He came through the youth-team at Nottingham Forest to make his first-team debut at the age of 17 in October 2006, and secured a regular place in the starting line-up by the end of the 2006–07 season. He helped Forest to secure automatic promotion out of League One at the end of the 2007–08 season and went on to establish himself as a Championship player the following season, despite struggling with his weight and fitness. He found first-team opportunities limited in the 2009–10 campaign due to injury and the form of other players. The following season he re-established himself in the starting eleven, finishing as the club's top scorer with a total of 13 goals in 45 appearances. However he lost form the next season, only rediscovering his form at the end of the 2012–13 campaign. He joined Watford on a free transfer in July 2013, but fell out of the first-team by the end of the 2013–14 season. He enjoyed two loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday the following season, and joined the club on a permanent basis in July 2015. However he was dropped by the end of the 2015–16 season and was dropped from the first-team entirely for the 2016–17 campaign. He signed a three-month contract with Northampton Town in October 2017.