By Dayo Awoniyi
Nottingham Forest players will wear special tribute t-shirts in support of injured forward Taiwo Awoniyi when they face West Ham United on Sunday in the Premier League.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed the gesture during a pre-match press conference, saying the squad remains emotionally affected by the Super Eagles striker’s latest injury setback.
“First, give time and silence for the players to settle down, then deal with the reality. And now prepare the game,” Santo said.
Awoniyi has endured a difficult season marred by injuries, with his latest absence coming as another blow to Forest’s campaign. While he is unlikely to be present at the City Ground for the match, Santo noted that Awoniyi remains at the heart of the team.
“I don’t think T will be able to follow the game. But the players will make their tributes to him, because T means a lot to us and it has been so hard on him this season,” he said.
Santo added that the team is motivated to secure a win in Awoniyi’s honor.
“Honestly, each of us would change everything we achieved this year for T to be here with us. It was a sad moment. They will have t-shirts. All that we can do to pay tribute to T, we will do. Because he deserves it.”
Forest will be aiming for a crucial result against West Ham as the club continues to battle in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
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.
