Cobh Ramblers Football Club (CRFC) ( ga, Cumann Peile Chóstóirí Chóbh) is an Irish football club. The club, founded in 1922 and elected to the League of Ireland in 1985, hails from Cobh, County Cork and play their home matches at St. Colm ...

in a pre-season friendly, his first outing for the club. Forrester made his competitive debut for the club on 2 August 2018, coming off the bench in a

game against

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional football ...

. His league debut came 3 days later in a 1–1 draw with Rangers at

Pittodrie Pittodrie Stadium, commonly referred to as Pittodrie, is an all-seater stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland. Used primarily for Association football, football, it has been the home ground of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) club Aberdeen ...

. He had his contract mutually terminated in January 2019 citing personal issues. Forrester made 8 appearances in all competitions during his time at the club.

Return to St Patrick's Athletic

2019 season

Following the termination of his contract at

on 22 January 2019, Forrester signed a three-year deal to return to

in the

the following day, he was announced as part of a double signing with Scottish midfielder

Rhys McCabe Rhys McCabe (born 24 July 1992) is a Scottish footballer and coach who plays as a central midfielder, and is the player-manager for Airdrieonians. McCabe started his senior career with Rangers. McCabe has also played for Dunfermline Athletic ...

who had joined from

. He made his returning debut for the club on 15 February 2019 in a 1–0 win over

on the opening night of the season. His first goal since his return to the club came in a 3–0 win over

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

in the Leinster Senior Cup as he collected a Cian Coleman pass before setting himself to rifle into the top corner from 25 yards. Forrester's first league goal of the season came in a 2–1 win over

on 19 April 2019, as he controlled a loose ball on his chest before looping a volley over Mitchell Beeney in goal to open the scoring. Forrester received the Man of the Match award after a 0–0 draw with

on 18 October 2019. He followed this up with another Man of the Match performance by scoring the equaliser in a 3–1 win away to Derry City 4 days later.

2020 season

Forrester started off the 2020 season in fine form, scoring on his first start of the season in a 2–0 win over

at The Showgrounds. On 26 September 2020, Forrester ended the club's longest goal drought in its history, scoring a 25 yard screamer into the top left corner to help his side beat

rivals Shelbourne 2–0 at

, ending a run of 709 goalless minutes spanning over 6 matches without a goal for the team. He played in 18 of the club's 19 league and cup games over the course of the shortened season due to the

Coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, as his side missed out on European football on the final day of the season, finishing in 6th place. His goal against Shelbourne was voted by fans as the club's Goal of the Season, Forrester's third time winning the award with the club.

2021 season

The 2021 season started off brilliantly for Forrester and Pat's as they had their best start to a season in 13 years. His form was highlighted across national media with Forrester crediting the club's coaching staff with 'saving his career' and stating ''″I'm the fittest I've ever been. I won't say that I don't deserve credit for it as well, but they came in and challenged me.″'' On 30 April 2021 Forrester scored his first goals of the season with 2 goals in a 3–0 win over

, the first of them being a curled shot into the top corner from 30 yards. Forrester continued his good form by opening the scoring in the Dublin derby against

on 8 May. On 12 May he was named

for March/April, his fourth time winning the award in his career. On 9 July, he scored the winner in a 1–0 win at home to Derry City, finding the top corner from 15 yards. He followed that up by opening the scoring in a 2–0 win over

a week later, tapping a Darragh Burns pass into the open goal. On 8 August, Forrester scored a penalty in a 4–1 win over

. He scored the equalising goal from the penalty spot away to

Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Chláirsigh na Finne) are an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. However, it was te ...

on 20 August in a 3–1 loss that damaged his sides title hopes. He made his 400th career appearance on 27 August 2021, scoring a 90th minute penalty as well as another penalty in the shootout as his side knocked

out of the

at Turners Cross 4–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw over 120 minutes. Forrester scored for the third game in a row a week later, putting his side 2–1 up in an eventual 3–2 win over

by volleying into the roof of the net from 6 yards out, his 50th league goal for the club. On 23 November 2021, it was announced that Forrester was one of the 3 nominees for the

PFAI Players' Player of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland Players' Player of the Year (often called the PFAI Players' Player of the Year, the Players' Player of the Year, or simply the Irish Player of the Year) award is given to the footballer the Lea ...

Award for 2021, alongside Roberto Lopes and

Georgie Kelly George Martin Kelly (born 12 November 1996) is an Irish association football player who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Rotherham United. Career UCD Kelly joined UCD after a brief stint with Derry City. In 2017, Kelly scored a h ...

