Eddie Howe has paid tribute to Jonjo Shelvey and Chris Wood as the pair prepare to meet former club Newcastle United for the first time since joining Nottingham Forest.
Champions League-chasing Newcastle visit the City Ground on Friday (8pm kick-off) for a Premier League battle that means just as much to the relegation-battling Reds.
While Wood, who is on loan from Newcastle, won’t be allowed to play against his parent club, Shelvey certainly will, having started the last four matches following a deadline-day switch that ended eight years with the Toon.
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Howe said: “Both players were so highly regarded by us, players and staff. Jonjo last year - and Chris - played huge roles in keeping us in the league in a difficult period for the football club. I thought both players really stood up and that’s not forgotten by me or anyone connected with the club. I’m sure they both left with our best wishes and we were very thankful for the contribution they gave to the club.”
Forest go into the game under a degree of pressure to maximise a home match. They also do so having not won in the last five matches, a run that has left them four places but only two points above the drop zone.
Meanwhile Brennan Johnson has “a small chance” of being available on Friday.
The attacker was forced off in the second half of the Reds’ 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, suffering from a groin strain. He has undergone a scan this week and wasn’t involved in an open training session on Tuesday.
However, he has been called up by Wales for their upcoming matches, and head coach Steve Cooper is not completely ruling him out of facing the Magpies at the City Ground .
The Reds hope to soon have some of their other injured players back available. Moussa Niakhate (hamstring) was an unused substitute in north London, while Cheikhou Kouyate (hamstring) has been involved in training and Ryan Yates (illness) played an hour for the Under-21s on Monday as he builds up his fitness.
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