6ft 4in & not afraid to stick the boot into his mates
HOMETOWN KID WORRALL WON’T BE SILENCED IN QUEST FOR FOREST GLORY
NOTTINGHAM FOREST youngster Joe Worrall has revealed he was close to hurling boots around the dressing room last season because he was furious with senior team-mates.
And the 6ft 4in 20-year-old vowed not to hold back from giving them another tongue-lashing following his season-turning moment last December.
The homegrown centre-back, once a ball boy at the City Ground, is preparing for the new Championship term which starts against Millwall on Friday night – after an impressive breakthrough campaign.
It culminated in helping Forest stay up on the final day on goal difference before captaining England’s Young Lions to success at the Toulon Tournament (above) this summer.
But a 2-0 home defeat against Wolves seven months ago sent him into a post-match tirade about players not fighting for the cause.
Just 19 at the time, he spared no one in his blunt assessment, even admitting he was embarrassed to have been man of the match.
He said: “There aren’t many players who have an affection for their club like I do, being from Nottingham.
“If you’re at a club and you have someone who cares and wants to win, you just have to pull your finger out and go for the jugular.
“Some of the players didn’t last season and if I hadn’t have had that interview I might have had to show it in another way.
“I might have had a few boots flying around in the changing room or something.
“We were in a dangerous situation but thankfully improved and really rallied when the new manager came in.
“We knew it didn’t matter how we did it, we just needed to win.”
His committed attitude delighted fans and a final-day 3-0 win over Ipswich guaranteed safety in the relegation battle.
Manager Philippe Montanier left in January and Forest improved under successor Mark Warburton. They now have new owners and fresh optimism after Evangelos Marinakis replaced Fawaz AlHasawi in the boardroom.
Worrall says the season’s finale almost seemed like they were at the top end of the table and he is desperate to be there soon with Forest.
He said: “The final day felt like promotion, the players were emotional and fans were on the pitch and families were in the stands.
“Looking on to this season we need to think of that. Over the last few seasons it has been rocky at Forest, the players know it, the fans know it and we need to carry on with how we finished last season.
“I want to get the club I have grown up with up the league and really want to succeed with Forest.”
Worrall has captained Forest at various age groups, after joining aged 14, and harbours dreams of skippering the first team too.
His attributes and experience meant he was a natural to skipper England to penalty shootout win over Ivory Coast in the Toulon final.
Worrall added: “Other than wearing the replica kits as a kid, it was my first time in an England shirt and I think I did myself proud.
“I had goose bumps when the national anthem started and to lift a trophy with England is a dream come true.
“Now I’ll look to try to get some caps in a higher age group and maybe even one day the first team but I won’t get too ahead of myself.”