Boss Steve Cooper says he would have “no hesitation” calling upon some of Nottingham Forest’s academy players if needed during the remaining games.
Under-18s forward Dale Taylor travelled with the first-team squad to Fulham on Tuesday night. He was not included in the matchday 18, but, following injuries to Keinan Davis and Lewis Grabban, Cooper was keen to have an extra attacking option on standby.
The likes of Under-23s duo Oli Hammond and Ateef Konate have been involved earlier in the season under Cooper, while a group of academy players regularly train with the senior side. And as injury issues bite in the closing stages of the campaign, the Forest head coach says he won’t rule out giving youngsters a chance.
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“It was good experience for him. We always take a squad with us - more than the players you see starting and on the bench - because anything can happen when you’re away,” Cooper said of Taylor ahead of Saturday’s clash with Swansea City.
“We’d picked up a couple of injuries with attacking players. It was an opportunity to get a young player involved; we will always do that when we can. We’ve just had a load of them training with us for the last few days, which we enjoy.
“Dale is still very much in the early stages of his development as a full-time player. He’s got an FA Youth Cup final to look forward to as well - and it’s great to see how ticket sales are going for that.
“He was required with us on Tuesday night. And it was great to have him around.
“There’s always a possibility for young players. We’ll never have any hesitation in including them, we quite like it really.
“A lot of our staff have been academy staff at various clubs, so we know how important youth development is to a club - and it’s a proud one here, as well. When chances arise we’ll be throwing them in, that’s for sure.”
In addition to Davis and Grabban, who are both sidelined with hamstring problems, there is a question mark over fellow striker Sam Surridge for this weekend. Cooper has said the January signing is “managing” a groin issue and is a doubt, along with Jack Colback (glute) and Philip Zinckernagel (kick to the ankle), while Max Lowe (groin) remains absent.
