Nottingham Forest youngster Aaron Donnelly endured a bittersweet afternoon as Port Vale lost to Burton Albion on Saturday. The 19-year-old was on the losing side as the Brewers ran out 3-2 winners in a huge League One clash.
Donnelly was allowed to join Port Vale in January. He has been operating as a left-sided central defender, although he’s proved himself as a natural left-back option at Forest.
The youngster is gaining some vital experience at Vale Park. League One is a demanding league and he’s played against some of the division’s top sides since he joined on loan.
Donnelly is playing under Darrell Clarke with the Valiants. He’s got a track record of nurturing young talent and the Forest man is clearly thriving after a show of faith from his gaffer.
On Saturday, it proved a tough workout for Donnelly. It was a bittersweet afternoon and ultimately, the Reds defender will hope to continue learning after his experience.
Thing started brightly. The talented defender was credited with an assist for Ellis Harrison, with Vale taking the lead during the opening three minutes of the clash.
But, Donnelly was at fault for a crucial moment in the game just after the half-time interval. He felled Jonny Smith in the area and the Burton man stepped up to fire the Brewers into the lead.
Donnelly endured bittersweet afternoon but he will learn
If the youngster wasn’t making any errors at all, he’d be playing for Forest. At the moment, he’s still relatively new to the men’s game and some mistakes will naturally creep in.
Dale Taylor scored twice against Donnelly on Saturday. He came out on top in the battle of the Forest youngsters and the Port Vale man will now hope to bounce back.
Big things are expected of the Northern Irishman at the City Ground. He played against Grimsby in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season and Steve Cooper is a huge fan of the player.