Six of Nottingham Forest’s out-of-favour players were involved in a behind closed doors Under-23s game with Cambridge United on Friday afternoon.
Luke Steele, Liam Bridcutt, Daryl Murphy, Zach Clough, Gboly Ariyibi and Jason Cummings all featured for Jimmy Gilligan’s side as they drew 2-2 with the U's at the Nigel Doughty Academy, having been told they can leave the City Ground.
The game finished 2-2 against Colin Calderwood’s League Two outfit in a clash played over four 25-minute quarters.
Forest fell behind inside the first 10 minutes before they pulled themselves level, and it was the hosts who then took the lead before the break courtesy of a deflected effort.
Calderwood, the former Reds boss who guided Forest to promotion from League One in 2008, saw his men level just after the interval and that was the way it remained.
Steele, Bridcutt and Murphy were all involved in Forest’s pre-season trip to Spain earlier this month, but have since been told by new boss Sabri Lamouchi to find new clubs having been left out of the travelling party for games against Atromitos and Olympiacos in Greece.
Clough has been linked with a move to Oldham, while Ariyibi had previously been on the radar of Motherwell, where he spent a spell on loan last term.
Those senior players not involved with Lamouchi’s first team squad will continue to train with the Under-23s while they search for a new club.
"Thank you to Forest and how they've set this up," Calderwood told the club website.
