A Nottingham Forest XI were held to a 1-1 draw by League One outfit Lincoln City last night at Sincil Bank.
The Reds made the decision last week that a Forest XI side would travel to Sincil Bank rather than the first team, as originally planned.
This saw a starting line-up consisting of mainly players from the Under-23 side named against the Imps. It gave Under-23 coach Jimmy Gilligan a good opportunity to test his players against League One opposition.
One player who certainly passed this stern test is Tyrese Fornah.
The 19-year-old has only been at the City Ground for just over a year, but looks to be an exciting prospect. He linked up with the Reds after joining from Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion last summer.
The academy man has tweeted today that he thoroughly enjoyed the test of playing against League One opposition. On that basis alone, it seems that he has the right attitude which could see him make the step up to the first team in the future.
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Fornah is a versatile midfielder but has primarily played as a defensive midfielder in the early stages of his career.
The 19-year-old spent last season with the Under-23 side and it’s unlikely that he’ll be pushing for a place in Sabri Lamouchi’s side this season.
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However, according to the Nottingham Post, the midfielder was on Martin O’Neill’s radar before he was dismissed and replaced by Lamouchi. This suggests that the Northern Irishman clearly recognised his potential as a future first team player.
Forest have a proud history of producing their own players and Fornah will be hoping he can continue to make an impression for the Under-23 side.
Lamouchi has already shown that he isn’t against handing youngsters a chance to play. Arvin Appiah and Brennan Johnson have both featured heavily for the first team over pre-season and will give the likes of Fornah hope.
If Fornah does continue to develop at this rate, it could tempt Lamouchi into giving him a chance. Although, the Reds have a lot of competition for places in his position.
It will be interesting to see how the youngster develops throughout the upcoming campaign. He’s certainly one to watch.
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