. On 26 November 2021, he was named in the

PFAI Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland Team of the Year (often called the PFAI Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to the group of eleven players voted by their fellow players as having perform ...

for 2021, as voted by his fellow players. On 28 November 2021 Forrester scored the opening goal of the

2021 FAI Cup Final The 2021 FAI Cup Final, known as the 2021 Extra.ie FAI Cup Final for sponsorship reasons, was the final match of the 2021 FAI Cup, the national association football cup of the Republic of Ireland. The match took place on Sunday 28 November at th ...

, as his side defeated rivals

4–3 on penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra time in front of a record

Final crowd of 37,126 at the

2022 season

Forrester signed a new long term contract with Pat's on 6 December 2021. On 11 February 2022, he started in the 2022 President of Ireland's Cup against

, missing his penalty in the shootout as his side lost 5–4 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Forrester scored his first goal of the season on 4 March 2022, heading in a Darragh Burns corner in the 54th minute of a 1–0 win over rivals

at a sold out

.On 21 July 2022, Forrester scored his first career goal at European level when he scored the equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Slovenian side

NŠ Mura Nogometna šola Mura ( en, Mura Football School), commonly referred to as NŠ Mura or simply Mura, is a Slovenian football team, playing in the town of Murska Sobota. Founded in 2012, the team currently plays in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the top ...

in the

UEFA Europa Conference League The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their ...

. On 29 August 2022, he scored the second goal in a 3–1 win away to

, his first goal at

Dalymount Park Dalymount Park (Irish: ''Páirc Cnocán Uí Dhálaigh'') is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as D ...

since 2012. 4 days later he opened the scoring in a 2–1 win at home to

for his side's 4th win in a row. His third goal in 3 games came on 9 September 2022 in a 2–0 win away to

when he scored a 95th minute penalty to help his team to their fifth consecutive win. On 7 October 2022, he scored the scoring with a 25 yard strike into the top corner in a crucial 2–1 win for his side away to

in the race for Europe. His goal against

was voted by supporters as the winner of the Goal of the Season award at the club's awards night, Forrester's 4th time winning the award. Forrester was also voted by his fellow professionals as being in the

for 2022, his second year running being voted in.

International career

After a fantastic 2012 season, Forrester was called up to his first ever international squad when he was called up to

Noel King Noel King (born 13 September 1956) is a former professional footballer and the current head coach of Women's National League club Shelbourne. For 10 years from 2000 until 2010 he was manager of the Republic of Ireland women's national team. ...

's Republic of Ireland under 21 squad on 25 January 2013 for a friendly against Netherlands under 21s at

on 6 February. He came on in the 57th minute to make his first appearance on the international scene in a 3–0 win for the

. On 8 March 2013, he was watched by

manager

in Pats' league opener, a 1–0 win against

. Forrester retained his place in the Republic of Ireland under 21 squad for the Friendly game against Portugal under 21s when

made his squad announcement on 13 March 2013. He came on from the bench at half time in a 2–1 loss for the

. Forrester received his first call-up to the senior

squad on 11 March 2016 for Ireland's friendlies against

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

Career statistics

Honours

Club

;St Patrick's Athletic * LOI Premier Division (1):

(2):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

President of Ireland's Cup The President of Ireland's Cup, also known simply as the President's Cup, is an association football super cup featuring clubs from the Republic of Ireland football league system. It is a one-off match between the winners of the previous season' ...

(1):

* LFA Leinster Senior Cup (2):

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Individual

;Bohemians *Young Player of the Year (1):

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

;St Patrick's Athletic *Young Player of the Year (2):

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

*Goal of the Season (4):

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

(4): April 2012, April 2014, June 2015, March/April 2021 *

(1):

(2):

;Peterborough United *Players' Player of the Year (1): 2015–16 *

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire BBC Radio Cambridgeshire is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Cambridgeshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at the Cambridge Business Park on Cowley Road in Cambridge. According to ...

Player of the Year (1): 2015–16 *PISA Player of the Year (1): 2015–16 *Away Travel Player of the Year (1): 2015–16

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrester, Chris 1992 births Living people Republic of Ireland association footballers Association footballers from County Dublin Bohemian F.C. players League of Ireland players St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players Association football wingers Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers Belvedere F.C. players A Championship players English Football League players Aberdeen F.C. players Republic of Ireland expatriate association footballers Association footballers from Dublin (city) Republic of Ireland youth international footballers Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in England Irish expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Expatriate footballers in Scotland Scottish Professional Football League players