Goalkeeper Luke Steele has spoken of his pride at wearing the captain’s armband for Nottingham Forest.
And he has hailed the club’s Nigel Doughty Academy for their continued production line of talent, having led out a young side in last night’s pre-season friendly at Lincoln City.
Steele put in an impressive display as skipper at Sincil Bank as a Reds XI came from behind to draw 1-1 in the final run-out before the Championship campaign gets underway.
The shot-stopper is understood to be among a number of players told to find a new team this summer, along with the likes of Jason Cummings, Zach Clough, Gboly Ariyibi and Daryl Murphy – all of whom started against the Imps.
The rest of the matchday squad was largely made up of youth team players, such as Malique Spooner, Tyrese Fornah, Victor Sodeinde and Keith Asare, who were all looking to take their chance to impress.
Forest have a strong tradition when it comes to bringing up promising players through the ranks, with Joe Worrall, Ryan Yates and Matty Cash having all made the breakthrough in recent years.
And Steele believes the future looks equally bright, having seen the next generation at first-hand.
He wrote on Twitter: “Great to captain a youngish Forest side but full credit to the @NFFC Academy who must be doing an unbelievable job these past years to produce talent like they have.”
