| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alan James Forrest | ||
| Date of birth | 9 September 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Dundee | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Ayr United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2020 | Ayr United | 197 | (48) |
| 2020–2022 | Livingston | 62 | (9) |
| 2022–2026 | Heart of Midlothian | 129 | (14) |
| 2026– | Dundee | 8 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Scotland U21 | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 October 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 4 March 2019 | |||
Alan James Forrest (born 9 September 1996) is a Scottish footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or right midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Dundee.
Born in Prestwick, he began his career with Ayr United, coming through their academy and making 245 appearances for the Honest Men. Forrest then spent two seasons with Scottish Premiership side Livingston, before joining Heart of Midlothian, where he made over 140 appearances in four seasons.
He is the younger brother of Celtic and Scotland winger James Forrest; their sister Lisa is also a footballer.
Forrest made his debut for Ayr United in a Scottish Challenge Cup match against Queen's Park. He came off the bench to score an 89th-minute winner at Hampden Park. With this goal Forrest became Ayr's youngest ever goalscorer aged 16 years, 321 days.
During the 2019–20 Scottish Championship season, Forrest was awarded the Scottish Championship Player of the Month for September after scoring five goals in three league games.
Forrest signed a pre-contract deal with Livingston on 10 April 2020, making the jump from the Scottish Championship to the Scottish Premiership. Forrest made his debut for Livingston on the opening day of the 2020–21 Scottish Premiership season in a 1–0 loss against St Mirren at St Mirren Park. He scored his first goal for Livingston in a 2–2 draw against Motherwell on 12 August 2020, at Fir Park.
On 1 June 2022, it was announced that Forrest would join Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian on a two-year deal, following the expiry of his Livingston contract on 10 June. In an Edinburgh derby match on 7 October 2023, Forrest scored a stunning long-range goal which later won the club's goal of the season award. On 19 January 2024, he signed a two-year extension to his contract until 2026.
After four years and 147 appearances with the club, Forrest departed at the end of his contract in July 2026.
On 13 July 2026, Forrest joined Scottish Premiership club Dundee on a two-year deal with the option of a third. He made his debut on 21 July as a substitute in a Scottish League Cup group stage match away to Ross County. In their next game, Forrest scored his first goal for the Dee at home to Clyde.
In 2016, Forrest made his debut for the Scotland under-21 team in a friendly against Slovakia.
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ayr United | 2013–14 | Scottish League One | 27 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 9 |
| 2014–15 | 31 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 9 | ||
| 2015–16 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 5 | ||
| 2016–17 | Scottish Championship | 34 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 45 | 9 | |
| 2017–18 | Scottish League One | 29 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 9 | |
| 2018–19 | Scottish Championship | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 4 | |
| 2019–20 | 25 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 10 | ||
| Total | 197 | 48 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 245 | 55 | ||
| Livingston | 2020–21 | Scottish Premiership | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 11 |
| 2021–22 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 6 | ||
| Total | 62 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 17 | ||
| Heart of Midlothian | 2022–23 | Scottish Premiership | 35 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 47 | 5 |
| 2023–24 | 31 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | 30 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 41 | 5 | ||
| 2025–26 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 108 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 142 | 14 | ||
| Dundee | 2026–27 | Scottish Premiership | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Career total | 374 | 69 | 29 | 1 | 37 | 12 | 32 | 5 | 472 | 87 | ||
Ayr United