As Nottingham Forest were preparing for their Carabao Cup fourth round tie, head coach Steve Cooper gave his players a history lesson.
He talked through the Reds’ former glories in the competition - one they have won four times and finished as runners-up in twice. And he discussed how this particular piece of silverware has played an important role in the club’s illustrious past.
But he was unaware quite how long it has been since Forest reached the latter stages of the tournament. He only discovered after his team had seen off Blackburn Rovers that not since 1994 have the club reached the quarter-final stage of the League Cup.
