| Shaq Forde | |
| Full Name: | Shaqai Tyreece Steven Forde |
| Birth Date: | 5 May 2004 |
| Birth Place: | Watford, England |
| Height: | 1.74m (05.71feet) |
| Position: | Forward |
| Currentclub: | Bristol Rovers |
| Clubnumber: | 28 |
| Youthyears1: | 2012–2022 |
| Youthclubs1: | Watford |
| Years1: | 2022–2024 |
| Clubs1: | Watford |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2022 |
| Clubs2: | → Kings Langley (loan) |
| Caps2: | 3 |
| Goals2: | 2 |
| Years3: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs3: | → York City (loan) |
| Caps3: | 20 |
| Goals3: | 9 |
| Years4: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs4: | → Leyton Orient (loan) |
| Caps4: | 40 |
| Goals4: | 9 |
| Years5: | 2024– |
| Clubs5: | Bristol Rovers |
| Caps5: | 10 |
| Goals5: | 2 |
| Club-Update: | 17:12, 9 November 2024 (UTC) |
Shaqai Tyreece Steven Forde (born 5 May 2004) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Bristol Rovers.
Shaqai Tyreece Steven Forde[1] was born on 5 May 2004 in Watford, Hertfordshire. He is the son of former footballer Fabian Forde[2] and is of Barbadian descent through his father, who played for the Barbados national team.[3]
Forde started his career with Watford in 2012.[4] He made his first-team debut on 8 January 2022 aged 17 as a 74th-minute substitute in a 4–1 away defeat to Leicester City in the 2021–22 FA Cup third round.[5]
In February 2022, Forde joined Southern League Premier Division South club Kings Langley on a one-month loan.[6] He made his debut on 26 February in a 4–0 home win over Wimborne Town in the league, in which he scored a goal 10 minutes into the match, won a penalty kick and recorded an assist.[6] The loan was extended by a further month in March[7] before Forde was recalled by Watford on 1 April to join first-team training,[8] having scored two goals in three appearances for Kings Langley. A successful 2021–22 season saw him named Watford's Young Player of the Season[9] before signing a professional contract with the club in July.[10]
Forde joined National League club York City on 28 December 2022 on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season.[11] He scored in the 90th minute of his debut on 2 January 2023 with a shot into the bottom-right corner of the goal as York drew 2–2 away to Gateshead, after entering the match as a 66th-minute substitute.[12] Five days later, on his first start for the team, he scored a hat trick, helping York City to a 4–1 home win over Maidstone United.[13] He had a successful spell at York City, scoring nine goals in 20 appearance.[14]
On 14 August 2023, Forde joined League One club Leyton Orient on a season-long loan deal.[15] On 26 August 2023, his second appearance for the club, Forde scored a first senior English Football League goal as he opened the scoring in a 2–0 victory over Cambridge United.[16]
On 30 August 2024, Forde signed for League One club Bristol Rovers for an undisclosed fee on an initial three-year deal.[17] On 5 October 2024, he scored his first goal for the club, equalising in an eventual 3–1 victory over Burton Albion.[18] In October 2024, Forde was racially abused on social media following a match.[19] Ahead of the club's following league match, fan podcast GasCast set up a crowdfunder to purchase two flags to go on display at the club's Memorial Stadium representing fans' commitment to diversity and inclusion.[20] [21]
Forde plays as a forward and in March 2022 described himself as being "creative, powerful and always looking to go forwards".[22]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Watford | 2021–22 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Kings Langley (loan) | 2021–22[23] | Southern League Premier Division South | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | ||||
| York City (loan) | 2022–23[24] | National League | 20 | 9 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 20 | 9 | |||
| Leyton Orient (loan) | 2023–24 | League One | 40 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 9 | |
| Bristol Rovers | 2024–25 | League One | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | |
| Career total | 73 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 78 | 22 | |||
Individual