PROGRESSION OF APPEARANCE RECORDS

The following is the list of each new appearance record.

Our first competitive game back in 1878 meant that, technically, all 11 players were making their competitive debut, so the record starts with these fine 11 gentlemen:
Date Start Player End
Sat Nov 16, 18781Arthur Bates7
Sat Nov 16, 18781Arthur Goodyer10
Sat Nov 16, 18781Arthur Smith11
Sat Nov 16, 18781Charles Caborn32
Sat Nov 16, 18781Edwin Luntley3
Sat Nov 16, 18781John Sands12
Sat Nov 16, 18781John Turner9
Sat Nov 16, 18781Mark Holroyd11
Sat Nov 16, 18781Sam Widdowson23
Sat Nov 16, 18781Teddy Earp4
Sat Nov 16, 18781Walter Luntley14


The same lineup played for the next three games until Edwin Luntley was replaced in game 4 before finally, 8 years later, Charles Caborn was left in the team.
Date Start Player End
Sat Oct 31, 188524Charles Caborn32


Caborn held on to the record for 12 years, until being usurped by Alex Higgins who increased it to 38
Date Start Player End
Sat Jan 07, 189333Alex Higgins38


3 months later, Adam Scott and Horace Pike both ended up being tied for one game on 39, before Adam Scott increased it up to 189
Date Start Player End
Mon Apr 03, 189339Adam Scott190
Mon Apr 03, 189339Horace Pike39


John McPherson then took over for the next years, ending his record at 259 appearances
Date Start Player End
Sat Oct 15, 1898190John McPherson259


James Iremonger made his 260th appearance in 1904 before losing out to Alf Spouncer three years later
Date Start Player End
Sat Sep 03, 1904260James Iremonger282


Then came some quick-fire changes. Alf Spouncer took over in February 1907 only for James Iremonger to regain the title a month later. A month after that, Grenville Morris made his 287th appearance and then, over the next 18 months, the title changed hands several times until Alf Spouncer tapped out on 315 games and Grenville Morris set the new target to beat of 460 games
Date Start Player End
Wed Apr 24, 1907287Grenville Morris460
Sat Jan 25, 1908299Alf Spouncer315


That record stood for over 50 years until, a week before the Christmas of 1959, Jack Burkitt made his 461st appearance in a Forest shirt.
Date Start Player End
Sat Dec 19, 1959461Jack Burkitt505


And then, just 6 years later, Bob McKinlay started the 1965-66 season by setting a new record of 505 appearances before retiring 5 years later with the current club record of 688 appearances for us.
Date Start Player End
Sat Aug 21, 1965506Bob McKinlay688