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 ...
, currently playing 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
Scottish League Two
The Scottish League Two, known as cinch League Two for sponsorship reasons, is the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League Two was ...
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland, Forbes began his football career with
Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...
. In the 2007–08 season, Forbes was an unused substitute on 23 April 2008 against
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
and continued doing so the following season, as he appeared on the bench four more times.
Loan move to Dumbarton
On 24 January 2009, Forbes was loaned out to Dumbarton, until the end of the season. At the club, Forbes was a key man in helping the club win the
Scottish Football League Third Division
The Scottish Football League Third Division was the fourth tier of the Scottish football league system between 1994 and 2013.
History
The Scottish football league system had operated with three divisions in the Scottish Football League (SFL) fro ...
championship. He scored his only goal in a 2–0 win for the Sons against
Berwick Rangers
Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, just south of the border with Scotland.
Founded in 1881, they currently play in the , the fifth tier of Scottish football, despite hailing fr ...
on 11 April 2009. He hoped his good performances would earn him a first team place at Motherwell the following season.
Return to Motherwell
Forbes made his first-team debut for Motherwell in the
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 ...
first qualifying round defeat against
Llanelli
Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...
on 2 July 2009, Jim Gannon's first match in charge. He scored 2 goals in the return leg of their second qualifying round match against KS Flamurtari Vlorë which Motherwell won 8–1 and another in the next qualifying round home match, a 1–3 loss against Steaua Bucharest.
After scoring on his debut in the opening game of the season, he carried his good form into the league campaign, scoring five times in the opening 10 games, and was rewarded by being named SPL Young Player of the Month for August. Forbes was also rewarded by extending his contract until 2012. On 10 February 2010, Forbes had a goal ruled offside against his boyhood club,
Rangers
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
, which he described as the "goal of his dreams". The game ended in a 1–1 draw. In a
match
A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
against Hibernian Forbes had the chance to equalise from a penalty kick with three minutes left, but it was saved by Graeme Smith, who had conceded the penalty in the first place. After the match, Forbes said he couldn't cope and move on following the missed penalty. Later in the season, under new manager Craig Brown, Forbes form dipped badly after a couple of months coming on as a sub without scoring. During this time he was often played out of position.
In the 2010/11 season, Forbes started the season by scoring a curling free-kick in the
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 ...
second qualifying round match against Breiðablik in the first leg. Under new manager
Stuart McCall
Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a professional football coach and former player. He is assistant manager at Sheffield United.
McCall played in a total of 763 league games and in 40 full international matches for Scotla ...
, Forbes said he'd been given a second chance to show his talent, and that he was to blame for dropping out of the team. In the final of
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Dunfermline Athletic and played as a trialist for former club Dumbarton in a Scottish First Division game against
Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. ...
. His performance earned him a six-month deal with
Thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. ...
on 5 September 2012, joining up with former team-mate
Steven Lawless
Steven Lawless (born 12 April 1991) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a left-sided winger, and is in his second spell with Partick Thistle.
Lawless, who is a product of Motherwell's youth system, started his professional care ...
; and stating that joining the timing of the move was perfect.
He made his debut for the club as a substitute for
Aaron Taylor-Sinclair
Aaron Taylor-Sinclair (born 8 April 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a left sided central defender for Airdrieonians in the Scottish Championship. Born in Scotland, he plays for the Antigua and Barbuda national team.
Taylor-Sin ...
, in a 2–1 win over Cowdenbeath. A month later Forbes scored his first goal for the club, in a 7–0 victory over
Airdrie United
Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United ...
. His second goal came on 10 November 2012, in a 5–1 win over Dunfermline Athletic; in a match where he also provided an assist for
Conrad Balatoni
Conrad Balatoni (born 27 January 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Berwick Rangers, on loan from Scottish League One club Clyde.
He started his career in the youth teams of Heart of Midlothian. Having fai ...
. After seven appearances and two goals Forbes signed a new contract until the end of the season in November 2012. At the end of the season, following the club's promotion to the SPL for the first time in nine years Forbes signed a one-year deal. Upon signing the new contract he said that Thistle had helped him get his career on track and brought back his love for playing football.
In the 2013–14 season, Forbes made his first Scottish Premiership appearance since leaving Motherwell in a 0–0 draw against Dundee United on the opening day. Forbes scored his First Premiership goal for Partick Thistle against St Mirren, coming off the bench in a 2–1 comeback victory. Despite this however his playing time was limited.
Dunfermline Athletic
On 31 January 2014, Forbes was released by Partick Thistle and signed for Scottish Second Division side Dunfermline Athletic on the same day. Forbes made an immediate impact by scoring on his debut in a 3–1 win over East Fife.
Greenock
Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
to sign for league rivals
Greenock Morton
Greenock Morton Football Club is a Scottish professional football club, which plays in the Scottish Championship. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs. Morton was renamed Greeno ...
. He signed a one-year extension in May 2015.
At the end of his deal, Forbes agreed a two-year extension until summer 2018.
Forbes was nominated by his peers for the Championship Player of the Year for 2016–17. He was also selected in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year.
Return to Dumbarton
After leaving Morton Forbes returned to Dumbarton, nine years after his loan spell with the club, in June 2018. His first goal back at the club was an injury time equaliser against
Arbroath
Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( gd, Obar Bhrothaig ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902.
It lies on the North Sea coast some ENE of Dundee and SSW of Aberdeen.
The ...
in August 2018. During the season Forbes was appointed club captain after
Andy Dowie
Andrew John Dowie (born 25 March 1983 in Bellshill) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Caledonian Braves. Dowie is predominantly a centre-back and played for Rangers, Brechin City, Partick Thistle, Stranraer, Ross County, Dun ...
retired and scored 13 goals in 43 games — the best goal return of his career.
Forfar Athletic
Forbes left Dumbarton for
Forfar Athletic
Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League Two. They play their home games a ...
in May 2019. After making 27 appearances, scoring six times he left the club on deadline day 2020.
Dumbarton (third spell)
Forbes returned for a third spell at Dumbarton in January 2020, signing an 18-month deal.
Stenhousemuir
Forbes signed for
Scottish League Two
The Scottish League Two, known as cinch League Two for sponsorship reasons, is the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League Two was ...
side
Stenhousemuir
Stenhousemuir (; gd, Featha Thaigh nan Clach) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies within the Falkirk (council area), Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town is north-northwest of Falkirk and directly adjoins to Larbert in ...
Scottish Division Three
The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...
Scottish League One
The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was e ...
*Championship Player of the Month: January 2017
*Championship Player of the Year 2016–17 – nominee
Personal life
Forbes is a lifelong
Rangers
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
fan and was a season ticket holder, along with his father, during the
Advocaat
Advocaat or advocatenborrel is a traditional Dutch alcoholic beverage made from eggs, sugar, and brandy. The rich and creamy drink has a smooth, custard-like consistency. The typical alcohol content is generally between 14% and 20% ABV. Its co ...
era. He revealed that Barry Ferguson was his favourite player around that time.