Nottingham Forest Under-18s hope to attract a big crowd to the City Ground on Monday when they face Chelsea in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup.
And the Reds will know what to expect when it comes to playing in front of plenty of fans. They have already experienced getting some stick from supporters on their way to the last-four, while dealing with potential distractions is something lead coach Warren Joyce regularly works on with the group during training.
Forest have beaten Bristol City, Peterborough United, Cambridge and Blackburn Rovers on their way to meeting the Blues. And they are eager to go all the way in the competition, with their brilliant run playing a key part in their development.
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“You try to give lads experiences, because you know what tick-boxes they need to get up to the first-team so nothing can be a shock to them. This is another vital part,” said Joyce, who joined the club last July.
“You don’t get playing in front of a crowd like that on a Saturday morning. You might get me shouting at them, but you don’t get hostility of fans.
“We’ve had that. We’ve had two away games where the fans have been quite hostile towards the boys, particularly in the penalty shoot-out (at Cambridge), they were quite abusive behind the goal. They’ve got to deal with that.
“Those experiences help, because if you’re going to play first-team at a club like Nottingham Forest, the pressure is on to try to win things. Nothing can be a shock to those players if they step up to that environment. The manager can’t afford to have people who are not ready, who let the team down and cost you points.
“We kind of prepare them for that in our own way during training sessions. You can create that environment. You can provoke them with things we say from the side during training, so they become used to it and don’t react. That’s important.
“The players might think it’s banter. It’s not, it’s done with a reason. It’s so they can take it and don’t get distracted by anything that is going to come along.
“We try to put pressure on them with some of the things in training, but you’re only trying to manufacture it. The manager has mentioned it would be great if there’s a few fans here on Monday. That’s another tick-box to see what players are like playing in front of fans on our home ground, seeing who adapts to that, who rises to it.
“Anybody who struggles with that, it’s another part of the development process for the boys. But it is also a learning tool that the manager can use as a yardstick to think who might be able to progress and move up to his level.
“It’s a fantastic achievement to get to this stage of the competition. We’re in with the big boys at the end, but we’re not happy we’re just doing that, we’re aiming to get to the next stage as well.”
Kick-off at the City Ground on Monday night is 7pm. Tickets are priced at £5 for adults and £2 for over-65s and under-18s. The winners will face Manchester United in the final.
