Steve Cooper overheard praising B-Team gem during Nottingham Forest training session

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Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper has invited a number of B-Team stars to train with the senior ranks this week – including James Clarridge. The defender was an unused substitute in the EFL Trophy win over Carlisle last week but has now stepped up.

With a number of players heading off on international duty, the squad has been left depleted. As a result, a number of B-Team players have been asked to step up and take part in training.

Clarridge was one of those and he’s been spotted taking part in the training drills at the Nigel Doughty Academy. Furthermore, he was doing so under the watchful eye of Cooper is renowned for giving youngsters a pathway to first-team stardom.

Clarridge praised by Forest boss Cooper during training session

It wasn’t an easy assignment for Clarridge in a recent training session that was captured on YouTube. He was pitted against Callum Hudson-Odoi for a game of one-on-one with Cooper watching on.

The 19-year-old who normally plays as a central defender wasn’t fazed though. He took it all in his stride and after a strong block during the exercise he received a resounding cry of, ‘Well done, James’, from an impressed Cooper.

Clarridge has been at Forest for a number of years now and is working his way through the ranks. It’s not clear whether or not he’s been injured this season but he has played just twice during 2023/24.

Young Forest defender will take heart

It will give the B-Team youngsters confidence when they get the shout to train with the senior ranks. Naturally, Clarridge will know he has to keep working hard at Forest but this will definitely boost his confidence.

The talented defender does look like he’s someone who could make the regular step up eventually. At 19-years-old, he’s relatively strong in the tackle and perhaps crucially he likes to try and play out from the back.

Clarridge will know that he’s got some seriously good defenders ahead of him. He will likely welcome the chance to rub shoulders with those guys on a more frequent basis though and Cooper’s praise can only bode well for him.