Under-23s Match Preview: Nottingham Forest vs. Leicester City

Josh Knight and Layton Ndukwu found the net for Steve Beaglehole’s men either side of half-time at Holmes Park on Sunday to keep them in touch in the league standings and secure their first three points of 2017. 

City were held to a 2-2 draw by Forest last time around just before a prolonged Christmas break with Raul Uche Rubio among those getting on the scoresheet late on for the hosts at Loughborough University. 

Forest go into the encounter with four wins in their last six matches across both their Premier League 2 Division 2 and Premier League Cup campaigns, with a 4-0 success over Hull City on Monday night. 

Gareth Holmes has seen several of his young stars promoted to the Sky Bet Championship club’s first team this month with senior manager Gary Brazil dipping into the Under-23s squad for fresh blood. 

Ben Brereton, on the back of scoring 14 times in 19 games, is the most high-profile figure to make the step up in recent weeks and has proven to be a useful outlet for the East Midlands outfit at the City Ground. 

“They’ve done extremely well this season,” City Under-23s boss Steve Beaglehole said this week, analysing Forest's strengths and weaknesses. “I know their first team has struggled but the players they’ve brought into the first team, like Ben Brereton have impressed. 

“I had some great years at Nottingham Forest so I know what the club is about. They’re very strong on youth development. I would think it’ll be a younger team than what we played last time because Gary Brazil has promoted a few of them since he took charge. 

“Whatever team they put out, they’ll be a good side with technically good players who are well disciplined, so it’s going to be a very good, competitive game to assess our players in. 

“We’re improving and our results have not shown it at the start of the year. We’re a younger team and the players who played in the Youth Cup against Chelsea have shown how their experience in the Under-23s has helped their development.” 

Forest Under-23s coach Gareth Holmes said after the win over Hull this week: “I am really pleased. I think we dominated possession and our movement off the ball was good. It was a strong performance with a strong team. 

“The pleasing thing is the boys have gone about it in the right manner and the senior pros have stood up to that and made sure that they use it for what it is - to get their fitness and be in a position to help the first team moving forwards. 

“Ideally what you are looking for is competition for places in the 23s, so then the people who are doing well are in a real competitive vein of form ready to go in and be available for selection for Gary and Jack. 

“Credit to them they have gone about it in the right way with some good passages of play and good movement and what is also pleasing is we have got the four goals but also kept the clean sheet which shows the resilience that will stand us in good stead moving forward.” 

Toby Edser, 17, was handed his first senior contract by Forest last year and has rewarded the club’s loyalty with a string of dogmatic displays in the middle for the Under-23s side. 

The central midfielder scored the third goal in a 4-0 triumph over Hull earlier this week and has been labelled one of the most exciting players in the Premier League 2 pyramid this season. 

Edser skippered Forest against City in Loughborough in December and delivered an assured, confident performance to help his side twice take the lead over Steve Beaglehole’s young side. 

With the likes of Matt Miles, Hamza Choudhury and Lamine Kaba Sherif in the middle for the Foxes, Beaglehole will be confident of containing Edser’s talents - but his men will have to be on their game to do so.