Name:
Kelvin Wilson

Position:
Defender

Born:
3 September 1985, Nottingham

Signed from:
Preston North End, 16 July 2007 (£300,000)

Debut:
11 August 2007 vs AFC Bournemouth (City Ground)
Coca-Cola League One - drew 0 - 0

Nottingham-born, ex-Notts Youth system centre back, acquired to bolster the defence after the departure of John Curtis in Summer 2007. Tall, composed, elegant on the ball and a real footballer (who passes the ball out of defence rather than the lower league hoof of too many of his recent predecessors), at the start of his first season Wilson looked the best player in the side - indeed he was named as one of the best 10 players outside the Premiership in the Observer early in 2008. In truth, his standards slipped a little as the season went on - a few too many lapses in concentration crept into his game, perhaps coinciding with his assuming the captaincy - but it was all relative; at 22 he still looked a seriously good acquisition who was sure to attract scouts from higher up soon.

2009 - 2010 looked a big season for him; if he could eradicate the lapses in concentration he had the potential to become a seriously good player. Equally, he was almost 24, so could have faded away. Happily for Forest, once he recovered from an early-season injury, Wilson proved to be back to his absolute best; by the turn of the year they had not lost any of the 14 games he'd played during the season, and his partnership with Wes Morgan (which was feared to be a possible weakness as the season started) was proving to be outstanding - especially when coupled with Chris Gunter & Nicky Shorey during December 2009, when Forest accumulated 14 from a possible 18 points in 6 apparently hard games, conceding just one goal (and that in a 5-1 drubbing of Leicester).

Wilson has the lot. If he can make sure that the concentration lapses never return, he could play at the highest level.