Midfielder Ryan Yates believes Nottingham Forest have the big-match experience to cope with the pressure which comes with playing at Wembley.
Come Sunday week, the Reds and Huddersfield Town will go toe-to-toe under the famous arch, fighting for promotion to the Premier League. If the match is anything like the play-offs semi-finals, it will be a gripping - and nerve-wracking - affair, with Forest having needed a penalty shootout to get past Sheffield United.
The stakes are high and the margins might well be tight. But Yates says Forest know what it takes to thrive when the heat is on, with their brilliant FA Cup run showing they can cope with being in the spotlight.
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Steve Cooper’s side dispatched top-flight heavyweights Arsenal and holders Leicester City in the competition, got past the Terriers, and pushed Liverpool all the way in the quarter-finals. And they have been able to reflect on their league defeat at Bournemouth earlier this month, which ended their hopes of automatic promotion.
“I honestly do think those FA Cup experiences have helped us, because the play-offs are just such high emotions,” said academy graduate Yates. “The manager kept telling us to keep our emotions in check (against the Blades) because it was going to be a rollercoaster.
“It really was, even in the penalty shootout. You thought it was ours, then (Joe) Lolley missed. But you’ve got to be there to score. And you’ve got to be there to miss.
“Those big games against Liverpool, Leicester and Arsenal helped. And the Bournemouth game was a massive learning curve, especially for our younger players, including myself. Those games have really helped us.
“But we’ve not achieved anything, we have to finish the job. I just think if we play to our maximum level and stick to the manager’s game-plan, then let’s do it!
“We’ve been saying, we don’t care who we play. We could play anyone, as long as we perform to our maximum level, we will be confident."
