Nottingham Forest under-21s got their Bristol Street Motors Trophy campaign underway on Tuesday night with a win over Carlisle United.
The young Reds left it late to secure the victory, with Archie Whitehall bagging the winner deep into stoppage time.
After the game, James Perch raved about Joe Gardner – the scorer of the first goal – but there were other star performers too.
Goalkeeper Aaron Bott showcased why Forest gave him minutes in pre-season, with six saves on the night.
Whitehall took his goal well, whilst Josh Powell and Fin Back both showed why they’ve been around the Forest first team before too.
Kyle McAdam stars during Nottingham Forest under-21s win
The Reds claimed a huge win away at Carlisle on Tuesday and now the under-21s will fancy reaching the knockout stages for the second successive campaign.
Abbott was in fine form once again at Brunton Park and every time he features, he showcases what he’s all about.
The 19-year-old is one of the more experienced players when it comes to development team football and that was evident on Tuesday.
It was McAdam who set up the winning goal and he showed an abundance of energy to breach the offside trap and cut the ball back for Whitehall to score.
According to Sofa Score, he enjoyed a very decent performance across the pitch, completing 26 of his 29 attempted passes with a 90% success ratio.
He also managed two successful dribbles and won four of the eight ground duels which he contested.
McAdam can be the new Ben Osborn for Forest
The teenager is still learning all of the time and as Osborn never played for Forest in the Premier League, McAdam will hope he can go one step further than the academy graduate in that sense.
It’s fair to say, however, that he’s showcasing some qualities that make him somewhat similar to Osborn – the man who made 230 appearances for the club, scoring 16 goals and claiming 31 assists.
McAdam has played four games for Forest this season; one in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy and three in the Premier League 2 campaign.
Despite the season being in its early stages, McAdam has already played as a centre-back, a central midfielder and also on the flank – making him versatile, to say the least.
Being a jack of all trades isn’t always a good thing if you turn out to be a master at none. However, there is a sense that McAdam can go a long way in the game and produce the goods for Forest in the future.
McAdam plays with a smile on his face, fire in his belly and never gives up.
Those qualities are what the Forest academy demands as mandatory requirements and the teenager could be a star of the future at the City Ground if he stays on an upward trajectory.
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