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Born on July 25, 1986 in Sheffield, England, Jonathan Forte is a former professional footballer who played for several notable clubs during his career, including Notts County. Forte began his football journey as a schoolboy at Rotherham United's Academy, but later joined the Sheffield United Academy, where he played alongside Billy Sharp. During his youth career, he also featured for England at youth level. He made his professional debut for Sheffield United in 2005, playing in the Championship against Plymouth Argyle. He went on to play for various clubs, including Doncaster Rovers, Rotherham United Scunthorpe United, Notts County, Southampton, Preston North End, Oldham Athletic, and Exeter City. Forte's career saw him play for several clubs on loan, including Rotherham United and Doncaster Rovers. He later signed for Scunthorpe United in 2007, where he spent three years, scoring nine goals in ninety-eight appearances. In 2008, he joined Notts County on his first loan spell at the club, initially for a month. Forte scored a hat-trick on his debut against Barnet and his short spell at Meadow Lane ended with four goals in four appearances. The striker later re-joined Notts after renewing his loan in 2009, where he scored a further 4 goals in 14 appearances. Forte then signed for Southampton, but he only played 11 times in three years, scoring just two goals. In 2011, he had a short loan with Preston North End, where he struggled to score and only made three appearances before securing a loan back to Notts in 2012. Forte found his earlier form with the Magpies, netting five goals in ten appearances. In the same year, he was also loaned out to Crawley Town, scoring three times in twelve appearances. He would rejoin hometown team Sheffield United on loan in 2013. Before leaving Southampton in 2014, after playing as a trialist for Oldham Athletic against Australian outfit Melbourne City, Forte signed permanently for the Latics. He went on to score a career record amount of 18 goals from 60 appearances. In 2016, Forte and Notts had another reunion, joining the Magpies for an undisclosed fee. During his time at Meadow Lane, Forte became a fan favourite, scoring some crucial goals that helped the club avoid relegation. In the 2017-2018 season, he scored a crucial goal against Coventry City in the playoffs at the Ricoh Arena. In the home tie at Meadow Lane, he wrongly had a goal ruled out for offside which would have put Notts level at 2-2. Forte then joined League Two club Exeter City, where he played for two seasons, scoring five goals in 27 appearances. He left the club in 2019 and unfortunately had retired from professional football at the age of 33 due to injury. During his 15-year career, Forte played for ten different clubs and scored 80 goals in 412 league games. Throughout his career, Forte was known for his speed, dribbling ability, and clinical finishing. He was also capable of playing in a variety of attacking positions, including as a central striker, on the wings, and as an attacking midfielder. His versatility and work rate made him a valuable asset to his teams and helped him establish himself as a regular player throughout his career. Since his retirement, Forte has become involved in coaching and mentoring young footballers. He has set up his own academy, the Jonathan Forte Football Academy, which provides coaching and training to young footballers in Nottingham. Coaching and mentoring can positively impact the workplace in various ways such as building stronger teams, supporting talented employees, aligning the organization's culture and ethos with employees, creating a more inclusive culture, improving employee satisfaction scores, and staff retention. Jonathan Forte was a versatile and skilled footballer who played for several notable clubs during his career, including Notts County. He established himself as a regular player through his speed, dribbling ability, and clinical finishing, which enabled him to play in a variety of attacking positions. Despite retiring in 2019, he will be remembered as a hardworking and valuable asset to the teams he played for throughout his career. Join the Pride of Nottingham community and stay up to date with all the latest news and discussions by checking out our ‘All Activity’ page. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County’s victory over Chesterfield at Wembley was a special moment for fans of the club. Although they began the game feeling very anxious and struggled to handle Chesterfield, who was a fast and aggressive opponent, the team managed to keep the score at 1-0 and gradually gained momentum. Luke Williams made the right call taking off Adam Chicksen, who didn’t have the best of games. Jodi Jones proved to be more effective and switching him from the left to the right gave the team more edge going forward. Chesterfield faced a dilemma when they had to assign a new player to mark Aaron Nemane, consequently granting Jodi Jones a valuable window of opportunity to exert his influence on the game. It was crucial that Notts didn't lose their spirit and determination. This helped them stay in the game and remain focused on their goal. This shows that they are a strong and resilient team, and their efforts should be applauded. Notts' tenacity was a key factor in their success. John Bostock stood near the centre of the pitch throwing his arms up as if to say to the lads, ‘come on, we’ve got this - don’t let your heads drop’. This proved to be something that allowed the Magpies to stay in the game. During the extra time period, Notts exhibited superior performance compared to Chesterfield. The game could have gone either way still, but the better chances came to Notts who kept knocking on the door and forced Chesterfield to defend. In the 80th minute, it was clear that Chesterfield players were becoming exhausted, leaving them vulnerable to the attacks of Jodi Jones and Aaron Nemane. It was inevitable that running at them would lead to trouble. One player who really found himself during the game was Aaron Nemane. He played outstandingly, taking on Chesterfield despite little support and in turn taking the pressure off the rest of the squad. John Bostock’s strong presence in midfield also made it harder for The Spireites to bully the midfield. His ability to stand up, win the ball back and use his strength to hold play helped to bring other players up to speed and reduce their nervousness. Matt Palmer also showed his class by completing passes and moving into areas where he could creatively get the team into creative pockets. His passing, especially through the lines, linked up well with Aaron Nemane and Jodi Jones once he came on. It was truly heart-warming to witness the players' joyous reaction upon seeing their club earn a promotion. Equally, pleasing was hearing Luke Williams express his gratitude towards everyone who had contributed towards the team's success leading up to the game. Overall, it was a delightful experience that left a lasting impact. From Tom Weal with preparing the keepers, to giving advice on the players when it came to practising taking penalties. Williams spoke highly of how he turned the focus from off himself to former managers who he credited for starting the journey. It was just a sign of class from the gaffer when he spoke so freely about others with his warm smile. The club’s return to the Football League is a significant achievement and one that brings a sense of pride and belonging to fans. Many feared for the future of the Magpies following their relegation in 2018/2019, but thanks to the contributions made by Christoffer Reedtz, Alexander Reedtz, and Jason Turner, the club has flourished. One of the biggest transformations has been in the club’s approach to recruitment. Notts County has been signing some of the best free agents from teams around them while also bringing in robust midfielders such as Matt Palmer. The hiring of Luke Williams as manager has also proven to be a master-stroke. The future looks bright for Notts County. With a talented squad and an upcoming manager, there’s no reason why the club can’t adapt well to life in League Two and push for promotion again. Retaining key players and adding further quality will be important in achieving this goal. Don’t forget to browse the Faces of PON’s gallery for all the best shots from Notts County’s victory over Chesterfield at Wembley! For a one-stop glance at everything Notts County, be sure to check out the Pride of Nottingham Dashboard page.