By Monsurah Olatunji
Despite both Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi failing to score in Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, former Manchester City defender Stuart Pearce has praised Awoniyi as a reliable backup to Wood, who is currently in excellent form.
Awoniyi, who had an impressive season last year, started the current campaign as a substitute after struggling with injuries.
During his absence, Wood has stepped up remarkably, scoring nine goals in 14 starts for Forest, making Awoniyi’s return to the starting lineup more challenging.
Pearce, however, believes that Awoniyi remains a strong option off the bench.
“Taiwo Awoniyi did well last season and can step in for him,” Pearce said, referring to Wood’s role in the team.
“The bottom line is they’ve got a threat on the counterattack with pace, and two goalscorers at the point of the team.”
He further stressed Forest’s counterattack, noting, “The legs they’ve got on the counterattack have been very good. They are the only team to win at Liverpool because of the counterattack threat they offer.”
With both Wood and Awoniyi providing attacking options, Pearce believes Forest’s squad depth is one of their key strengths as they continue to challenge in the Premier League.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
