Ryan Yates is confident there is much more to come from him after being named Nottingham Forest Fans’ Player of the Year for 2022.
The midfielder won by a landslide in NottinghamshireLive’s poll to decide who should take the crown. After a brilliant 12 months, he picked up a whopping 63 percent of the votes from Reds supporters, beating fellow nominees Brennan Johnson, Scott McKenna and Joe Worrall.
Yates was at the heart of Forest’s promotion success last season and he has been the team’s most consistent performer following their step up to the Premier League. If Steve Cooper’s side are to stay up, the vice-captain will have a lot to do with it as he gives his all in every game and continually puts his body on the line for the cause.
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“It’s fantastic. Thank you very much to everybody who has voted for me, I really appreciate the support,” Yates told NottinghamshireLive after being informed of his win.
“Personally, I’ve come such a long way in the year, especially mentally, and the team has grown, as I have myself on the pitch. But I’m never satisfied, I just really, really want to kick on and improve my game even further in the Premier League, get more minutes and get more wins under the belt, especially at the City Ground.
“I think working on the mental side of my game has been the main thing behind improving this year. Steve Cooper has instilled that in me; he’s given me such belief to go out there and express myself.
“I feel like this team and this squad really plays to my strengths. I want to continue to develop that.
“Hopefully, this is just the start of what is a really, really long and successful career at Forest, and we can keep improving as a team and myself individually.”
One of the abiding memories of the Reds’ play-off triumph at Wembley is of Yates pretending to “swim” on the pitch during the post-match celebrations. It was in recognition of the chant “if Yatesy scores, we’re in the sea”, which had rung out many times during the final run-in of the season.
It was the 25-year-old who helped to force the own goal which ended up making the difference against Huddersfield Town and ended the club’s 23-year exile from the top-flight. He ended the campaign with nine goals in 51 appearances in all competitions - including a run where he scored in four successive games - having particularly improved that side of his game.
Something of a divisive figure among the fanbase in the past, the Nigel Doughty Academy graduate has now won over many of his doubters. Having that backing means a lot to him, but he isn’t about to rest on his laurels.
“I have the mindset of never get too high and too low,” added Yates, who signed a new long-term contract back in March. “Of course that’s very difficult, because the highs are superb - like the Crystal Palace game, for example.
“Obviously you want to be loved by your supporters, so things like this do help. But I also know I can improve much, much further and help the team progress.
“I’m certainly not satisfied. But you have to look back sometimes and be thankful for where you are at.
“Hopefully it’s an even better 2023. I’ll continue to focus on my own self-development, and hopefully that can help the lads on the pitch improve and stay in the Premier League - that’s my main focus.”
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