Nottingham Forest Under-18s are hoping to cause a huge FA Youth Cup upset when they host multiple winners Chelsea at the City Ground on Monday night.
The young Reds are unbeaten in their last six games - picking up four wins and two draws - and Joyce will hope his side can produce one of their best performances yet against the Blues. Victory for the Under-18s would see them reach the FA Youth Cup final for the first time in the club's history.
First up, however, they take on a Chelsea team flying high in the southern section of the U18 Premier League standings having lost just four of their 19 league fixtures. They have also won the FA Youth Cup nine times.
Forest are hoping for a large crowd to attend the clash at the City Ground for the 7pm kick-off and here are four of U18s head coach Warren Joyce's squad that Reds fans should keep an eye out for on Monday.
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Dale Taylor
An ever-present in the Forest U18s team, Taylor has continued his prolific form in-front of goal this season with four goals to his name from nine appearances in all competitions - including a strike against Peterborough United in the FA Youth Cup round of 16.
A Northern Ireland Under-21 international, Taylor is comfortable playing above his age (18) and made his senior international debut in November 2021 against Lithuania.
Discussing the young striker around the time of his senior call-up, first-team boss Steve Cooper said: "We are very aware of him and I have seen him play — and he will be with us at some stage. He will get that opportunity.
"He has to strive to be a high performer in the under-23 side – which is no mean feat at his age. And if he plays for the under-18 side, he has to try to stand out as one of the better players. We are really, really proud of him."
Taylor's tally includes close-range and distance strikes - and he scored an incredible goal in a 4-4 draw with Leeds United at Thorpe Arch from 30 yards out.
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Detlef Esapa Osong
Forest's top-scorer in the Premier League 2 South with seven goals and one assist in 13 matches. The 17-year-old signed his first professional contract in January and has proved to be a difficult player to deal with in recent weeks.
The powerful forward has excellent movement, which makes him a tricky one to mark, and he proved that by scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 meeting with Manchester City last month.
Esapa Osong has been part of the Nigel Doughty Academy set-up since 2017 and has made himself a regular feature in Warren Joyce's Under-18s squad.
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Aaron Bott
Goalkeeper Bott, 17, has been given plenty of playing time in recent weeks and that is understandable given his impressive form for the young Reds.
He produced a sparkling performance in a 1-1 draw with Wolves last time out and made a late save to ensure Forest shared the points.
Bott is relatively small in stature but makes up for it with an excellent shot-stopping ability; he has also been on the bench a number of times for Andy Reid's Under-23s side.
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