Nottingham Forest Academy Director Nick Marshall insists the Club’s Under 18 side has exceeded all expectations this season.
The Reds won their section of the FA Premier Academy League and were pipped by Arsenal for the overall title after a scintillating play-off final at the Emirates Stadium last week.
Marshall is delighted at the progress the youngsters have made – if not a little surprised by the level of success they achieved.
He told the Club’s official website:
“I apologised to the boys after the Arsenal game. I held my hands up because they have done far better than I thought they would do this season.”
“It just goes to show that even after an awful long time doing this job you can never quite tell what you are going to get out of young players. It has been fantastic to watch them do what they’ve done this season.”
“They have definitely exceeded my expectations, in winning the league, getting through to the final to play a team like Arsenal and doing themselves proud.”
“They deserve great credit, as do the people who have been working with them all season.”