Nottingham Forest's Under-18s have booked themselves into an FA Youth Cup final spot for the first time in the club's history and some supporters are beginning to wonder whether some of those in Warren Joyce's squad could be future first-team stars.
The young Reds produced a dramatic comeback to score three times in the final five minutes to beat multiple trophy-winners Chelsea in their last four tie. Charlie Webster gave the visitors the lead after an hour at the City Ground before Dale Taylor leveled the scores with five minutes left on the clock.
Detlef Esapa Osong put the home side ahead with a reactive strike on 89 minutes and a converted penalty deep into stoppage-time. That victory means Nottingham Forest will now play Manchester United in a bid to make history all over again by lifting the trophy for the very first time. A date has yet to be confirmed.
READ MORE: Man United vs Nottingham Forest FA Youth Cup final date and ticket details confirmed
READ MORE: Steve Cooper sets out stance on Nottingham Forest youngsters amid injury woes
Forest boss Steve Cooper’s reputation for developing young players was a key factor in his appointment at the City Ground, and he has regular conversations with director of football development Gary Brazil, Under-23s head coach Andy Reid and Under-18s chief Joyce.
“We have good dialogue with the academy staff,” he told the Nottingham Post in December. “For me, the academy is somewhat more of a quantitative role. Obviously it’s a qualitative role as well, but it’s quantitative because you do a lot more hours’ training and you’ve got a lot more teams, and a lot more players.
“There’s a lot of stuff which people don’t see which goes on in an academy. I’m respectful of that because I’ve been there - and I miss it, to be fair, as well! “I’ll always have an interest with the guys, largely because I am genuinely interested and I like academy football.
“They’ve just got to keep going, the academy, and I’m sure they will get some good work done. Hopefully we can provide some opportunities for the first-team.”
With Cooper's of developing youngsters in mind, these are the members of Warren Joyce's squad who could save the Forest boss millions in transfer fees...
Dale Taylor
It may have taken Forest until the 85th-minute to find a way past Chelsea goalkeeper Prince Adegoke, but Taylor was a constant nuisance against the Blues.
The 18-year-old Northern Irishman showed composure to glide the ball past Adegoke late at the City Ground after Detlef Esapa Osong had won possession.
Before that goal, however, Taylor had used his physical strength on multiple occasions to win the ball from the opposition; his quick feet allowed him to dart into space and he showed nimble footwork to produce moments of excellent skill - including a perfect roulette turn during the first-half.
Taylor's goalscoring record for the Under-18s this season - five goals in ten games - has seen him called up for international duty with Northern Ireland.
In November 2021, he made his senior international debut as a substitute against Lithuania. At the time, 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."
Detlef Esapa Osong
It really looked like it was going to be one of those nights for Esapa Osong where, no matter how hard he tried, he just could not score. But with the Reds trailing and the game headed towards full-time, the 17-year-old moved up a gear and proved to be Forest's star man.
His physicality resulted in him stealing the ball from Chelsea skipper Alfie Gilchrist to set-up Taylor's equaliser, and he equally showed off instinctive finishing to pounce on a loose ball to put Forest ahead.
Before then he had shown a host of different attributes, including both on and off-the-ball skills. His movement away from play allowed Taylor to dart into space and force openings; his tidy footwork also meant he could find space himself and leave defenders trailing.
He showed great composure to score Forest's second and, when the Reds were running down the clock, also twisted Brodi Hughes in knots as he won a stoppage time penalty - which he dispatched high into the roof of the net from 12 yards.
Forest's Head of Coaching and Player Development, Jody Caudwell, who has worked with Esapa Osong since he joined the club at under 13 level, said of the forward: "He has developed well since transitioning into the full-time programme and has had a good start to the season scoring goals with the U18s and working hard to improve with the coaches.
"We feel he has a bright future at the football club. Esapa has great potential in his position which he is displaying in training and in games week on week. There are some talented strikers in the academy and he must work hard to push himself to the next level. The coaches and support staff will set him targets and it’s then up to him to fulfil his potential."
Esapa Osong has been with the Reds since 2017 and signed his first set of professional terms with the club in January 2022.
Jack Nadin
Jack Nadin is a relatively unknown name at Nottingham Forest, but that almost certainly won't be for long.
A bright spark throughout the first-half against Chelsea, Nadin had to be carried off on a stretcher just before half-time; the attacking midfielder had tried to control a loose ball but seemed to roll his ankle as he over-stretched.
That brought an abrupt end to the youngster's time at the City Ground, but he will likely have plenty more opportunities to showcase his talent.
He went close to scoring on 17 minutes against Chelsea when he looked up and curled a shot narrowly wide of Adegoke's far post.
Nadin has enjoyed some positive form throughout the season. He scored in the 3-1 win over Bristol City in the third round of the FA Youth Cup; he was also nominated for the LFE Goal of the Month for November for his fantastic strike in a 5-0 thrashing of Norwich City.
The 17-year-old was also on the scoresheet again in the quarter-finals against Blackburn Rovers. Forest will be keen to see him fit to face Manchester United in the final.
Which of Forest's Under-18s squad would you like to see in the first-team? Have your say here...
