A fresh insight into Nottingham Forest’s stadium plans has got Joe Worrall dreaming of wearing the Garibaldi in front of a packed City Ground in the Premier League.
The Reds last week released new images of their planned stadium redevelopment, with a planning application expected to be submitted before the end of the year and work due to get underway in 2020.
And as well as the excitement off the pitch, there is plenty to be optimistic about on the field as Sabri Lamouchi’s men look to mount a promotion push this season.
Boyhood Reds fan Worrall says the City Ground project - with phase one rebuilding the Peter Taylor Stand to cater for 10,000 fans - is the perfect incentive as the team aim to maintain their top six spot.
“You don’t want to curse anything, but I’ve never felt like this,” said the defender.
“I know I’ve only been playing at the club professionally for three or four years, but let’s not forget how many managers I’ve seen come through the door and how many players!
“It’s been a whirlwind of an upbringing to life in football for me. I’ve loved every single minute of it.
“And with the new stand being built, it’s another step in the ladder; another piece of the jigsaw to my upbringing in football.
“It’s something that I’m desperately excited to play in front of.
“It’s just incredible that I’m growing up in Nottingham, playing for Forest and being able to play in front of a brand spanking new stand. It will be brilliant.”
Worrall added: “With the facilities we’re getting, we need to mirror that on the pitch.
“I don’t think it should be the other way around. I think it should be, ‘right, here’s your stadium, here’s your stand, here’s your facilities, now go and perform’.
“I don’t think it should be a reward thing. It’s more of an incentive thing.
“With the backing of the people behind the scenes, it’s fantastic and something that all the players are very excited to be involved in.
“We’re excited to and play in. It will be incredible.”
Worrall has been a key player for Lamouchi this season, following his loan spell at Rangers last term.
The 22-year-old was the subject of some transfer speculation in the summer, with the Reds understood to have turned down more than one bid.
Hull City and Wigan Athletic were both believed to have shown an interest, though it is unclear whether either club were involved in making an offer.
Worrall, however, has made clear his love for Forest as they prepare to return to action after the international break with a trip to Bristol City on Saturday.
“Of course there’s always speculation. You see it all the time on Twitter,” said the Nigel Doughty Academy product.
“But at the end of the day I’m playing for Forest - the team I love. I love wearing the red shirt.
“It’s something that I’m focused on for the next game.
“You never know what happens in football. Lots of things can happen, but I’m just focused on Bristol City.
“After that, we’ve got a massive run of games. Leagues are won and lost over the Christmas period, when it’s cold and some teams chuck it in.
“There’s a lot of players who crumble under the old adage of Tuesday night at Stoke. We’ve done that one! But it’s a long Christmas, people want to be at home in front of the fires.
“I’m not saying it’s all ‘boo hoo’ because we get paid to do it, but you’ve still got to have some steel as a football club.
“You look at the successful teams and they’ve got good players, but they’ve also got honest players who work hard for each other.
“I think we’ve got that in abundance.
“We just need to keep performing and keep picking up points, then we can play some of that stuff in front of a new stand.”
