Nottingham Forest academy have a proud tradition of bringing youngsters through the ranks. The future generation of players will strive to join the list of.
It is possible to break into the first team but it will be more difficult for Forest’s Reds who are in the Premier League. But with Steve Cooper, Forest have an administrator who has an active interest in youth growth and is ready to give young players a chance.
There are a number of academy players who regularly train with the first team and others are working on loan to build their skills. We examine those who could become the next to break through at the Nigel Doughty Academy.
Tyrese Fornah
This is being a significant year for midfielders. He is now 23 and has to be on the field regularly.
The process of gaining a regular run in the Forest team has been difficult however, he has performed well when on loan during League One, at Plymouth Argyle and Shrewsbury Town. This season, he gets the chance to show his worth in the Championship and will be spending the season at Reading.
He hasn’t always been simple since joining the Royals however, he’s been able to accumulate a lot of minutes and put in some great performances. In the beginning, manager Paul Ince said he has the potential to become “a top player”.
Fornah has always had great confidence in his own abilities. Being able to play at his home City Ground when he returns is going to be a challenge however, he’ll do his best to get the eye of the public.
Fin Back
The 20-year-old has shown good form during his loan spell in League Two Carlisle United. He is a regular on the starting side the player has played 18 times in the first 18 games. However, he was ruled to withdraw due to hamstring pain in the last weekend’s 4-1 win at Salford the issue that which he had also experienced earlier in the season.
The defender has already made five Forest appearances to his name. He earned himself credit when he was being drafted early in the season, as well as in a tough Boxing Day trip to Middlesbrough He is also well believed to be by Cooper.
“I knew from the conversations I had with him that he seemed a really good professional, and from my conversations with Steve Cooper…he really likes him,” Carlisle manager Paul Simpson said shortly after Back was been signed. “He believes he has a good chance. This is a big opportunity for us to bring him into the program, in fact.”
Alex Mighten
Cooper is extremely positive about the 20-year-old. Cooper was a valuable player in the squad in the last season, but it was difficult to make his way into the starting line-up – an issue that only got worse due to the signings that the Reds made during the summer.
“I’ve been on record many times to state my opinion on what Alex could be an asset to Forest in the future. Every way to get there is different,” Cooper said prior to Mighten being loaned for Sheffield Wednesday.
“What Alex can’t do – and I’m not using the word out of the blue, as me as well as Alex have had this discussion and we’re hoping to have another season similar to last year’s. The most important factor for a new player is to be active; to begin games, and sometimes complete them, play three games times in a week. Experience the building up, experience the winning, and experience the loss as well as face tough opponents.
“Last season because of one reason or another – and a bit of it was luck – he was not able to go through that. I’m not sure he’ll repeat that experience.”
The attacker has had a tough beginning to his time for the Owls. But, he is beginning to get his feet back on track and has scored two goals in the last three games. We’ll hope that the year will stand him well when he is back at City Ground.
