Nottingham Forest went with a somewhat experimental starting line-up against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup tonight.
The Reds had a place in the third round in their sights as the finalists from two seasons ago visited the City Ground.
It wasn’t to be and the Reds crashed out of the competition on penalties after Ibrahim Sangare and Taiwo Awoniyi fluffed their lines for Forest.
Still, the 1-1 draw after a drab start to the game for the Reds saw a positive performance and they might have won the game in normal time.
Paul Taylor raves about one Nottingham Forest player after League Cup clash
It was a huge night for Forest academy graduate Zach Abbott who was making his first start in the senior ranks.
He lined up on the left of a three-man central defensive unit which felt somewhat odd for a Nuno Espirito Santo team.
After 18 seconds it was perhaps somewhat unfortunate that Abbott found himself on the team that had conceded a goal.
It was of course no slight on the youngster, however, and Paul Taylor raved about his performance.
He said on X: “Sangare and Milenkovic come on for Abbott and Jota. Jota has been impressive. He gets a big reception. That decision might have been made with half an eye on Saturday. Abbott also did well. Didn’t look out of place #NFFC“
Abbott inclusion proves the pathway is clear under Espirito Santo
The current Forest head coach got some stick at Wolves for not using more academy prospects.
However, things might be different at Forest in the coming years should he stick around at the club.
Abbott was a surprise name on the team sheet for tonight’s clash and it’s clear that the head coach doesn’t let hard work go unnoticed.
At 18-years-old the future is bright for Abbott and he might have to take a step back to play some B-Team games for the Reds this season.
Forest won’t be in the cup again now until January when the FA Cup gets underway and the Reds have a number of options ahead of him for the Premier League campaign.
Still, this was a big night for the youngster and it will live long in his memory for sure.
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