It was a game Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper went into with certain objectives in mind. And one he came out of “with a little bit of confirmation on some stuff”.
The Welshman gave a frank assessment in the aftermath of Tuesday night’s 2-2 draw at Notts County. Pleased with the positives, he was equally clear when it came to discussing what he felt were the negatives.
With three friendlies in the week before the serious action begins, the Reds fielded a squad largely made up of fringe and younger players at Meadow Lane. Twice the visitors led, through Sam Surridge and Cafu, only to be pegged back in what was an entertaining affair. We take a look at some of the talking points from the match.
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READ MORE: How the Reds rated against the Magpies
Super strikes
It might only be pre-season, but Forest scored two cracking goals. A tip of the hat, in particular, to Cafu.
The Portuguese absolutely whalloped in a peach of a free-kick from full-on 25 yards in the second half. The ball was rifled into the top corner with aplomb, being met by a chorus of ‘Cafuuuu’ from the away fans. Whether and what part he has to play in the coming campaign remains to be seen, but that was exquisite.
As was Surridge’s opener. It was classic Sam Surridge; a trademark beautifully-curled shot into the far side of the net. Cafu had a hand in that one, too, slotting the ball through for the front man to latch on to.
Surridge demonstrated his wonderful finishing ability during the second half of last term, following his January move. And he hasn’t lost his knack, despite just returning from injury.
The Reds have brought in Taiwo Awoniyi and are still looking to add to their firepower, but don’t discount the 23-year-old from making his mark at the top level. He only had one chance against the Magpies and took it. That kind of conversion rate will be even more valuable in the Premier League.
Injury boost
Having Surridge out there in the first place was a real plus for the visitors, let alone seeing him find the back of the net. Likewise, Ryan Yates being in the starting XI.
The duo making their comebacks, Cooper said, was one of the big positives. Both played the first half before sitting out the second, getting vital minutes under their belts.
For Surridge, it was his first run-out of the summer. He was in Germany to undergo surgery straight after promotion was secured at Wembley, and has put in the hard work since to get back fit.
Yates had featured in the first friendly, against Coventry City, only to suffer a knee problem during the training camp in Spain. There was a sharp intake of breath when he went down and required treatment just before the break on Tuesday night. But he was back giving the thumbs up and excitedly looking ahead to Premier League football when doing post-match media duties.
New signings coming in have added competition for places throughout the first-team, and that can only help raise levels of others. Yates and Surridge will no doubt be eager for more game time on Saturday, both to build-up fitness and to do their best to catch the manager’s eye.
‘Fallen short’
Cooper didn’t name names, but he also didn’t pull any punches with his verdict after the final whistle. “A couple of the more senior boys didn’t do so well, truth be told,” he said. “There’s no point shying away from that - they’ve fallen a bit short with individual performance.”
The Welshman admitted for some who had struggled to get much of a look-in in the Championship, it was going to be even harder to do so at the next step up. It was an indication that some of those involved might well end up heading elsewhere before the window closes.
Richie Laryea, for instance, has already been linked with a loan move. He did make some lovely runs early on against Notts, but Forest could have done with a few more of those as the game went on.
Braian Ojeda, meanwhile, drew a few sighs of exasperation from the Reds boss with a tendency to give away soft free-kicks. He could certainly benefit from playing regularly, having found himself down the pecking order so far.
They are not the only ones who could add to the list of summer departures. Forest’s priority has been to get new players in, but there remains a need to move some on.
Young prospects
A group of academy graduates will form part of the core of the Reds’ team in the top-flight. And the next generation of talent is already coming through.
Cooper has given minutes to a number of youngsters throughout the pre-season games. All have done themselves great credit.
The second half against Notts was particularly testing for a young team when a lot of changes were made. But those kinds of experiences can be incredibly beneficial. Being in those situations is all part of the learning process and a crucial aspect of development. Even if they didn’t get chance to really show what they can do at times, the players who were out there will take a lot from their time on the pitch.
That’s not to say they didn’t do well. Far from it. There is a lot of potential and promise throughout the age group levels. For the near-6,000 away supporters in attendance, it’s always exciting to get a glimpse of the future.
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