Nottingham Forest manager drums support for misfiring Taiwo Awoniyi

By Wale Mustapha

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo has voiced strong support for Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi following a challenging performance in the Carabao Cup.

Awoniyi, who missed a penalty during Wednesday’s match against Newcastle United, was on the field for the entire 90 minutes of the 4-3 defeat, which came after a 1-1 draw at full time.

Despite the miss, Espírito Santo praised Awoniyi’s overall performance and commitment, acknowledging that the striker is still regaining full fitness. The match against Newcastle marked Awoniyi’s first start of the season.

Espírito Santo commented on Awoniyi’s performance, saying, “It was good. In the end, it was clear he was lacking some energy but he worked very hard until the end. He had two or three good chances to finish. We want to give Taiwo this opportunity to raise his levels of fitness because the talent is there.”

He also addressed the penalty miss, noting, “You cannot ignore the (penalty) moment for all of us, especially for the player involved in that situation. But we are here to support him and we don’t have too much time for sorrow because we go again on Saturday.”

Nottingham Forest will look to bounce back when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers at the City Ground on Saturday.