Starbuck debut goal in Newcastle loss
On this day in 1986 Phil Starbuck scores on his Forest debut away to Newcastle United.
Phil Starbuck made a memorable Forest debut at St James’ Park, even though the match ended in a 3-2 defeat to Newcastle United.
Starbuck was a Nottingham-born forward who had joined Forest as a teenager, signing under Brian Clough at the age of 16. On 13 December 1986, Clough gave him his First Division debut by unexpectedly putting him into the starting line-up away to Newcastle, and the 18-year-old quickly gave Forest supporters a reason to remember his name.
Newcastle had gone ahead through Kenny Wharton, but Starbuck brought Forest level before half-time with his first senior goal for the club. The match still slipped away after the break, as Andy Thomas and Peter Beardsley scored for Newcastle before Franz Carr pulled one back late on for Forest.
The defeat meant Starbuck’s debut goal did not bring Forest a result, but it did make him an exciting young local story. His next league outing added to that feeling, as he scored again on his home debut against Liverpool on New Year’s Day.
The early promise did not become a long Forest scoring career. Starbuck did not score again for the club after those first two league goals, and limited first-team opportunities eventually led him to leave for Huddersfield Town in 1991.
That move proved important for his career. Starbuck became a popular figure at Huddersfield, scoring regularly, captaining the side to Wembley and later setting a record for an extremely fast goal as a substitute against Wigan Athletic. For Forest supporters, though, his debut at Newcastle remains the starting point: a local teenager scoring straight away, even on a day when the match itself was lost.
Sources
11v11; TheCityGround.com; Transfermarkt
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